Is Charlotte, NC Safe? 2026 Crime Rates & Safety Report
Key facts
- 01
Charlotte, North Carolina reported 681.72 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 3.53 times the national reference of 193.00 per 100,000 and 488.72 per 100,000 above that reference, with 6,042 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 02
Charlotte, North Carolina reported 2,839.50 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.57 times the national reference of 1,106.97 per 100,000 and 1,732.53 per 100,000 above that reference, with 25,166 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 03
Charlotte, North Carolina reported 456.96 burglary offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.43 times the national reference of 188.15 per 100,000 and 268.81 per 100,000 above that reference, with 4,050 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 04
Charlotte, North Carolina reported 110.46 robbery offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.29 times the national reference of 48.24 per 100,000 and 62.22 per 100,000 above that reference, with 979 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 05
Charlotte, North Carolina reported 510.78 aggravated assault offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.23 times the national reference of 229.56 per 100,000 and 281.22 per 100,000 above that reference, with 4,527 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
Quick answer
In the Safety Atlas 2026 public safety index, Charlotte, NC has an adjusted safety score of 17.84 out of 100. It ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in North Carolina. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing. Separately, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported overall crime down 16% in the first half of 2026 versus the same period in 2025 (violent crime −8%, property crime −17%; homicides 40 versus 39, with a 75% clearance rate), a newer local release outside this profile’s 2025 FBI source year.
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Data, definitions and reuse
Violent: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. Property: burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, arson. Subcategories are excluded to avoid double counting. Counts are offenses reported to police in this jurisdiction, not rates, neighborhood scores or a census of all crime.
| Month | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 500 | 3004 |
| Feb | 402 | 2616 |
| Mar | 440 | 3071 |
| Apr | 430 | 2880 |
| May | 501 | 2988 |
| Jun | 477 | 3001 |
| Jul | 697 | 3114 |
| Aug | 552 | 2990 |
| Sep | 467 | 3143 |
| Oct | 511 | 3079 |
| Nov | 456 | 2712 |
| Dec | 354 | 2782 |
Reuse under CC BY 4.0; indicate changes. The downloaded image carries our name, licence and source in its metadata. Embed code:
<img src="https://www.safetyatlas.us/img/charts/charlotte-nc-crime-trend-2025.webp" alt="Chart of Charlotte, NC crime statistics: Charlotte reported 5,787 violent offenses in 2025, 21.3% fewer than in 2024. Shows violent and property monthly bars." width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto">
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.safetyatlas.us/safety/nc/charlotte">Safety Atlas, Charlotte, NC</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.</p>
2026 edition, FBI source year 2025.
Charlotte in 7 numbers
- Motor vehicle theft fell 21%. 6,042 reports in 2025 vs 7,612 in 2024 (−21%), the largest year-over-year move of any indicator offense.
- More than half of all reports are property crime. 46,023 of 81,779 reports (56.3%); larceny-theft alone is 25,166 (30.8%).
- Clearances skew toward violent crime. 32.6% of homicides cleared vs 10.7% of motor vehicle thefts and 11.1% of larcenies (2025, reports cleared ÷ reports received).
- A second look at motor vehicle theft. July (585) ran 1.5× December (403); the year finished down 21%.
- Burglary is volatile but stable. Monthly counts swung 1.5× (Jan 404 vs Nov 270); the year finished about level with 2024.
- The biggest volume isn’t violent. Simple assault (10,484) and theft from motor vehicle (9,701) dwarf the whole personal-safety total (6,204, 7.6% of reports).
- Small months, big bars. December’s 329 burglaries vs January’s 404 is a gap of 75 reports, monthly charts amplify small-number swings. Read the 12-month direction, not one bar.
Takeaways are computed from FBI CDE reported counts (source year 2025, NC0600100). They describe reported data, not forecasts; check the methodology and coverage notes before reuse.
Every number on this page ships in the North Carolina workbook.
Key Public Safety Indicators
Reported rates per 100,000 residents; national references shown alongside.
| Offense Class | Annual Count | Rate per 100K | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 979 | 110.46 | 48.24 |
2.29× national |
| Aggravated Assault | 4527 | 510.78 | 229.56 |
2.23× national |
| Burglary | 4050 | 456.96 | 188.15 |
2.43× national |
| Larceny-theft | 25166 | 2839.5 | 1106.97 |
2.57× national |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 6042 | 681.72 | 193.0 |
3.53× national |
Charlotte monthly trend: reported counts through December 2025
Annual totals hide timing. The bars below show 2025 reported counts per month for the three highest-relative indicator offenses; each table carries the same numbers with FBI pre-computed rates. The full 19-offense monthly series (2020-2025) is downloadable below.
Motor Vehicle Theft, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 6042 reports vs 7612 in 2024 (down 21% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 562 | 54.3 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 449 | 43.38 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 557 | 53.81 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 463 | 44.73 | Full |
| May 2025 | 549 | 53.04 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 579 | 55.94 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 585 | 56.52 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 506 | 48.89 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 443 | 42.8 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 469 | 45.31 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 477 | 46.09 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 403 | 38.94 | Full |
Larceny-theft, month by month
→ Stable, 25166 reports vs 25244 in 2024 (about level in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 2015 | 194.68 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 1838 | 177.58 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 2104 | 203.28 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 2010 | 194.2 | Full |
| May 2025 | 2098 | 202.7 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 2114 | 204.24 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 2201 | 212.65 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 2185 | 211.1 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 2319 | 224.05 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 2282 | 220.48 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 1960 | 189.37 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 2040 | 197.09 | Full |
Burglary, month by month
→ Stable, 4050 reports vs 4285 in 2024 (about level in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 404 | 39.03 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 319 | 30.82 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 402 | 38.84 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 401 | 38.74 | Full |
| May 2025 | 328 | 31.69 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 296 | 28.6 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 321 | 31.01 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 290 | 28.02 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 372 | 35.94 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 318 | 30.72 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 270 | 26.09 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 329 | 31.79 | Full |
Clearances: what got cleared in 2025
33% of homicides cleared vs 11% of motor vehicle thefts, clearance follows violent crime, not volume.
| Offense | Reported | Cleared | Clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 92 | 30 | 32.6% |
| Aggravated Assault | 4,527 | 1,395 | 30.8% |
| Robbery | 979 | 265 | 27.1% |
| Burglary | 4,050 | 558 | 13.8% |
| Larceny-theft | 25,166 | 2,805 | 11.1% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 6,042 | 649 | 10.7% |
Clearances ÷ reports received; clearances may concern earlier reports, so this is not a solve rate.
Monthly counts and FBI pre-computed rates per 100,000, FBI CDE source year 2025, NC0600100. Rates use FBI month-specific covered-population denominators and are shown as published, not recomputed. A hyphen (-) means not reported, not zero. Annual totals equal the sum of shown months within ±2% (see manifest).
Downloads: Charlotte monthly series (JSON) · same data (CSV) · build manifest
Comparing Charlotte to somewhere else? Take the file with you.
What drives Charlotte's safety score?
Charlotte ranks in the bottom quarter of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in North Carolina, ahead of approximately 17% of that scored set. The profile uses a reporting population of 886,283 and source-year data through 2025; it is a citywide agency-level comparison, not a neighborhood forecast.
The strongest of the three score components is Personal Safety at 26.42, while Community Order is lowest at 7.46. The 18.96-point spread shows why the composite should be read by component instead of as a single absolute claim about safety.
Among the five public offense indicators, Motor Vehicle Theft is highest relative to its national reference at 681.72 per 100,000 (3.53× the national rate). Aggravated Assault is lowest on the same relative basis at 510.78 per 100,000 (2.23× national).
Coverage check: 18 of 18 tracked offense classes have reportable values in this profile. Missing values are not converted to zero.
Public indicator mix
Charlotte, North Carolina recorded 25,166 larceny-theft offenses in 2025, 61.7% of the 40,764 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 979 robbery reports (2.4%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Charlotte, North Carolina recorded 6,042 motor vehicle theft offenses in 2025, 14.8% of the 40,764 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 979 robbery reports (2.4%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Charlotte, North Carolina recorded 4,527 aggravated assault offenses in 2025, 11.1% of the 40,764 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 979 robbery reports (2.4%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Charlotte, North Carolina uses a reporting population of 886,283 residents and has values for 18 of the 18 tracked offense classes (100.0%) in its 2025 profile; coverage describes available classes rather than the share of residents reporting crime.
Charlotte, North Carolina has an adjusted score of 17.84 points out of 100 versus 33.91 in Raleigh, North Carolina, a difference of 16.07 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Charlotte ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Charlotte, North Carolina has an adjusted score of 17.84 points out of 100 versus 28.57 in Durham, North Carolina, a difference of 10.73 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Charlotte ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Detailed Crime Class Breakdown
Additional tracked offense classes
- Homicide
- Rape
- Kidnapping/Abduction
- Human Trafficking
- Arson
- Theft From Building
- Theft From Motor Vehicle
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Stolen Property Offenses
- Vandalism
- Weapon Law Violations
- Drug/Narcotic Violations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Charlotte safe compared to other places in North Carolina?
Charlotte is classified as having low relative safety in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index. It has an adjusted safety score of 17.84 out of 100 and ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in North Carolina.
What is the crime rate in Charlotte?
Public offense rates are listed above.
What is Charlotte's safety rating?
Charlotte's safety rating in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index is 17.84 out of 100, which ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in North Carolina. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing, using source-year data through 2025.
What is the safest neighborhood in Charlotte?
This profile covers the reporting jurisdiction; consult local sources for neighborhood detail.
Is Charlotte safer than Raleigh?
No. On the 2026 Safety Atlas comparison using FBI source-year 2025 data, Raleigh scores 33.91 (#1 of the 6 scored North Carolina jurisdictions) and Charlotte scores 17.84 (#5 of 6). Both show decreasing displayed trajectories. Compare their offense tables, Charlotte’s gap concentrates in property-crime components, before drawing a conclusion.
Why are some crime statistics locked for Charlotte?
Full offense series: state workbook.
How fresh is the monthly crime data on this page?
Monthly figures track FBI CDE source year 2025, the same vintage as the annual table above. A new FBI release typically lags several months; the caption stamps the source year and export date. Values can revise when the FBI re-publishes. Full monthly series for Charlotte are downloadable as JSON and CSV.
Why does the monthly chart move so much?
Monthly counts are small numbers, a difference of a few reports swings the bar. Reporting practice, staffing, and seasonal patterns all move single months. Read the 12-month direction in the trajectory line, not one bar. This profile measures the reporting jurisdiction only; it cannot rank neighborhoods within Charlotte.
What does the clearance rate on this page mean?
It divides 2025 reports cleared by 2025 reports received for that offense, including clearances of earlier reports, so it is a workload snapshot, not a guarantee a given case is solved. In Charlotte, violent offenses clear at far higher rates than property offenses (homicide 33%, motor vehicle theft 10.7%). Monthly clearance detail is not published yet.
Reading notes
North Carolina safety directory
Safety Atlas methodology · 2026 coverage report
Cite This Public Safety Profile
Citation formats:
Primary Source Data Integrity
- Crime Counts: FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database.
- Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimate boundaries.
- Methodology: Adjusted per-capita normalization with small-sample relief controls. View our complete Methodology Documentation.