Crime & Safety in Wilmington, NC
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
4.85
per 1,000 residents
+8% vs national
Property Crime Rate
35.15
per 1,000 residents
+62% vs national
Total Crimes
5,004
2024
Violent Clearance
41%
cases solved
-4% vs national
Property Clearance
8%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+7%
vs 100K-250K avg
+7% vs 100K-250K
YoY Change
-0.5%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Wilmington Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Wilmington vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 100,000 - 250,000 residents. Wilmington 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)Wilmington police solve 42% of aggravated assault cases but only 6% 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 | 7 | 0.06 | 28.6% |
| Rape | Violent | 57 | 0.46 | 26.3% |
| Robbery | Violent | 91 | 0.73 | 39.6% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 449 | 3.59 | 42.3% |
| Burglary | Property | 452 | 3.61 | 19.0% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 3,555 | 28.42 | 7.3% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 390 | 3.12 | 6.2% |
Wilmington, NC reported 607 violent crimes and 4,397 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 4.85 per 1,000 residents is 8.3% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 41% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 3,555 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 47.9% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (100,000 - 250,000 population), Wilmington's violent crime rate is 7% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 607 | 4,397 | 4.85 | 35.15 |
| 2023 | 598 | 4,304 | 4.87 | 35.08 |
| 2022 | 636 | 3,427 | 5.34 | 28.76 |
| 2021 | 662 | 3,542 | 5.22 | 27.94 |
| 2020 | 807 | 3,219 | 6.42 | 25.59 |
| 2019 | 759 | 3,593 | 6.08 | 28.80 |
| 2018 | 777 | 3,639 | 6.43 | 30.09 |
| 2017 | 790 | 4,318 | 6.62 | 36.16 |
| 2016 | 759 | 4,771 | 6.44 | 40.48 |
| 2015 | 880 | 5,170 | 7.62 | 44.79 |
School Shootings
Source: The Washington PostTotal Incidents
1
Total Killed
0
Total Injured
1
| Date | School | Killed | Injured | Type | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2021 | New Hanover High School | 0 | 1 | targeted | nan |
Data from The Washington Post, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.