Historical data
Pick an indicator to see its long-run evolution.
Violent crime rate
1985–2023FBI Uniform Crime Reports.
Crime Rate
South Carolina's overall crime rate remains among the higher in the nation, at about 2,590 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2023.
Violent + property crime rate
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent and property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Total Crime Rate (per 100k) | 2590 | 2380 |
- •SLED's annual Crime in South Carolina report has tracked statewide offenses continuously since the 1960s.
Violent Crime
South Carolina's violent crime rate of about 490 per 100,000 residents in 2023 remains well above the U.S. average.
Violent crime rate, South Carolina
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Rate (per 100k) | 490 | 364 |
- •South Carolina has ranked in the top five states for violent crime rate in several recent FBI UCR reports.
Property Crime
South Carolina reported a property crime rate of about 2,100 per 100,000 residents in 2023, above the national average.
Property crime rate, South Carolina
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Property crime rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Property Crime Rate (per 100k) | 2100 | 1930 |
- •Motor vehicle theft rose noticeably in South Carolina's urban counties in the years following the pandemic.
Homicides
South Carolina’s homicide rate is about 11.5 per 100,000, among the highest in the nation.
Homicide rate, South Carolina
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Homicide rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 11.5 | 5.7 |
Police Officers
South Carolina employs roughly 11,000 sworn law enforcement officers across state and local agencies.
| Indicator | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Officers per 1,000 residents | 2 | 2.4 |
- •The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was created in 1947 and remains the state's primary criminal investigative agency.
Public Safety Indicators
Public safety infrastructure in South Carolina includes hundreds of local fire departments and emergency response agencies coordinated statewide.
- •South Carolina's Emergency Management Division coordinates hurricane evacuation plans for the state's entire Atlantic coastline every season.