Do you live in one of the murder capitals of North Carolina?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in North Carolina with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 62 cities in the Tar Heel State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In North Carolina
What city has the highest murder rate in North Carolina? The city with the highest murder rate in North Carolina is Mount Airy with 66.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in North Carolina with highest number of murders? The city in North Carolina with the highest number of murders is Charlotte-Mecklenburg with 92 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in North Carolina ranked. There were ‘only’ 62 cities in North Carolina where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 48 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Tar Heel State check out:
- Best Places To Live In North Carolina
- Cheapest Places To Live In North Carolina
- Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina
The 10 Murder Capitals Of North Carolina For 2025
/10
Population: 10,592
Murders: 7 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 66.1 (Most)
More on Mount Airy: Data
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Population: 14,706
Murders: 7 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 47.6 (2nd Most)
More on Henderson: Data
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Population: 33,021
Murders: 14 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.4 (3rd Most)
More on Goldsboro: Data
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Population: 14,887
Murders: 5 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.6 (4th Most)
More on Laurinburg: Data
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Population: 15,283
Murders: 4 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.2 (5th Most)
More on Eden: Data
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Population: 303,237
Murders: 75 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.7 (6th Most)
More on Greensboro: Data
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Population: 8,177
Murders: 2 (36th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.5 (7th Most)
More on Roxboro: Data
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Population: 209,262
Murders: 47 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (8th Most)
More on Fayetteville: Data
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Population: 53,865
Murders: 12 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.3 (9th Most)
More on Rocky Mount: Data
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Population: 9,670
Murders: 2 (36th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.7 (10th Most)
More on Aberdeen: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of North Carolina
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in North Carolina for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 62 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Mount Airy. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in North Carolina. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In North Carolina For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in North Carolina with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in North Carolina are Mount Airy, Henderson, Goldsboro, Laurinburg, Eden, Greensboro, Roxboro, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, and Aberdeen.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In North Carolina
- Fastest Growing Cities In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
- Best Cities For Singles In North Carolina
- Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
Murder Rates By City In North Carolina
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Airy, NC | 10592 | 7 | 66.09 |
| 2 | Henderson, NC | 14706 | 7 | 47.6 |
| 3 | Goldsboro, NC | 33021 | 14 | 42.4 |
| 4 | Laurinburg, NC | 14887 | 5 | 33.59 |
| 5 | Eden, NC | 15283 | 4 | 26.17 |
| 6 | Greensboro, NC | 303237 | 75 | 24.73 |
| 7 | Roxboro, NC | 8177 | 2 | 24.46 |
| 8 | Fayetteville, NC | 209262 | 47 | 22.46 |
| 9 | Rocky Mount, NC | 53865 | 12 | 22.28 |
| 10 | Aberdeen, NC | 9670 | 2 | 20.68 |
| 11 | Reidsville, NC | 14554 | 3 | 20.61 |
| 12 | Roanoke Rapids, NC | 14694 | 3 | 20.42 |
| 13 | Hillsborough, NC | 9812 | 2 | 20.38 |
| 14 | Holly Ridge, NC | 5282 | 1 | 18.93 |
| 15 | Spring Lake, NC | 11821 | 2 | 16.92 |
| 16 | Winston-Salem, NC | 252132 | 42 | 16.66 |
| 17 | Dallas, NC | 6153 | 1 | 16.25 |
| 18 | Lumberton, NC | 18779 | 3 | 15.98 |
| 19 | Elizabeth City, NC | 18828 | 3 | 15.93 |
| 20 | Kinston, NC | 19174 | 3 | 15.65 |
| 21 | Durham, NC | 295788 | 45 | 15.21 |
| 22 | Shelby, NC | 21807 | 3 | 13.76 |
| 23 | Forest City, NC | 7351 | 1 | 13.6 |
| 24 | Hendersonville, NC | 15404 | 2 | 12.98 |
| 25 | New Bern, NC | 31667 | 4 | 12.63 |
| 26 | Clinton, NC | 8229 | 1 | 12.15 |
| 27 | Dunn, NC | 8585 | 1 | 11.65 |
| 28 | Oxford, NC | 8845 | 1 | 11.31 |
| 29 | High Point, NC | 115490 | 13 | 11.26 |
| 30 | Greenville, NC | 90048 | 10 | 11.11 |
| 31 | Mount Holly, NC | 18377 | 2 | 10.88 |
| 32 | Kernersville, NC | 28411 | 3 | 10.56 |
| 33 | Wilson, NC | 47479 | 5 | 10.53 |
| 34 | Knightdale, NC | 19794 | 2 | 10.1 |
| 35 | Asheville, NC | 93471 | 9 | 9.63 |
| 36 | Gastonia, NC | 83739 | 8 | 9.55 |
| 37 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC | 979304 | 92 | 9.39 |
| 38 | Tarboro, NC | 10662 | 1 | 9.38 |
| 39 | Morrisville, NC | 32259 | 3 | 9.3 |
| 40 | Winterville, NC | 10834 | 1 | 9.23 |
| 41 | Pineville, NC | 11012 | 1 | 9.08 |
| 42 | Hickory, NC | 44351 | 4 | 9.02 |
| 43 | Kannapolis, NC | 56479 | 5 | 8.85 |
| 44 | Kings Mountain, NC | 11871 | 1 | 8.42 |
| 45 | Wilmington, NC | 122675 | 10 | 8.15 |
| 46 | Smithfield, NC | 12523 | 1 | 7.99 |
| 47 | Cornelius, NC | 32694 | 2 | 6.12 |
| 48 | Albemarle, NC | 16926 | 1 | 5.91 |
| 49 | Salisbury, NC | 35919 | 2 | 5.57 |
| 50 | Monroe, NC | 36722 | 2 | 5.45 |
| 51 | Raleigh, NC | 482842 | 26 | 5.38 |
| 52 | Boone, NC | 20057 | 1 | 4.99 |
| 53 | Carrboro, NC | 21298 | 1 | 4.7 |
| 54 | Wake Forest, NC | 52609 | 2 | 3.8 |
| 55 | Statesville, NC | 30245 | 1 | 3.31 |
| 56 | Huntersville, NC | 63781 | 2 | 3.14 |
| 57 | Garner, NC | 34890 | 1 | 2.87 |
| 58 | Fuquay-Varina, NC | 44281 | 1 | 2.26 |
| 59 | Mooresville, NC | 53767 | 1 | 1.86 |
| 60 | Burlington, NC | 60156 | 1 | 1.66 |
| 61 | Chapel Hill, NC | 65066 | 1 | 1.54 |
| 62 | Cary, NC | 182878 | 2 | 1.09 |
Monroe has more then 1 murder, just 2 of my friends got killed this year. there’s been at least 5 or 6 people killed
Why is Raleigh not listed?
Winston Salem reports a number of murders according to the news, yet I couldn’t find mention of their apparent problem.