Raleigh asks a buyer to hold two facts at once. Property crime runs 44% above the national rate and violent crime 28% above, placing the city in the 10th percentile of the 13,216 jurisdictions SafeNest grades. Yet the 2024 violent rate fell 7.5% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving. Schools carry a similar split: 99 rated schools average 6.9/10, elementary schools reach 7.3 while middle schools sit at 5.6, so a family's experience shifts as children age. Flood context is state-scale: 8 FEMA flood declarations and 38 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations are North Carolina figures, not a determination about any parcel. Every number here is a city-wide average. It describes Raleigh, not the street you are considering, and block-by-block variation inside the city is wide.
Crime in Raleigh vs. the national average
Raleigh reports 489 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 28% above the U.S. average of 381, and 2,819 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (44% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 7.5% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving.
| Raleigh | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 489 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 2819 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Raleigh can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for North Carolina — the state SafeNest uses for Raleigh's flood context — list 8 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1962 and 2013, most recently "Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides". North Carolina has also seen 38 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Raleigh address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Raleigh
Public schools in Raleigh average 6.9/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 99 rated schools. By level, elementary schools rate strongest at 7.3/10 on average, while middle schools average 5.6/10. The highest-scoring is Magellan Charter at 10.0/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Raleigh: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Raleigh address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Compare other cities
- Compare with Durham crime rate.
- Also on SafeNest: is Greensboro safe?
- See also crime and safety data for Winston-Salem.
- Compare how safe Charlotte is.
- Another city on the same data: the Richmond safety report.
Check a specific Raleigh address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF.
Or search any Raleigh address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Raleigh
Is Raleigh, NC safe?
Raleigh records 489 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 28% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: C, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Raleigh?
Raleigh reports approximately 489 violent crimes and 2819 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Raleigh have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Raleigh, federal records show 8 FEMA flood disaster declarations for North Carolina, most recently in 2013; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in North Carolina.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).