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 show overall crime in the city down more than 10% from the year before. Charleston also sits meaningfully below South Carolina’s statewide rates, which have long run hotter than the country as a whole.
The 2023 Numbers
Charleston reported 571 violent crimes and 2,878 property crimes in 2023. Against an estimated population of about 159,000, that works out to roughly 375 violent offenses and 1,889 property offenses per 100,000 residents.
Aggravated assault was the largest violent category at 340 incidents. The city recorded 10 homicides that year. On the property side, larceny-theft accounted for more than 80% of the total at 2,334 reported cases, with burglary and motor vehicle theft making up most of what remained. The figures come from reports filed with the Charleston Police Department and forwarded to the South Carolina Uniform Crime Reporting program.1City of Charleston Police Department. General Order 52 Reporting Crime Information
What Changed in 2024
Preliminary 2024 data from the Charleston Police Department shows declines across almost every category. Overall crime fell 10.7%. Violent crime dropped 5.7% and property crime dropped 12.2%.2Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Release Preliminary Crime Trends for 2024
Compared with five-year averages, several categories saw sharp reductions:
- Homicides fell to 6, down 47% from a five-year average of about 11 and down from 10 in 2023.
- Robberies dropped 22.7% to 68 incidents.
- Reported sexual offenses fell 28.9% to 36.
- Burglaries dropped 21.5% to 221.
- Motor vehicle thefts fell 27.9% to 340.
Not every number moved down. Aggravated assaults were up 4.3% against the five-year average, and thefts from motor vehicles ticked up 0.7%.2Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Release Preliminary Crime Trends for 2024
How Charleston Compares Nationally and Statewide
Charleston’s 2023 violent crime rate of about 375 per 100,000 sat just above the FBI’s national figure of roughly 364 per 100,000.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics Its property crime rate of 1,889 came in slightly below the national number.
The comparison inside South Carolina is more favorable. SLED data puts the statewide violent crime rate in the range of 470 per 100,000 for 2023, well above Charleston’s 375. Statewide property crime tops 2,100 per 100,000, again higher than the city’s figure. Charleston is one of the safer large cities in a state that runs above the national average on both counts.
Where Crime Happens in the City
Crime is not spread evenly across Charleston. Central areas, including downtown and the main shopping districts, record the highest raw incident counts. Those areas also carry heavy visitor traffic and comparatively few permanent residents, which pushes per-capita rates upward in a way that overstates the risk to people who actually live there. Northern neighborhoods are generally considered the safest parts of the city; southeastern areas tend to have higher per-capita crime.
If you want to look past citywide averages, the Charleston Police Department’s Police Data Initiative lets you browse incidents by location and offense type.4Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Data Initiative The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer offers a similar view with comparisons across jurisdictions.5FBI Crime Data Explorer. Crime Data Explorer
Reporting a Crime or Getting Help
For emergencies or crimes in progress, call or text 911. The Charleston Police Department’s non-emergency dispatch line is 843-743-7200.6Charleston, SC. Resources
For incidents that don’t require an officer on scene, the department accepts online reports at charleston-sc.gov/onlinereporting. Eligible categories include identity theft, shoplifting, theft, theft from a vehicle, vandalism, and lost property. Anything involving a weapon or an active incident should go through 911 instead.7Charleston, SC. Charleston Police Launch Online Reporting Website
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 delays the response, so it’s worth confirming jurisdiction first.
Victims, family members of victims, and witnesses can reach the Charleston Police Department’s Victim/Witness Services Program through the Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311. The program helps connect people to support services and walks them through the criminal justice process.9Charleston, SC. Victim/Witness Services Program