The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In North Carolina For 2022

Taking the #1 spot on our list of North Carolina's most dangerous places is Wadesboro, a town of 5,221 about an hour southeast of Charlotte.

Even without a single murder in 2020, Wadesboro had the highest violent crime rate in North Carolina. That's mostly due to a whole bunch of aggravated assault cases, but having the second highest rate of rape cases also doesn't help.

While the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for animals, humans of Wadesboro are on their own for finding safety.

Welcome to Henderson, the de facto murder capital of North Carolina. The city of 14,861 had 10 murders in 2020, the highest rate statewide.

All forms of violent crime are quite prevalent in Henderson, where residents had a 1 in 49 shot of being the victim of an attack over the year.

Property crime is also all too common in Henderson, so be sure nobody steals your catch after a day out fishing on Kerr Lake.

Henderson is located about 40 miles northeast of Durham.

Williamston motto might be "easy living with hometown values," but there's nothing easy about living in the place with the third highest crime rates in North Carolina.

Williamston is home to a Western theme park, Deadwood, but there's plenty of wild west style crime going on in the town itself. For example, the town has the 17th highest rate of rape cases in the state and the fifth highest violent crime rate overall.

The bad news doesn't stop there. Williamston also recorded the fourth highest burglary rate in the state, so be sure to keep your doors locked here.

Kinston was once the center of a thriving economy centered on lumber and cotton mills. Later, other forms of manufacturing entered the area, including pharmaceuticals. Thanks to these forces, the town boomed from the late 19th century into the middle of the 20th, with the population growing from a little more than 1,200 people in 1880 to nearly 25,000 residents in 1960.

Unfortunately, it has been downhill from there. This community in eastern North Carolina now has a population of 19,862, with narrowing economic prospects contributing to a rise in crime. As a result, this has become the number 4 most dangerous spot in the state.

No, this town isn't named after the former president. Or the former presidential candidate who happened to be married to that former president. The history of this community stretches back way, way before those Clintons hit the political stage. In fact, the town itself can trace its roots to a time before the founding of the United States

Instead, this Clinton gets its name from an American Revolution general. That military connection still has some reverberations, given the surprising levels of violence experienced among the 8,431 residents of modern-day Clinton. In fact, the town has the number 8 highest pace of violent crime in North Carolina.

The next stop on our list of North Carolina's most dangerous places for 2022 takes us to Goldsboro, a city of 34,051 in Wayne County. Goldsboro is no stranger to violence -- anyone can visit the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield, site of a Civil War battle with 15,000 soldiers.

These days, violence is slightly less prevalent, but there were still 397 violent crimes recorded in 2020.

On top of that, Goldsboro averaged more than five property crimes each day in 2020, so you'll want to keep your doors locked and your eyes peeled for porch pirates here.

The Laurinburg Police Department sure has their work cut out for them. Why's that? Well, residents had a 1 in 56 of finding themselves the victim of a violent crime in 2020, the third highest odds in North Carolina.

On top of that, Laurinburg had the second highest burglary rate in the state, with about one happening each and every day, on average. In fact, there were more burglaries than larcenies in Laurinburg, which is extremely rare.

Dunn was once at the center of nationally discussed paddling controversy. In 1981, a local school official punished a student with a spanking. Eventually, this spiraled into a lawsuit and an investigation by the U.S. Senate.

Whatever your opinion of corporal punishment, you might be forced to agree that the youth of current-day Dunn could use a little more disciple. The local residents can get unruly, especially when it comes to property crimes. The town suffers the number 1 rates of burglaries in North Carolina.

Albemarle ranks as the ninth most dangerous city in North Carolina thanks to an unhealthy mix of violent and property crime.

Overall, there were 152 violent crimes and 921 property crimes reported in 2020 -- both pretty high for a city of 16,287.

If you're trying to get away from the mean streets of Albemarle, there's always Morrow Mountain State Park for a breath of fresh air.

Located a half-hour north of Greensboro, Reidsville comes in as the tenth most dangerous place in North Carolina. The poverty rate in Reidsville is nearly 25%, which does tend to correlate with higher crime rates.

Overall, property crime is the bigger issue in Reidsville, so keep an eye on your wallet when you're out for an event at Market Square.

Residents of Reidsville had a 1 in 20 of being the victim of a property crime throughout 2020. On the bright side, Reidsville one of only a few places on this list with 6 murders for the year.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In North Carolina FAQs

Is North Carolina a dangerous state?

Yes, North Carolina is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #17 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in north carolina ranks 2highest in the United States -- 8.13% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Tar Heel State ranks 16th highest in the United States -- 13.7% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Raleigh, NC a dangerous city?

No, Raleigh is not a dangerous city. Raleigh ranks as the #115 safest out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Raleigh might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Glenwood is the safest in Raleigh, while Central is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Raleigh ranks 18highest in America -- 28.57% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 206th highest in the United States -- 23.91% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.