SafeWise has ranked the town of Elon as the second safest city in North Carolina, behind Holly Springs, according to their annual report for 2021. This is the seventh annual report for SafeWise — a home safety and security news site.
Other communities were ranked in SafeWise’s 2021 report, including Gibsonville at 25, Mebane at 42, Greensboro at 69 and Burlington at 75 out of the 87 cities total in North Carolina.
The report utilizes the crime rate index, which measures the crime rate per 1,000 people for a specific city. In 2021, SafeWise marked the violent crime rate in the town of Elon as 0.7 and the property crime rate as 6.7.
Both violent crime and state property crime have decreased since last year. Violent crime in North Carolina decreased from 3.8 to 3.7, which represents a total decrease in 215 crimes across the state. State property crime decreased from 24.9 to 23.6.
The rate of violent crime in North Carolina matches the average nationwide; however, the report also found that the property crime rate in North Carolina is currently higher than the national average.
The report found that 56% of North Carolina residents in 2021 have concerns that crime may affect them on a daily basis.
SafeWise found that 10% of residents in the state have experienced property theft and another 10% have experienced violent crime, which is down from 11% last year.
The report also found that 6% of North Carolina residents have been affected by gun violence. Among North Carolina residents, 55% of individuals believe that gun violence is “a top safety concern.” This is higher than the national average, which stands at 53%.
In 2020, a total of 20 mass shootings occurred in North Carolina, compared to 11 in 2019, which is an 81% increase.
According to SafeWise, there were 88 officer-involved shootings in 2020. This is an increase from 79 shootings in 2019. The report also found that 56% of residents in the state have confidence in law enforcement — which is on par with the national average. However, the report also said that a total of 43% North Carolina residents fear law enforcement violence on a daily basis.