The kinds of crime you’re likely to be a victim of in SC’s 5 largest cities
By now you’ve probably heard that South Carolina was slightly more violent in 2015 than the prior year, but what that means to you depends on what places you frequent and where you live.
You’re more likely to be the victim of a burglary or have your car stolen if you live or travel to Columbia, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports that the agency publishes yearly. But you’re more likely to have your personal belongings stolen in North Charleston.
Overall, there were minor increases to property crime rates in four of the five largest cities of the state, bucking state and nationwide rates. South Carolina overall saw a drop of 4 percent in property crime, while national trends showed a 3 percent dip.
Nationally, violent crime went up 4 percent, while the state rates increased 3 percent. Even so, violent crime is still 17 percent lower than it was 10 years ago.
Many of the changes for the year are being treated by officials as a statistical blip. Officials warn crime rates fluctuate, having most recently gone up around 2011. Most have stressed that a growth in the state’s population can be a contributing factor; 63,664 more people called the Palmetto State their home in 2015.
So, what type of crime is likely to affect you the most and where? We ranked the cities based on the per-capital frequency of crimes. Take a look:
*2015 population estimates from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports differ from those of the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency arrived at this year’s numbers by using estimated growth rates for each city using population counts from 2014.
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
North Charleston | 19 | -17% | 17 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Charleston | 16 | +100% | 12 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Columbia | 12 | +50% | 9 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
Greenville | 5 | +150 | 8 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Mount Pleasant | 3 | +50% | 3 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Rape
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
North Charleston | 90 | +13% | 83 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Columbia | 83 | +17% | 63 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
Greenville | 36 | -36% | 57 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Charleston | 43 | +72% | 32 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 12 | +33% | 15 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Robbery
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
North Charleston | 251 | +4% | 230 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Columbia | 258 | -19% | 195 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
Greenville | 86 | -29% | 136 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Charleston | 91 | +30% | 69 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 9 | -53% | 11 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Aggravated Assault
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
Columbia | 705 | +16% | 532 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
Greenville | 318 | -2 | 505 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
North Charleston | 442 | +3% | 405 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Charleston | 192 | +15% | 145 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 109 | 0% | 135 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Burglary
City | Numbers | Percentage | Per Capita | Population* |
Columbia | 1,094 | -0.70% | 826 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
North Charleston | 886 | 11% | 812 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Greenville | 431 | -9% | 684 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Charleston | 474 | 35% | 358 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 138 | -1% | 172 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Larceny-theft
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
North Charleston | 4,382 | -1% | 4,018 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Columbia | 5,252 | -3% | 3,964 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
Greenville | 2,264 | +2% | 3,593 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Charleston | 2,477 | +1% | 1,868 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 1,075 | -5% | 1,336 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
Motor vehicle theft
City | Numbers | Percentage +/- | Per Capita | Population* |
Columbia | 858 | 27% | 648 in every 100,000 | 132,495 |
North Charleston | 511 | 1% | 469 in every 100,000 | 109,051 |
Greenville | 215 | 13% | 341 in every 100,000 | 63,011 |
Charleston | 284 | 59% | 214 in every 100,000 | 132,585 |
Mount Pleasant | 57 | -22% | 71 in every 100,000 | 80,446 |
*2015 population estimates from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports differ from those of the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency arrived at this year’s numbers by using estimated growth rates for each city using population counts from 2014.
This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 12:09 PM with the headline "The kinds of crime you’re likely to be a victim of in SC’s 5 largest cities."