Crime & Safety in Columbia, SC
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
7.70
per 1,000 residents
+72% vs national
Property Crime Rate
32.33
per 1,000 residents
+49% vs national
Total Crimes
5,786
2024
Violent Clearance
34%
cases solved
-20% vs national
Property Clearance
13%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+71%
vs 100K-250K avg
+71% vs 100K-250K
YoY Change
+1.7%
violent crime rate
worsening vs 2023
How Columbia Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Columbia vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 100,000 - 250,000 residents. Columbia 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)Columbia police solve 86% of murder cases but only 4% 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 | 14 | 0.10 | 85.7% |
| Rape | Violent | 89 | 0.62 | 25.8% |
| Robbery | Violent | 157 | 1.09 | 21.0% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 853 | 5.90 | 36.6% |
| Burglary | Property | 718 | 4.97 | 11.6% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 3,407 | 23.57 | 15.3% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 548 | 3.79 | 4.2% |
Columbia, SC reported 1,113 violent crimes and 4,673 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 7.70 per 1,000 residents is 71.8% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 34% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 3,407 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 48.2% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (100,000 - 250,000 population), Columbia's violent crime rate is 71% higher. Violent crime has been trending upward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,113 | 4,673 | 7.70 | 32.33 |
| 2023 | 1,071 | 4,905 | 7.57 | 34.67 |
| 2022 | 826 | 3,937 | 6.00 | 28.58 |
| 2021 | 963 | 5,542 | 7.28 | 41.90 |
| 2020 | 1,002 | 6,028 | 7.60 | 45.74 |
| 2019 | 1,037 | 7,027 | 7.75 | 52.52 |
| 2018 | 1,055 | 6,963 | 7.90 | 52.14 |
| 2017 | 988 | 7,140 | 7.32 | 52.91 |
| 2016 | 1,118 | 7,383 | 8.31 | 54.90 |
| 2015 | 1,051 | 7,293 | 7.93 | 55.04 |
School Shootings
Source: The Washington PostTotal Incidents
1
Total Killed
0
Total Injured
0
| Date | School | Killed | Injured | Type | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 2021 | Eau Claire High School | 0 | 0 | targeted | nan |
Data from The Washington Post, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.