As if there isn’t enough to worry about with unruly Ravenels in Charleston and vicious alligators on Hilton Head Island, there are also super dangerous places in South Carolina.
South Carolina is, after all, the 9th most dangerous state in the country, so no one should be too surprised.
How’d we determine the most dangerous places in the Palmetto State? We consulted the numbers and analyzed 61 South Carolina cities. We looked at the FBI’s latest crime report for violent and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents.
The South Carolina cities that made our list of dangerous places have robberies and assaults happening at higher rates per capita than average.
2,372 violent crimes /100k · 6,667 property crimes /100k · #1 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Dillon County, South CarolinaDillon, a city in the heart of Dillon County, South Carolina, is known for its railway system. However, the city’s skyrocketing crime rates have brought it into the limelight in 2026. Dillon ranks as the most dangerous place in South Carolina.
The city has witnessed an alarming increase in both violent and property crimes. With a total of 148 violent crimes reported, including 0 murders and 141 aggravated assaults, Dillon holds the highest rank for violent crimes per capita. This surge in criminal activity has led to an overall crime rate of 9,038/100k.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,246 violent crimes /100k · 6,209 property crimes /100k · #7 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Orangeburg County, South CarolinaOn the surface, Orangeburg has a lot going for it. It’s nickname as “The Garden City” shows what locals like to think of their hometown. Meanwhile, the community also provides a home to multiple institutions of higher learning in South Carolina State University and Claflin University.
However, this city in the central part of the state has its less appealing side. That includes a high crime rate. In fact, Orangeburg endures the number 7 highest pace of violent crime in the state. This includes 134 assaults in a population of 13,320.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,131 violent crimes /100k · 5,887 property crimes /100k · #8 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Darlington County, South CarolinaKnown for its tobacco farms and NASCAR races, Darlington ranks as South Carolina’s third most dangerous city for 2026. Darlington saw a increase in property crime compared to last year, a big reason the city moved up 4 spots on this list.
Darlington averaged more than one car theft per month over the year, but fortunately, none were race cars from the Darlington Raceway. Good thing, or the carjacker would be mighty hard to catch up with.
Violent crime also ranked as the eighth highest in South Carolina, which includes the 5highest rate of rape cases statewide. Overall, residents had a 1 in 88 chance of being attacked over 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,802 violent crimes /100k · 4,750 property crimes /100k · #2 most violent in South Carolina
Good news, bad news situation with Lake City, South Carolina’s fourth most dangerous place to call home in 2026. On the plus side, Lake City’s property crime rate is the lowest on this list. So you don’t have to worry much about someone picking your pocket while you’re gawking at Lake City’s all the murals and public art.
The bad news? Lake City residents had a 1 in 55 shot of being the victim of a violent attack in 2024. That represents a jump from last year — yikes. Most of the violent crimes were just aggravated assaults (as opposed to rapes, murders, or robberies), but we’re pretty sure that won’t make the victims feel any better about it.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,746 violent crimes /100k · 4,845 property crimes /100k · #3 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Darlington County, South CarolinaHartsville held onto its #5 position on our list of South Carolina’s most dangerous places for yet another year. Crime has stayed level in Hartsville, which is bad news when you’ve got the 11th highest property crime rate in the state.
There are about two burglaries a week in Hartsville, which is frequent enough to give the city the 17th highest burglary rate in South Carolina. We recommend padlocking your picnic basket if you’re out at Kalmia Gardens, because ten thefts a week go down in Hartsville.
And while Hartsville didn’t record a single murder in 2024, it still had the third highest rate of violent crime in South Carolina.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,064 violent crimes /100k · 6,179 property crimes /100k · #11 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Lancaster County, South CarolinaThe city of Lancaster is the county seat of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States, located in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 9,134 but due to South Carolina’s strict annexation laws its actual population is well over twenty thousand people. The city was named after the famous House of Lancaster. Locally, Lancaster is pronounced LAYN-ks-tr, rather than the usual American pronunciation LAN-kas-tr. The modern British pronunciation is LANG-kas-tr.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,480 violent crimes /100k · 5,229 property crimes /100k · #5 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Spartanburg County, South CarolinaThis. Is. Spartansburg! Located in “The Upstate” of South Carolina’s northwest, this city of 39,186 isn’t quite as hardcore as the Sparta of yore, but it’s still the seventh most dangerous place to live in South Carolina for 2026.
The city does a good job of preserving nature at the Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve, but we’re pretty sure residents would like local leaders to preserve the safety of the human population as well.
More than one burglary a day goes down in Spartansburg on average, which gives the city the fourth highest burglary rate in South Carolina. And with 580 violent crimes recorded in data year 2024, no one will blame you for keeping your guard up in Spartansburg.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
975 violent crimes /100k · 6,555 property crimes /100k · #14 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Union County, South CarolinaMost cities here (like most American cities in general) have been seeing their crime rates go down in recent years, but the overall crime rate in Union grew from last year and moved the city down 2 spots on this list as a result.
Union residents had a 1 in 15 chance of being the victim of a property crime over 2024, so it’s a good idea to lock your home, your car, and even your lunchbox. On the bright side, Union is the least violent place on this list.
Still, with sharp rises in both categories of crime, the Union PD has their work cut out for them.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,112 violent crimes /100k · 5,656 property crimes /100k · #9 most violent in South Carolina
Located in
Horry County, South CarolinaAh, Myrtle Beach, a favorite of East Coast vacationers. While Myrtle Beach’s violent crime rate has been steadily decreasing, its property crime rates remain the seventh highest in South Carolina.
Folks in Myrtle Beach had a 1 in 17 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged over 2024, making Broadway at the Beach one of the few places where it’s not a bad idea to wear a wallet chain.
In fact, with the prevalence of property crime, Myrtle Beach has the sixth highest overall crime rate in South Carolina, outstripping the national average by a whopping 365%.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
1,006 violent crimes /100k · 5,380 property crimes /100k · #12 most violent in South Carolina
Walterboro, located in Colleton County, South Carolina, ranks as the tenth most dangerous place to live in the state for 2026. This ranking is based on various crime statistics, including a high number of violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
While it is important to acknowledge the dangerous nature of Walterboro, it is equally crucial to recognize that the situation can improve with concerted efforts and collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the community. By focusing on crime prevention strategies and providing adequate resources to the police force, Walterboro has the potential to become a safer place to reside.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.
On the map
Where crime hits hardest in South Carolina
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most dangerous cities in South Carolina for 2026?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in South Carolina. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in South Carolina, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the 2024 data, specifically the 2024 Crime In The United States Report for South Carolina.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered South Carolina cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 61 cities in South Carolina.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 61 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in South Carolina — Dillon. Any ties went to the smaller city.
This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our eleventh time ranking the most dangerous places to live in South Carolina and is updated for 2026. Property crime in South Carolina runs about 12 percent above the national rate — worth a minute to compare home security systems before you sign a lease.
The full plate
Crime By City In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Dangerous Index | Population | Total Crimes Per 100K | Violent Crimes Per 100K | Property Crimes Per 100K | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dillon | 1.00 | 6,240 | 9,038 | 2,372 | 6,667 | 0 |
| 2 | Orangeburg | 5.00 | 13,320 | 7,455 | 1,246 | 6,209 | 4 |
| 3 | Darlington | 6.50 | 6,013 | 7,018 | 1,131 | 5,887 | 1 |
| 4 | Lake City | 7.00 | 5,937 | 6,552 | 1,802 | 4,750 | 1 |
| 5 | Hartsville | 7.00 | 7,389 | 6,591 | 1,746 | 4,845 | 1 |
| 6 | Lancaster | 7.50 | 9,305 | 7,243 | 1,064 | 6,179 | 4 |
| 7 | Spartanburg | 7.50 | 39,186 | 6,709 | 1,480 | 5,229 | 2 |
| 8 | Union | 8.00 | 7,795 | 7,530 | 975 | 6,555 | 2 |
| 9 | Myrtle Beach | 8.00 | 41,022 | 6,767 | 1,112 | 5,656 | 5 |
| 10 | Walterboro | 10.00 | 5,465 | 6,386 | 1,006 | 5,380 | 2 |
| 11 | Clinton | 10.50 | 7,743 | 5,308 | 1,279 | 4,029 | 2 |
| 12 | Marion | 13.00 | 6,123 | 6,190 | 882 | 5,308 | 4 |
| 13 | Sumter | 15.00 | 42,551 | 4,804 | 1,098 | 3,706 | 10 |
| 14 | Chester | 15.50 | 5,212 | 4,835 | 1,554 | 3,281 | 4 |
| 15 | Camden | 17.00 | 8,651 | 4,809 | 948 | 3,861 | 1 |
| 16 | Bennettsville | 18.00 | 6,430 | 4,557 | 995 | 3,561 | 2 |
| 17 | West Columbia | 18.00 | 18,591 | 5,185 | 748 | 4,438 | 3 |
| 18 | North Charleston | 18.00 | 123,511 | 4,766 | 810 | 3,956 | 21 |
| 19 | Anderson | 18.50 | 30,150 | 6,265 | 561 | 5,705 | 1 |
| 20 | Florence | 19.00 | 40,781 | 4,725 | 807 | 3,918 | 6 |
| 21 | Georgetown | 19.50 | 8,823 | 4,454 | 850 | 3,604 | 0 |
| 22 | Aiken | 23.00 | 33,221 | 4,527 | 569 | 3,958 | 4 |
| 23 | Laurens | 24.00 | 9,263 | 3,930 | 928 | 3,001 | 0 |
| 24 | Beaufort | 24.00 | 13,937 | 4,269 | 696 | 3,573 | 1 |
| 25 | Columbia | 25.00 | 144,559 | 4,003 | 770 | 3,233 | 14 |
| 26 | Greenville | 25.50 | 73,405 | 4,113 | 644 | 3,468 | 7 |
| 27 | Batesburg-Leesville | 27.50 | 5,309 | 3,541 | 772 | 2,769 | 0 |
| 28 | York | 28.00 | 9,366 | 3,790 | 726 | 3,064 | 1 |
| 29 | Cayce | 28.50 | 13,628 | 3,515 | 734 | 2,781 | 1 |
| 30 | Gaffney | 29.00 | 12,399 | 4,404 | 226 | 4,178 | 2 |
| 31 | Greenwood | 29.00 | 22,478 | 3,808 | 485 | 3,323 | 3 |
| 32 | Newberry | 29.50 | 10,926 | 3,698 | 586 | 3,112 | 5 |
| 33 | Forest Acres | 32.00 | 10,309 | 3,696 | 291 | 3,405 | 1 |
| 34 | North Myrtle Beach | 32.00 | 20,790 | 3,583 | 361 | 3,223 | 0 |
| 35 | Rock Hill | 35.50 | 75,975 | 2,789 | 441 | 2,348 | 9 |
| 36 | Seneca | 36.50 | 9,106 | 2,339 | 615 | 1,724 | 1 |
| 37 | Conway | 37.00 | 29,015 | 2,419 | 445 | 1,975 | 3 |
| 38 | Charleston | 37.50 | 156,898 | 2,379 | 358 | 2,022 | 7 |
| 39 | Travelers Rest | 38.00 | 9,088 | 2,751 | 264 | 2,487 | 1 |
| 40 | Moncks Corner | 38.00 | 17,854 | 2,358 | 336 | 2,022 | 2 |
| 41 | Greer | 40.50 | 47,690 | 2,072 | 344 | 1,728 | 1 |
| 42 | Simpsonville | 41.50 | 28,952 | 2,822 | 214 | 2,608 | 0 |
| 43 | Easley | 42.00 | 27,617 | 2,035 | 239 | 1,796 | 1 |
| 44 | Irmo | 44.50 | 12,178 | 1,807 | 238 | 1,568 | 0 |
| 45 | Summerville | 44.50 | 52,148 | 1,990 | 222 | 1,768 | 2 |
| 46 | Clemson | 45.00 | 17,867 | 2,149 | 162 | 1,987 | 0 |
| 47 | Goose Creek | 45.00 | 50,294 | 1,722 | 256 | 1,465 | 4 |
| 48 | Hanahan | 47.50 | 22,205 | 1,644 | 225 | 1,419 | 0 |
| 49 | Mauldin | 49.00 | 29,180 | 1,600 | 219 | 1,381 | 2 |
| 50 | Hardeeville | 49.50 | 13,740 | 1,667 | 160 | 1,507 | 2 |
| 51 | Lexington | 51.50 | 25,359 | 1,684 | 118 | 1,566 | 0 |
| 52 | Port Royal | 53.00 | 16,931 | 1,353 | 130 | 1,223 | 0 |
| 53 | Lyman | 53.50 | 6,886 | 958 | 203 | 755 | 0 |
| 54 | Clover | 53.50 | 7,624 | 1,128 | 144 | 984 | 0 |
| 55 | Mount Pleasant | 54.00 | 96,608 | 1,300 | 128 | 1,172 | 0 |
| 56 | Central | 55.00 | 5,340 | 1,311 | 56 | 1,255 | 0 |
| 57 | Bluffton | 56.00 | 37,927 | 944 | 119 | 825 | 2 |
| 58 | Fountain Inn | 56.50 | 13,996 | 1,057 | 79 | 979 | 0 |
| 59 | Fort Mill | 59.00 | 37,027 | 678 | 46 | 632 | 0 |
| 60 | North Augusta | 60.00 | 26,377 | 444 | 34 | 409 | 0 |
| 61 | Tega Cay | 61.00 | 14,456 | 325 | 28 | 297 | 0 |
Source: FBI UCR 2024. 61 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Locking It All Up In South Carolina
So what is the most dangerous city in South Carolina? After analyzing 61 cities in South Carolina, Dillon takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in South Carolina based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2024.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Dillon ranks as the most dangerous city in South Carolina for 2026.
The most dangerous cities in South Carolina are Dillon, Orangeburg, Darlington, Lake City, Hartsville, Lancaster, Spartanburg, Union, Myrtle Beach, and Walterboro.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Dillon and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up. Not sold on South Carolina? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Dangerous Places To Live In South Carolina FAQs
Is South Carolina a dangerous state?
Yes, South Carolina is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #3 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in South Carolina ranks seventh most dangerous in the United States — 43.5% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Palmetto State ranks fifth most dangerous in the United States — 39.23% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Is Charleston, SC a dangerous city?
No, Charleston is not a dangerous city. Charleston ranks as the #98 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 Charleston might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Charleston ranks 202nd highest in America — 32.28% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 229th highest in the United States — 30.76% 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.
