Crime Rate in Durham, NC
Durham, NC has a violent crime rate of 403.0 per 100,000 residents (11% above the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 2443.4 per 100,000 (33% above the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
Durham Crime Rates per 100,000 vs National Average
| Crime Type | Durham | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 403.0 | 363.8 | +11% |
| Property Crime | 2443.4 | 1832.3 | +33% |
| Murder | 4.0 | 5.7 | -30% |
| Robbery | 88.7 | 73.0 | +22% |
| Aggravated Assault | 270.0 | 246.4 | +10% |
| Burglary | 342.1 | 269.8 | +27% |
| Larceny-Theft | 1881.4 | 1401.9 | +34% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 366.5 | 318.3 | +15% |
| 5-Year Trend | -3.0% | ||
| Population | 283,506 | ||
All values are incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR/NIBRS). Per-capita rates only — never raw counts.
Safety Context Score: 59/100 (Grade C)
CrimeContext scores Durham on a 0-100 scale that weights per-capita violent crime against the national average (40%), per-capita property crime (30%), and the 5-year direction of total crime (30%). A grade of C means Durham sits roughly in line with the typical U.S. city once population is taken into account. Crime rates have been relatively stable over the past 5 years.
We never display raw crime counts. A large city will always log more total incidents than a small town; the only fair comparison is the rate per 100,000 residents, which is what every number on this page uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Durham, NC has a violent crime rate of 403.0 per 100,000 residents (11% above the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 2443.4 per 100,000 (33% above the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
Durham, NC has a Safety Score of 59/100 (grade C). Violent crime is 11% above the national average. Crime rates have been relatively stable over the past 5 years.
Durham has a murder rate of 4.0 per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 5.7. Like every figure here, this is a per-capita rate — raw homicide counts without population context can badly mislead.
Crime rates have been relatively stable over the past 5 years. Over the past 5 years, the total crime rate in Durham has changed by -3.0%.
Violent crime in Durham is 11% above the U.S. average and property crime is 33% above average. Durham's overall Safety Context Score is 59/100 (grade C).
More about Durham
Durham, NC has a violent crime rate of 403.0 per 100,000 residents (11% above the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 2443.4 per 100,000 (33% above the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
This answer pulls from the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset, the authoritative federal source for U.S. city and county crime rates. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2026.