Is Raleigh Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina and commonly mentioned in reference to its neighboring city of Durham, as in Raleigh-Durham.

You might also hear this region referred to as the Research Triangle, which includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

The name is derived due to the proximity to three major research universities.

This is the south where the tea is sweet, the barbecue is a breed of its own, and friendly hospitality reigns.

You can drink Cheerwine here at any age because it’s not a wine at all, but a cherry-flavored drink that has been dominant in this region since 1917.

While Raleigh is inland, you’re still just two hours from the closest beach and you can be in the Outer Banks in about half a day’s drive.

The city is right on the North Carolina “Fall Line”, which means the mountains give way to gently rolling hills as the land approaches the Atlantic seaboard.

Raleigh neighborhoods are defined by whether they are inside or outside the Beltline, which is a sloppy circle of highways that loop around the central part of the city.

Downtown is “Inside the Beltline” and many suburbs are “Outside the Beltline.”

In fall of 2022, the Raleigh community was added to a list of notoriety that no community wants – it was the sight of a mass shooting that left five people dead and two injured in a neighborhood east of the Beltline.

While this isn’t indicative of safety in the community, it was another act of jarring violence that American cities are battling in 2022 and beyond.

Warnings & Dangers in Raleigh

Safest Places to Visit in Raleigh

Visitraleigh.com is the official tourism website for the city and you should use it as a compass for all events and attractions.

This gives you cyber safety during research with safe links to click on during your research.

You can also email visit@visitRaleigh.com with any tourism questions you can’t find on the website.

Downtown Raleigh is a great place to start.

There’s a new Sip & Stroll District where you can carry around adult beverages while visiting shops, attractions, and restaurants.

Be sure to look for colored signs that indicate that Sip n’ Stroll Downtown is available at each establishment.

This helps you stay in the lines of the district.

You can’t just walk ANYWHERE downtown with a drink.

A map is available for download on the city website.

Beer lovers need to visit the Raleigh Beer Garden with 135 varieties on tap and a rooftop garden.

This is one of many places to eat, drink, and be merry in the Glenwood South District.

Plenty of hotels are nearby if you’re looking to be at the center of the action.

While you’re there, get a history lesson at the North Carolina Museum of History.

You can also visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and The Nature Research Center.

You shouldn’t miss it – there’s a massive globe outside the entrance!

To keep the kids entertained, check out the Marbles Kids Museum.

It’s an interactive place that explores imagination with hands-on activities with costumes.

You can explore a jungle safari or board a pirate ship in a safe, climate-controlled setting.

The Warehouse District is close to the Convention Center and has quickly risen to a “see-and-be-seen” place in the city with something for everyone.

Explore art galleries, dance the night away, or explore the business scene.

The CAM Raleigh is a homebase for artists supplemented by community events to draw crowds and explore creativity in every form.

Heading outside the Beltline now, you shouldn’t miss Historic Yates Mill Park.

With nearly 200 acres to explore, you can also tour Yates Mill and a gristmill, then sit by the pond and enjoy the scenery.

If you’re planning a special event during this trip, check out the farms in this area with beautiful venues.

Umstead State Park is another outdoor adventure area with hiking trails, camping opportunities, fishing holes, and even rustic cabins for those who wish to stay overnight.

While there’s plenty of shopping in various neighborhoods here, stop by the Raleigh Denim Workshop for one of the largest jeans-only stores made locally for all shapes and sizes.

Places to Avoid in Raleigh

There are some neighborhoods in the south and southeast sides of town that might be a little more dangerous than others, but there’s not a place where it’s just too dangerous to visit.

If you are choosing between staying in Raleigh or Durham, you’ll likely want to choose Raleigh because overall crime rates are lower.

Even Hedginham, where the mass shooting happened, was a residential area with more car break-ins than violent crimes.

The Neuse River Trail is a popular spot for bicycling and walking, and even that became a part of this mass murder.

While violent crime can happen in any neighborhood, and mass shootings rarely happen in high-crime areas, you shouldn’t have to worry about the bad parts of Raleigh, especially if you are from a larger city.

When you visit this area, the Neuse River Trail is still going to be a popular spot for outdoor activities, but don’t visit it as a macabre stop at the scene of a violent crime.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Raleigh

So... How Safe Is Raleigh Really?

Raleigh has the risk of an average American city.

The police department is refreshingly transparent with crime data, areas of concern, safety advice, and crime mapping.

I would advise any tourist to ANY American city to use the interactive crime mapping available to see local crime statistics closer to your visit.

Some cities have become more dangerous since the pandemic and others have seen plunging crime rates.

Even the data I can provide you today could change for a trip six months from now.

By and large, Raleigh has been a city of average risk rates for quite some time and has a lower average crime rate than nearby Durham.

That said, Chapel Hill is slightly safer than Raleigh.

The Research Triangle is one of those areas where common sense, basic safety practices, and situational awareness will go a long way.

There’s a lot of fun in this city, so use caution when you’re at nightclubs or drinking a lot – but you already know that.

The data from 2021 shows that just 13% of violent crimes happen against strangers and 41% of violent crimes happen in homes.

The biggest tourist crime prevention tactic is locking rental car doors and rolling up windows when parking, while also removing all personal belongings.

38% of thefts were related to car break-ins.

You’d be surprised how many people fall victim to this from leaving a car unlocked.

How Does Raleigh Compare?

City	Safety Index
Raleigh	74
Deadwood	80
Sturgis	80
Pierre	81
Spearfish	80
Hill City	83
Sevierville	73
Temuco (Chile)	31
Puno (Peru)	45
Nara (Japan)	88
Kanazawa (Japan)	83
Hammamet (Tunisia)	78
Sidi Bou Said (Tunisia)	42

Useful Information

Click here to get an offer for travel insurance

Raleigh Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Average High/Low Temperature

North Carolina - Safety by City

City	Safety Index
Apex	84
Asheville	57
Boone	82
Cary	83
Chapel Hill	81
Charlotte	56
Cornelius	75
Corolla	81
Davidson	82
Duck	79
Durham	84
Elizabeth City	79
Gastonia	61
Goldsboro	46
Greensboro	77
Hatteras	82
Hickory	68
High Point	62
Hope Mills	53
Kannapolis	82
Kill Devil Hills	77
Kitty Hawk	79
Manteo	75
Mooresville	77
Morehead City	78
New Bern	77
Raleigh	74
Rocky Mount	52
Rodanthe	85
Statesville	78
Wilmington	84
Winston-Salem	47