Columbia, SC Crime Statistics For 2025

Demographics | Crime | Cost Of Living
Updated: 2025-10-24

Crime Rate In Columbia, SC Summary

Crime in Columbia research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Columbia over the past eight years using the FBI Crime Explorer. Based on the most recently available data released on October 17, 2023, we found the following about crime in Columbia:

  • There were 5,786 total crimes committed in Columbia in the last reporting year.
  • On a rate basis, there were 4,002.5 total crimes per 100K people in Columbia.
  • The overall crime rate in Columbia is 88.87% above the national average.
  • Columbia ranks #103 safest out of 158 cities in South Carolina.
  • Columbia ranks #9,274 safest out of 9,896 cities in the United States.

Because the crime rate is so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. It's mathematically the same as per capita comparisons and isn't meant to convey that 100,000+ people live in a location.

Additional research about crime in South Carolina

Columbia Vs South Carolina And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Columbia is 4,002.5 per 100,000 people. That's 88.87% higher than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 people and 66.60% higher than the South Carolina total crime rate of 2,402.5 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
Columbia
/ 100k People
South Carolina
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 5,786 4,002.5 2,402.5 2,119.2
Murder 14 9.7 7.5 5.0
Robbery 157 108.6 35.1 61.0
Aggravated Assault 853 590.1 357.1 256.0
Violent Crime 1,113 769.9 436.7 359.0
Burglary 718 496.7 282.4 229.0
Larceny 3,407 2,356.8 1,468.2 1,272.0
Car Theft 548 379.1 215.1 259.0
Property Crime 4,673 3,232.6 1,965.8 1,760.0

Columbia Crime Compared To South Carolina Averages

Each category of crime indexed to the worst per capita in South Carolina.
Data Source -- FBI UCR 2024.

Violent Crime Rates In Columbia

1,113
Violent Crimes
769.9
Violent Crimes / 100k People
114.46%
Above The National Average
  • There were 1,113 violent crimes in Columbia in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in Columbia is 769.9 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 129.9 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Columbia each year. That compares to a 1 in 229.0 chance statewide.
  • That's 114.46% higher than the national rate of 359.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 76.30% higher than the South Carolina violent crime rate of 436.7 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In Columbia

4,673
Property Crimes
3,232.6
Property Crimes / 100k People
83.67%
Above The National Average
  • There were 4,673 property crimes in Columbia in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in Columbia is 3,232.6 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 30.9 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Columbia each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's 83.67% higher than the national rate of 1,760.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 64.44% higher than the South Carolina property crime rate of 1,965.8 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around Columbia

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Lexington, SC 25,359 427 1,683.8 1,565.5 118.3
West Columbia, SC 18,591 964 5,185.3 4,437.6 747.7
Cayce, SC 13,628 479 3,514.8 2,781.0 733.8
Irmo, SC 12,178 220 1,806.5 1,568.4 238.1
Forest Acres, SC 10,309 381 3,695.8 3,404.8 291.0

Columbia SnackAbility

4
/10
Overall SnackAbility
Jobs
5/10
Housing
8
Affordability
5
Diversity
9
Safety
3
Amenities
8.5
Education
8
Commute
9.5
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