See crime rates for the safest cities.
South Carolina’s 20 Safest Cities of 2024
Here are the 10 Safest Cities in South Carolina for 2024
South Carolina residents share similar levels of concern about crime as the rest of the country in our State of Safety survey, and its safest cities collectively boast crime rates below national averages. But statewide, there’s more crime reported in The Palmetto State than much of the rest of the US.
In this report
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NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2022.
2024 South Carolina crime rates
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Violent crime in South Carolina increased this year, from 5.2 incidents per 1,000 people to 5.5. Property crime continued a downward trend, falling from 25.9 crimes per 1,000 people to 23.9.
South Carolina's crime rates are higher than the national rate. Across the states that met reporting requirements this year, South Carolina is seventh for violent crime and tenth for property crime.
Property crime in South Carolina: Fear vs. reality
South Carolinians experienced less property crime this survey year. Still, the statewide ranks in the top ten for most property crime.
- 60% of respondents said they were concerned about property crime (US 52%).
- 35% of survey participants reported an experience with property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared to 27% nationwide.
- Reported experiences with property crime rose by 25% year over year.
- Burglaries are 31% less common in the safest cities.
- 81% of respondents said they used some form of home protection. The most popular type is security cameras.
- 34% of survey respondents in South Carolina reported experiencing package theft in the last 12 months, which is just below the US average of 35%.
What security measures do South Carolinians use most?
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How to stay safe in South Carolina
South Carolina is #7 in the US for its higher-than-average violent crime rate.
South Carolina is #10 in the US for its higher-than-average property crime rate.
What crimes are South Carolina residents most concerned about?
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Violent crime in South Carolina: Fear vs. reality
People in South Carolina are more worried about violent crime than the average American, though reports of violent crime experiences fell 29% year over year.
- 35% of South Carolinians say they feel safe in their state—that's a 30% drop from the last year.
- Respondents' experiences with violent crime incidents rank 12% higher than the nation.
- 53% of respondents said they were worried about violent crime (US 50%).
- Aggravated assault is the most common violent crime in South Carolina, making up 75% of all reported incidents—5% higher than the national average.
- 15% of reported violent crimes were robberies, just below the national average (US 16%).
- 37% say they use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
- The most common forms of personal protection in the state are pocket knives, concealed weapons, and pepper spray. These tied for first place at 41%.
Attitudes about gun violence in South Carolina
- 52% are most worried about a gun violence incident happening to them (US 51%).
- Survey respondents say their gun violence experiences dropped 23% year over year—from 22% to 17%.
- The 16 mass shooting incidents in South Carolina. There were 20 for each of the two years before.
- South Carolina ranks eighth in its experience with gun violence.
A closer look at the safest cities in South Carolina
For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.
- 75 cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
- Bluffton reached the number one spot this year after ranking second the year before.
- Seven cities in the top ten reported zero murders.
- Ridgeland was the only city to report zero motor vehicle thefts.
- Travelers Rest was the only city to report zero murders, rapes, and robberies.
- Eight cities in the top 15 were new to the safest cities list.
- The violent crime rate in the safest cities is 3.9 incidents per 1,000 people, less than the state rate (5.5).
- The property crime rate in the safest cities is 24.2 incidents per 1,000 people.
The 20 safest cities in South Carolina
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Population36,064
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20220.7, 0.8, 0.9
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 20226.1, 7.3, 7.2
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population31,023
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20220.6, 0.7, 1.3
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 20227.6, 6.2, 9.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population13,607
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20220.4, 0.6, 0.4
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202210.8, 14.0, 19.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population3,680
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20220.8, N/A, 1.8
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202212.8, N/A, 17.7
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
-
Population7,153
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20221.1, N/A, 3.9
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202212.4, N/A, 20.9
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population6,437
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.6, N/A, 4.0
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 20228.2, N/A, 19.9
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population93,951
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20221.2, 1.0, 1.0
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202213.7, 11.2, 13.3
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population5,335
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20220.2, N/A, 0.6
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202217.6, N/A, 19.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population13,430
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.5, 3.1, 2.7
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202212.7, 12.9, 15.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population4,284
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.8, N/A, 1.6
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202212.8, N/A, 13.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population4,241
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.6, N/A, 3.0
-
PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202215.3, N/A, 17.7
-
VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population24,880
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.5, 2.8, 2.1
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202216.6, 24.2, 21.8
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population4,121
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.7, N/A, 1.8
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202216.7, N/A, 7.3
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population3,793
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.6, N/A, 5.7
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202217.1, N/A, 52.9
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population18,174
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.1, 1.9, 1.4
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202219.6, 21.0, 20.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population22,320
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20224.0, 2.6, 2.2
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202214.7, 12.9, 11.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population46,665
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.9, 2.8, N/A
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202218.3, 17.1, N/A
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population42,196
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.5, 2.4, 2.8
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202220.3, 27.4, 30.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population26,576
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20222.9, 1.9, 2.6
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202219.1, 17.6, 19.7
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
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Population24,957
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VC Rate 2024, 2023, 20221.7, 2.0, 2.0
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PC Rate 2024, 2023, 202223.0, 23.1, 29.9
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
How we determined the safest cities
Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.
How to make a safe home anywhere
Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.
Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems—and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security.
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Endnotes and sources
Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.
FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.
- 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
- Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
- 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables
Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.
Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.
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