Greenville, SC vs North Charleston, SC: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in Greenville and North Charleston, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Greenville is the safer city
Greenville scores 56/100 (grade D) versus 41/100 (grade E) for North Charleston — a 15-point gap. North Charleston's violent-crime rate is +43% vs Greenville. Across the 8 offense categories, Greenville has the lower rate in 7.
Greenville, SC
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 75,127
- Violent / 100k
- 467
- Property / 100k
- 2,859
- In South Carolina
- #5 of 7
North Charleston, SC
Crime Index
- Population
- 128,751
- Violent / 100k
- 668
- Property / 100k
- 3,452
- In South Carolina
- #6 of 7
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | Greenville | North Charleston | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 56D | 41E | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 467 | 668 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 2,859 | 3,452 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 2.7 | 10.9 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 3,326 | 4,120 | 1,802 |
Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.
By offense
Rate per 100,000 residents — the lower (safer) city is highlighted.
| Offense | Greenville | North Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 2.7 | 10.9 |
| Rape | 43.9 | 59 |
| Robbery | 65.2 | 104 |
| Aggravated assault | 355 | 494 |
| Burglary | 225 | 308 |
| Larceny-theft | 2,420 | 2,809 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 200 | 324 |
| Arson | 14.6 | 10.9 |
Crime trends
Greenville
North Charleston
Frequently asked questions
Is Greenville or North Charleston safer?
Which has more violent crime, Greenville or North Charleston?
What are the odds of violent crime in Greenville vs North Charleston?
No area has zero risk
A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →
Protecting yourself in Greenville & North Charleston
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