Safest Counties in North Carolina: 42 Ranked (2026)
The 42 North Carolina counties where police report enough to the FBI to build a reliable rate, ranked by violent crime, with home prices, asking rents and incomes where available.
North Carolina has 100 counties. Forty-two of them clear the reporting bar this page uses, and the gap between the quietest, Cabarrus at 120 violent offenses per 100,000, and the busiest, Cumberland at 656, is 5.5 to one. What homes closed at over the last 12 months sits beside the rate where Resideline has enough sales to publish a median: 165,520 closing records tracked in the 41 counties that clear that bar.
The crime rates here are built from the 8,796,294 residents those police agencies actually report on, over the months they reported. Each figure is a single county-wide figure, so treat this as a way to narrow a search rather than a verdict on any street.
We do not treat missing or conflicting crime data as zero. A county appears here only when its reporting clears our reliability threshold, and we set aside results that conflict materially with the state's own records. Whether a county is ranked depends on its crime reporting alone; whether it shows a price depends on whether Resideline tracked enough closings there.
The ranking
| # | County | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | Median closed price | Median asking rent | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabarrus | 120 | 1,006 | $355,000 | $1,985 | $87,867 |
| 2 | Lincoln | 122 | 739 | n/a | n/a | $83,859 |
| 3 | Watauga | 131 | 851 | $520,000 | $2,200 | $58,832 |
| 4 | Johnston | 136 | 1,056 | $334,044 | $1,850 | $88,688 |
| 5 | Henderson | 137 | 1,023 | $420,000 | $1,950 | $72,820 |
| 6 | Caldwell | 153 | 1,572 | $251,000 | $1,150 | $59,968 |
| 7 | Pender | 157 | 695 | $400,000 | $2,300 | $79,480 |
| 8 | Chatham | 158 | 815 | $639,000 | $2,150 | $100,222 |
| 9 | Randolph | 160 | 1,129 | $265,000 | $1,325 | $63,374 |
| 10 | Moore | 165 | 962 | $429,950 | $2,200 | $85,211 |
| 11 | Sampson | 166 | 1,306 | $231,750 | $1,495 | $55,628 |
| 12 | Union | 174 | 893 | $471,562 | $2,295 | $107,681 |
| 13 | Wilkes | 180 | 918 | $225,000 | $1,400 | $56,053 |
| 14 | Carteret | 181 | 1,122 | $452,000 | $1,850 | $76,739 |
| 15 | Franklin | 183 | 804 | $374,000 | $1,750 | $72,026 |
| 16 | Rutherford | 188 | 1,522 | $262,000 | $1,500 | $57,208 |
| 17 | Surry | 194 | 1,057 | $223,000 | n/a | $55,191 |
| 18 | Brunswick | 197 | 1,131 | $374,030 | $2,000 | $81,361 |
| 19 | Haywood | 209 | 1,523 | $369,000 | $1,745 | $65,113 |
| 20 | Rockingham | 211 | 1,294 | $219,990 | $1,199 | $56,141 |
| 21 | Onslow | 236 | 1,224 | $314,856 | $1,675 | $71,800 |
| 22 | Wake | 238 | 1,614 | $458,638 | $1,999 | $107,083 |
| 23 | Duplin | 240 | 1,430 | $211,000 | $1,325 | $56,729 |
| 24 | Iredell | 249 | 1,343 | $385,000 | $1,995 | $85,180 |
| 25 | Craven | 284 | 1,229 | $310,000 | $1,750 | $65,661 |
| 26 | Harnett | 289 | 1,533 | $350,000 | $1,900 | $72,961 |
| 27 | Granville | 299 | 1,228 | $302,000 | $1,725 | $70,353 |
| 28 | New Hanover | 309 | 2,079 | $460,000 | $2,000 | $77,098 |
| 29 | Buncombe | 344 | 2,020 | $455,000 | $1,850 | $78,993 |
| 30 | Wilson | 361 | 1,717 | $238,450 | $1,299 | $62,252 |
| 31 | Pitt | 365 | 1,818 | $252,833 | $1,470 | $59,430 |
| 32 | Hoke | 372 | 1,605 | $315,000 | $1,850 | $68,243 |
| 33 | Alamance | 377 | 1,723 | $300,000 | $1,600 | $66,652 |
| 34 | Cleveland | 401 | 1,366 | $245,000 | $1,415 | $61,392 |
| 35 | Gaston | 434 | 1,677 | $308,000 | $1,700 | $70,318 |
| 36 | Guilford | 470 | 1,896 | $286,104 | $1,650 | $70,304 |
| 37 | Nash | 474 | 2,276 | $275,000 | $1,350 | $66,531 |
| 38 | Durham | 477 | 3,489 | $400,000 | $1,980 | $84,375 |
| 39 | Mecklenburg | 503 | 3,189 | $445,566 | $2,100 | $90,698 |
| 40 | Wayne | 513 | 2,175 | $241,200 | $1,550 | $59,786 |
| 41 | Forsyth | 557 | 2,538 | $300,000 | $1,725 | $67,638 |
| 42 | Cumberland | 656 | 2,476 | $247,466 | $1,495 | $60,831 |
A closer look at the 12 safest counties
1. Cabarrus County
Cabarrus records 120 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the North Carolina counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. The median home closed at $355,000, roughly 113 percent of the middle figure for these counties. A typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household's income, the low end of this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 1,006 per 100,000, or 0.8 times the median comparable US county. The median rental listing asks $1,985 a month. Resideline publishes a separate page for Concord, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
2. Lincoln County
Lincoln's violent crime rate is 122 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the North Carolina counties Resideline can measure. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Median household income is $83,859, roughly 119 percent of the level across this list. Property crime is low too, at 739 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.6 times the median comparable US county.
3. Watauga County
Watauga records 131 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the North Carolina counties measured here. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Buyers there paid a median of $520,000, some 165 percent of the level across the counties measured. Safe and expensive is the usual pairing on this list, and this is one of its clearest cases. Homes cost 8.8 times what the median household there earns, among the steepest ratios on this list. Property crime is low too, at 851 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.7 times the median comparable US county. For prices at street level, see Boone, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
4. Johnston County
Police in Johnston reported 136 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes there closed at a median of $334,044, close to the middle of this list. A typical home costs 3.8 years of the median household's income, the low end of this list. Property crime is low too, at 1,056 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.9 times the median comparable US county. The median rental listing asks $1,850 a month. Resideline publishes a separate page for Clayton, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
5. Henderson County
At 137 violent offenses per 100,000, Henderson sits in the lowest quarter of the places on this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median home closed at $420,000, roughly 133 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Low crime and high prices arrive together here, which is the arrangement buyers assume is universal and is not. A typical home costs 5.8 years of the median household's income, near the top of this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 1,023 per 100,000, or 0.9 times the median comparable US county. For prices at street level, see Hendersonville, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
6. Caldwell County
Caldwell's violent crime rate is 153 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the North Carolina counties Resideline can measure. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Buyers there paid a median of $251,000, some 80 percent of the level across the counties measured. Whatever premium safety commands elsewhere on this list, it is not being collected here. Property offenses run at 1,572 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. The median rental listing asks $1,150 a month. Resideline publishes a separate page for Lenoir, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
7. Pender County
Pender records 157 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the North Carolina counties measured here. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. A median closing price of $400,000 puts it at roughly 127 percent of the middle figure for this list. A typical home costs 5.0 years of the median household's income, near the top of this list. At $2,300 a month in asking rent, the gross return here is in the top quarter of the counties measured. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 695 per 100,000, or 0.6 times the median comparable US county. For prices at street level, see Hampstead, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
8. Chatham County
Police in Chatham reported 158 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. The median home closed at $639,000, roughly 203 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Quiet and costly at the same time, which is how most of the safest places on this list look. The gap between local wages and local prices is wide: 6.4 times household income, in the top quarter of these counties. Property crime is low too, at 815 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.7 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for Pittsboro, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
9. Randolph County
At 160 violent offenses per 100,000, Randolph sits in the lowest quarter of the places on this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Homes there closed at a median of $265,000, about 84 percent of the median across this list. Property offenses run at 1,129 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. Asking rents run about $1,325 a month. For prices at street level, see Asheboro, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
10. Moore County
Moore's violent crime rate is 165 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the North Carolina counties Resideline can measure. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes changed hands at a median $429,950, around 137 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Safety and price line up here in the way people expect, which is not true of every county on this list. Against what households there earn, a home costs 5.0 times median income, in the top quarter of this list. Property crime is low too, at 962 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.8 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for Pinehurst, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
11. Sampson County
Sampson records 166 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the North Carolina counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Buyers there paid a median of $231,750, some 74 percent of the level across the counties measured. Whatever premium safety commands elsewhere on this list, it is not being collected here. Households there earn a median of $55,628, about 79 percent of the median for these counties. At $1,495 a month in asking rent, the gross return here is in the top quarter of the counties measured.
12. Union County
Police in Union reported 174 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the middle range of this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. A median closing price of $471,562 puts it at roughly 150 percent of the middle figure for this list. Households there earn a median of $107,681, about 153 percent of the median for these counties. Its property rate is among the lowest here, 893 per 100,000, or 0.8 times the median comparable US county. Asking rents run about $2,295 a month. For prices at street level, see Monroe, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
Does safety set the price in North Carolina?
There is a gap here that income alone does not close. The safest third of these counties runs 36 percent above the highest-crime third on price, while earning only 16 percent more. Our national model needs density as well as income to explain gaps like this one, and this page does not test density, so treat the rest as unexplained rather than as a crime premium.
It is the same pattern our national study found across 688 counties, where crime stopped predicting prices once income was accounted for. The method is set out in our study, Does Crime Actually Lower Home Prices?.
That is a county-level result. Within a county, research at the scale of a block or a neighborhood finds that violent crime does lower the value of the homes nearest to it, so use these figures to compare counties, not streets.
Where safety and affordability overlap in North Carolina
Seven of the 14 safest counties on this list also cost no more than the list's median once prices are set against local incomes: Cabarrus (120 violent per 100,000, a home at 4.0 times median household income); Johnston (136 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.8 times median household income); Caldwell (153 violent per 100,000, a home at 4.2 times median household income); Randolph (160 violent per 100,000, a home at 4.2 times median household income); Sampson (166 violent per 100,000, a home at 4.2 times median household income). Against what households there earn, those are the counties where a low crime rate is not being charged for.
The large counties
Three counties here have more than 500,000 residents. Their median violent rate is 470 per 100,000 against 211 for the smaller counties on the list, and the quietest of them is Wake at 238. It closes homes at a median of $458,638.
The counties we cannot rank
Set aside after checking the state's own figures:
- •Lenoir, with about 55,000 residents: North Carolina reports that the county sheriff does not participate in state reporting, which the FBI-based coverage figure does not reflect, so this county is set aside.
- •Orange, with about 153,000 residents: North Carolina's own 2024 figure (SBI, 194 per 100,000) is almost twice the FBI-based figure, so this county is set aside until the two sources can be reconciled.
- •Davidson, with about 178,000 residents, reports 88 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
- •Catawba, with about 167,000 residents, reports 89 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
- •Rowan, with about 153,000 residents, reports 89 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
How to read this list
These figures describe whole areas. A quiet town and a rough district an hour apart carry the same number here, so the ranking is a starting point for a search rather than a description of any particular street.
Prices and rents are as of September 9, 2026, from closings and rental listings Resideline tracks over the previous 12 months; a price is shown where at least 100 closings were tracked and a rent where at least 50 listings were. Rent figures are the median asking rent on listings, not lease figures. Crime is the 2025 FBI Crime Data Explorer release, measured for the whole county over the months each agency reported, and violent crime means murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Household income is the Census SAIPE 2024 estimate of the county's median household income; population is the Census 2024 estimate. Where this page compares a rate with the median comparable US county, that figure (245 violent and 1188 property offenses per 100,000) is the median across the 874 US counties with at least 50,000 residents whose agencies reported on 90 percent or more of them for the year.
Sources and related pages
- •Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency-level offense counts for 2025, aggregated by county over the months each agency reported.
- •Income: Census SAIPE 2024, county median household income.
- •Population: Census county population estimates, vintage 2024.
- •Prices and rents: Resideline's tracked closings and rental listings, 12 months to September 2026.
- •Related: Safest counties by state; Does crime actually lower home prices?; North Carolina housing market; Safest counties in Georgia; Safest counties in South Carolina; Safest counties in Tennessee; Safest counties in Virginia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest county in North Carolina?
Of the 42 North Carolina counties measured here, Cabarrus County records the lowest violent crime rate at 120 offenses per 100,000 residents, against 245 for the median comparable US county. Homes there closed at a median of $355,000 over the last 12 months.
Is this every county in North Carolina?
No. It covers 42 of the state's 100 counties, the ones where police agencies report at least 90 percent of the population to the FBI, the area has at least 50,000 residents, and the resulting rate falls inside the sanity bounds we apply. Whether Resideline has enough sales there decides only whether a price is shown. The larger places that miss those bars are listed on the page with the reason.
Does a lower crime rate mean higher home prices?
Here the price gap is larger than the income gap, so income alone does not explain the raw difference. Comparing the safest third of these counties with the highest-crime third, the median closed price is 36 percent higher and household income 16 percent higher. Across 688 US counties we found that once income and other county characteristics are controlled for, a county's crime rate stops predicting its home prices. At the scale of a block, the research says violent crime does lower nearby values.
Is this crime rate for my neighborhood?
No. The FBI publishes these figures for whole counties, so every part of a county carries the same number here, from its densest district to its farmland. It is useful for narrowing a search and not a substitute for looking at a specific address.
Are these rents asking rents or lease rents?
They are the median asking rent on rental listings in the county over the last 12 months. That is what landlords advertised, a guide to the market rather than a lease figure.
About the author
Jeffrey Batista
Jeffrey Batista is the founder of Resideline, a real estate technology company building institutional grade valuation and investment analysis tools for real estate investors.
A software engineer with more than 10 years of experience, Jeffrey has worked across full stack development, infrastructure, data engineering, machine learning, and large scale systems. He left his engineering career to build Resideline full time.
Jeffrey is also a real estate investor with nearly a decade of hands on experience buying, renovating, managing, and analyzing residential properties. His experience on both sides of the industry, as an engineer and an investor, led him to build Resideline after seeing how fragmented and outdated many of the tools available to individual investors were.
Today, he leads the development of Resideline's proprietary data infrastructure, automated valuation models, rental analytics, and investment underwriting technology.