Crime & Safety in Durham
Durham's crime picture runs above the national average by every measure reviewed this session, though sources disagree on exact scale: one aggregator cites an overall crime rate of 45 per 1,000 residents (among the higher rates nationally across communities of all sizes), a violent crime rate of 488.3 per 100,000 (28% above the national average), and combined violent-or-property victimization odds around 1-in-22 per NeighborhoodScout, with more than 94% of North Carolina communities showing a lower crime rate than Durham. What's also real and worth stating plainly: a large majority of Durham's individual neighborhoods -- about 83% of 161 tracked -- are rated A or B for safety, meaning the citywide figure blends genuinely safer areas with a smaller number of higher-crime ones.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreViolent and Overall Crime: Sources Disagree on Scale, Agree on Direction
One crime-data aggregator (reviewed August 2026) cites Durham's overall crime rate at 45 per 1,000 residents -- among the higher rates nationally across all community sizes -- with an estimated violent crime rate of 488.3 per 100,000 residents, about 28% above the national average. A resident's chance of becoming a violent crime victim was cited at roughly 1-in-160 by one source and roughly 1-in-205 by another -- a real spread, but both describing meaningfully elevated risk relative to a national baseline. Separately, NeighborhoodScout (as of March 31, 2026) put combined violent-or-property crime victimization odds at about 1-in-22, and noted that more than 94% of North Carolina communities have a lower crime rate than Durham. These are different methodologies producing different exact numbers, but none of them describes Durham as at or below the national average.
Neighborhood-Level Variance Is Real and Substantial
Durham crime data broken down by neighborhood shows real, substantial variance: approximately 83% of the city's 161 tracked neighborhoods are rated A or B for safety, with Oakhaven, Greymoss, Willow Hill, Willow Haven, and Fairfield cited as among the safest specifically. This means the citywide averages above, while real, blend a large number of genuinely low-crime neighborhoods with a smaller number of higher-crime areas -- consistent with a separate finding that southwest Durham neighborhoods including Hope Valley, Woodcroft, Treyburn, and Southpoint report lower rates of both violent and property crime than east and southeast Durham. Anyone evaluating a specific address should check neighborhood-level or block-level data rather than relying on a citywide figure.
How This Compares to Durham's Research Triangle Neighbors
This crime picture is not uniformly shared across the Research Triangle -- Durham's crime figures in this research pass read as more elevated than what's typically reported for Raleigh or Chapel Hill, though a direct, apples-to-apples comparison across all three cities using the same single source was not independently compiled this session. Anyone comparing Durham specifically against Raleigh (see the base raleigh record in north-carolina-tier-a-1.js) should pull each city's data from the same source and methodology rather than comparing figures drawn from different aggregators.
What Wasn't Found This Session
A recent, Durham-specific year-over-year crime-trend figure (comparable to the documented 2025 improvements disclosed for Houston and other metros in this project) was not independently confirmed this session -- this write-up does not claim Durham crime is currently improving or worsening on a specific trend line, only that it currently reads above the national average by the measures found. Anyone wanting current-year trend data should check Durham Police Department's own published crime statistics directly.
Key takeaways
- Durham's crime rate reads above the national average by every measure reviewed this session, though sources disagree on scale: 45 per 1,000 residents overall (one aggregator), violent crime 28% above the national average, and roughly 1-in-22 combined violent-or-property victimization odds per NeighborhoodScout.
- More than 94% of North Carolina communities show a lower crime rate than Durham per NeighborhoodScout -- a real, elevated picture relative to the rest of the state, not just the nation.
- Neighborhood variance is substantial and real: about 83% of Durham's 161 tracked neighborhoods rate A or B for safety, and southwest Durham (Hope Valley, Woodcroft, Treyburn, Southpoint) reports lower crime than east/southeast Durham.
- No independently confirmed current-year crime trend (improving vs. worsening) was found this session for Durham specifically -- check Durham Police Department's own published data for the current trend line.
- A direct, same-source comparison of Durham's crime figures against Raleigh's or Chapel Hill's was not compiled this session -- don't compare figures pulled from different aggregators as if they were apples-to-apples.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Durham overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert