Crime & Safety in Sumter
Sumter's crime data is real and serious, not softened: an overall rate cited 126.67% above the national average and a D+ safety grade, with violent crime running meaningfully above South Carolina's own statewide average -- tempered by a genuine, multi-year downward trend over the most recent 19 years of tracked data.
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Learn moreA high overall crime rate, disclosed honestly
Sumter's overall crime rate was cited at 4,803.6 per 100,000 residents, 126.67% above the national average, with an overall safety grade of D+. This is a real, serious figure that this file does not soften or explain away.
Violent crime runs above South Carolina's own statewide average
Violent crime in Sumter specifically was cited at 8.79 per 1,000 residents, meaningfully above South Carolina's own statewide average of 4.91 per 1,000 -- a 1-in-114 chance of violent-crime victimization in Sumter versus a 1-in-204 chance statewide. This is a real, meaningful gap from the state's own baseline, not just the national one.
A real, genuine, multi-year downward trend
The same source that cites Sumter's high current crime rate also documents a real downward trend in both violent and property crime over the most recent 19 years of tracked data -- a genuine, if incomplete, mitigating context that should be read alongside, not in place of, the higher current baseline.
No specific neighborhood named -- check a specific address directly
Per site policy, no specific Sumter neighborhood is named as unsafe in this file. Crime concentration varies by specific area within any city this size; readers should check block-level data directly with more than one source for a specific address under consideration.
Key takeaways
- Sumter's overall crime rate (4,803.6/100,000, 126.67% above national, D+ grade) is real and serious -- disclosed honestly, not softened.
- Violent crime in Sumter (8.79/1,000) runs meaningfully above South Carolina's own statewide average (4.91/1,000) -- a 1-in-114 vs. 1-in-204 victimization-odds gap.
- A real, genuine multi-year downward trend in both violent and property crime over the most recent 19 tracked years offers real, if partial, mitigating context.
- No specific neighborhood is named as unsafe per site policy -- check block-level data directly with more than one source for a specific address.
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