Columbia, SC Crime Statistics For 2026

The latest crime statistics for Columbia from FBI data. Includes murder, violent, and property crime rates for Columbia

Crime in Columbia, South Carolina

Crime in Columbia research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Columbia over the past 9 years using the FBI Crime Explorer. Based on the most recently available data from the FBI's 2024 Uniform Crime Report, we found the following about crime in Columbia:

5,786 Total crimes
4,002.5 Crimes / 100k people
88.87% Vs national average Above The National Average
#103 Safest in South Carolina (of 158)
#9,274 Safest in the U.S. (of 9,896)

Additional research about crime in South Carolina

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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

Murder
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Rape
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Robbery
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Aggravated Assault
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Burglary
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Larceny
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Car Theft
Columbia
South Carolina avg
Arson
Columbia
South Carolina avg

Each category indexed to the worst per-capita rate in South Carolina. Source: FBI UCR 2024.

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2024)

Violent Crime Rates In Columbia

1,113Violent Crimes
769.9Violent Crimes / 100k People
114.46%Above The National Average
Columbia
US
  • 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

4,673Property Crimes
3,232.6Property Crimes / 100k People
83.67%Above The National Average
Columbia
US
  • 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

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