Crime & Safety in Chapel Hill, NC
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
1.72
per 1,000 residents
-62% vs national
Property Crime Rate
25.15
per 1,000 residents
+16% vs national
Total Crimes
1,717
2024
Violent Clearance
25%
cases solved
-42% vs national
Property Clearance
7%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
-49%
vs 50K-100K avg
-49% vs 50K-100K
YoY Change
-3.5%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Chapel Hill Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Chapel Hill vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 50,000 - 100,000 residents. Chapel Hill is highlighted in green.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Murder Rate (per 1,000)
Violent Crime Clearance Rate
Crime Rate Trends
Source: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Chapel Hill police solve 100% of murder cases but only 0% of motor vehicle theft cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.
Weapon Used in Violent Crime
Source: FBI (2024)Crime Breakdown
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)| Crime Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 1 | 0.02 | 100.0% |
| Rape | Violent | 8 | 0.13 | 12.5% |
| Robbery | Violent | 29 | 0.45 | 17.2% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 72 | 1.13 | 27.8% |
| Burglary | Property | 217 | 3.40 | 10.6% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 1,271 | 19.89 | 7.2% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 119 | 1.86 | 0.0% |
Chapel Hill, NC reported 110 violent crimes and 1,607 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 1.72 per 1,000 residents is 61.6% below the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 25% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 1,271 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 25.0% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (50,000 - 100,000 population), Chapel Hill's violent crime rate is 49% lower. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 110 | 1,607 | 1.72 | 25.15 |
| 2023 | 116 | 1,683 | 1.78 | 25.87 |
| 2022 | 113 | 1,216 | 1.85 | 19.94 |
| 2021 | 121 | 1,283 | 1.88 | 19.93 |
| 2020 | 109 | 1,187 | 1.68 | 18.30 |
| 2019 | 58 | 926 | 0.94 | 15.07 |
| 2018 | 68 | 850 | 1.13 | 14.11 |
| 2017 | 86 | 1,284 | 1.44 | 21.56 |
| 2016 | 113 | 1,363 | 1.88 | 22.72 |
| 2015 | 74 | 1,156 | 1.24 | 19.31 |
School Shootings
Source: The Washington PostTotal Incidents
1
Total Killed
1
Total Injured
0
| Date | School | Killed | Injured | Type | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2012 | Mary Scroggs Elementary School | 1 | 0 | targeted | Charter Arms .44 Bulldog revolver |
Data from The Washington Post, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.