The Charleston, SC crime rate runs close to the national average for violent crime and slightly below it for property crime, and preliminary 2024 figures from the Charleston Police Department show crime fell by more than 10% across the city compared with recent years.1Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Release Preliminary Crime Trends for 2024 Within South Carolina, which consistently reports higher-than-average crime, Charleston is one of the safer large cities.
The Latest Numbers
In 2023, Charleston reported 571 violent crime incidents and 2,878 property crime incidents. Against an estimated population of about 159,000, that works out to roughly 375 violent crimes and 1,889 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
Aggravated assault made up the bulk of violent crime at 340 incidents. The city recorded 10 homicides that year. On the property side, larceny-theft accounted for 2,334 cases, more than 80% of all property offenses, with burglary and motor vehicle theft making up most of the rest. The figures come from reports filed with the Charleston Police Department and submitted through the South Carolina Uniform Crime Reporting program coordinated by SLED.2City of Charleston Police Department. General Order 52 Reporting Crime Information
What Changed in 2024
The Charleston Police Department’s 2024 annual report showed overall crime down 10.7%, with violent crime falling 5.7% and property crime declining 12.2%.1Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Release Preliminary Crime Trends for 2024 Several categories dropped sharply against their five-year averages:
- Homicides: 6 reported, down 47% from a five-year average of about 11, and down from 10 the year before
- Robberies: 68 incidents, a 22.7% decrease
- Sexual offenses: 36 incidents, a 28.9% decrease
- Burglaries: 221 incidents, a 21.5% decrease
- Motor vehicle thefts: 340 incidents, a 27.9% decrease
Not every number moved in the same direction. Aggravated assaults rose 4.3% against the five-year average, and thefts from motor vehicles edged up 0.7%. Impaired-driving arrests jumped 31%, from 452 to 592, which the department attributed to stepped-up enforcement rather than a rise in drunk driving. Deadly crashes fell 52% and serious collisions dropped 54%.
How Charleston Compares to the US and the Rest of South Carolina
Charleston’s 2023 violent crime rate of about 375 per 100,000 was just above the national rate of roughly 364 per 100,000 reported by the FBI.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics Its property crime rate of 1,889 per 100,000 came in a bit under the national figure.
The comparison inside the state is wider. South Carolina’s violent crime rate for 2023 sat around 470 per 100,000, meaningfully above both the national average and Charleston’s. The statewide property crime rate topped 2,100 per 100,000, while Charleston stayed under 1,900. So while the state as a whole runs hotter than the country, Charleston itself does not.
Where Crime Happens in Charleston
Crime is not spread evenly across the city. The central area, which covers the downtown core and the main shopping districts, generates the highest raw number of incidents. Those neighborhoods also draw heavy visitor traffic and have comparatively few permanent residents, which pushes per-capita rates up in a way that doesn’t reflect the risk for someone living there. The northern neighborhoods are generally considered the safest, and southeastern areas tend to report higher per-capita rates.
If you want to look at a specific street or neighborhood rather than citywide averages, the Charleston Police Department’s Police Data Initiative lets you browse incidents by location and type.4Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Data Initiative The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer offers the same kind of lookup and lets you set Charleston against other cities.5FBI Crime Data Explorer. Crime Data Explorer
Reporting a Crime in Charleston
For emergencies and crimes in progress, call or text 911. For non-emergency reports inside city limits, the Charleston Police Department’s dispatch line is 843-743-7200.6Charleston, SC. Resources
The department also takes certain reports online at charleston-sc.gov/onlinereporting. Eligible categories include identity theft, shoplifting, theft, theft from a vehicle, vandalism, and lost property. Online reports go through the same review and investigation as in-person ones.7Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Launch Online Reporting Website Anything involving a weapon or an incident still in progress should go through 911 instead.
If your address is in unincorporated Charleston County rather than inside city limits, non-emergency reports go to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office at 843-202-1700.8Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Public Incident Reporting Form Filing with the wrong agency slows the response, so check which jurisdiction covers you before you call.