The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In North Carolina

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In North Carolina For 2026

Lumberton, located in Robeson County, North Carolina, has been ranked as the most dangerous place to live in the state for 2026. This ranking is based on the high rate of violent and property crimes per capita.

Lumberton reported 320 violent crimes, including 10 murder cases, 14 rapes, 57 robberies, and 239 aggravated assaults.

Welcome to Henderson. The city of 14,791 had 4 murders in 2024, the 11th highest rate statewide.

All forms of violent crime are quite prevalent in Henderson, where residents had a 1 in 55 shot of being the victim of an attack over the year.

Property crime is also all too common in Henderson, so be sure nobody steals your catch after a day out fishing on Kerr Lake.

Henderson is located about 40 miles northeast of Durham.

The next stop on our list of North Carolina’s most dangerous places for 2026 takes us to Goldsboro, a city of 33,444 in Wayne County. Goldsboro is no stranger to violence — anyone can visit the Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield, site of a Civil War battle with 15,000 soldiers.

These days, violence is slightly less prevalent, but there were still 360 violent crimes recorded in 2024.

On top of that, Goldsboro averaged more than five property crimes each day in 2024, so you’ll want to keep your doors locked and your eyes peeled for porch pirates here.

The Laurinburg Police Department sure has their work cut out for them. Why’s that? Well, residents had a 1 in 52 of finding themselves the victim of a violent crime in 2024, the highest odds in North Carolina.

On top of that, Laurinburg had the second highest burglary rate in the state, with about one happening each and every day, on average. In fact, there were more burglaries than larcenies in Laurinburg, which is extremely rare.

Kinston was once the center of a thriving economy centered on lumber and cotton mills. Later, other forms of manufacturing entered the area, including pharmaceuticals. Thanks to these forces, the town boomed from the late 19th century into the middle of the 20th, with the population growing from a little more than 1,200 people in 1880 to nearly 25,000 residents in 1960.

Unfortunately, it has been downhill from there. This community in eastern North Carolina now has a population of 19,298, with narrowing economic prospects contributing to a rise in crime. As a result, this has become the number 5 most dangerous spot in the state.

Dunn was once at the center of nationally discussed paddling controversy. In 1981, a local school official punished a student with a spanking. Eventually, this spiraled into a lawsuit and an investigation by the U.S. Senate.

Whatever your opinion of corporal punishment, you might be forced to agree that the youth of current-day Dunn could use a little more disciple. The local residents can get unruly, especially when it comes to property crimes. The town suffers the number 3 worst rate of burglaries in North Carolina.

Located just south of Charlotte, you certainly won’t find Pineville featured on our list of Charlotte’s best suburbs. There’s far too much crime in Pineville for that.

In fact, while Pineville is in the #8 position on this list, it actually had the second highest total crime rate. How’d that happen? Well, having the second highest property crime rate by a huge margin helped.

Residents had a crazy high 1 in 11 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged by a criminal in 2024. We just hope nobody steals any important historical memorabilia from the James K. Polk State Historic Site.

Located in Person County, North Carolina, the city of Roxboro crime statistics reveal a darker side to this city of 8,235 residents. Roxboro is noted as the ninth most dangerous place in the state, with a high rate of both violent and property crimes.

The city witnessed 83 incidents of violent crimes, ranking it as the seventh highest in the state. The city also recorded 289 cases of property crime.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In North Carolina FAQs

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Yes, North Carolina is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #17 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in North Carolina ranks 2most dangerous in the United States — 13.39% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Tar Heel State ranks 16th most dangerous in the United States — 13.92% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.

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No, Raleigh is not a dangerous city. Raleigh ranks as the #148 safest out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Raleigh might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Glenwood is the safest in Raleigh, while Central is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Raleigh ranks 156th highest in America — 9.71% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 188th highest in the United States — 14.44% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.

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