Is Columbus Georgia safe to live in?

Columbus Crime

about-crime

Crime & Safety

grade C minus

Based on violent and property crime rates.

Poll

How safe do you feel in this area?

  • Pretty safe. There is some crime, but it doesn't impact me much.

    58%

  • Somewhat safe. There is noticeable crime, and there are times I don't feel safe.

    28%

  • Very safe. There is really no crime to speak of.

    12%

  • Not safe. There is a lot of crime, and I regularly don't feel safe.

    3%

More

Poll

How reliable are the police in this area?

  • The police are very visible and very responsive.

    41%

  • The police are visible, but somehow respond slowly when needed.

    36%

  • The police aren't around much, but are there quickly when you need them.

    10%

  • The police aren't around much, and when you need them, they aren't reliable.

    6%

  • Not sure.

    6%

More

Columbus Crime Rates

  • Assault

    403.9

    national  282.7

  • Murder

    17.6

    national  6.1

  • Rape

    35.7

    national  40.7

  • Robbery

    198.2

    national  135.5

  • Burglary

    1,071.8

    national  500.1

  • Theft

    3,010.1

    national  2,042.8

  • Motor Vehicle Theft

    354.1

    national  284

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Back to Full Profile

With a crime rate of 39 per one thousand residents, Columbus has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 26. Within Georgia, more than 87% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Columbus.

Importantly, when you compare Columbus to other communities of similar population, then Columbus crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Columbus does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Columbus does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Columbus.

For Columbus, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Columbus is one in 134.

In addition, NeighborhoodScout found that a lot of the crime that takes place in Columbus is property crime. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In Columbus, your chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 32, which is a rate of 32 per one thousand population.

Importantly, we found that Columbus has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in Columbus is one in 291.

Crime Index

8

(100 is safest)


Columbus Annual Crimes

 ViolentPropertyTotal

Number of Crimes

1,539

6,546

8,085

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

7.44

31.64

39.07

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

    Columbus

    Georgia

My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

Columbus VIOLENT CRIMES

Population: 206,922

MurderRapeRobberyAssault
Report Total UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED
Rate per 1,000 UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED

United States VIOLENT CRIMES

Population: 331,449,281

MurderRapeRobberyAssault
Report Total 21,570 126,430 243,600 921,505
Rate per 1,000 0.07 0.38 0.73 2.78

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

    Columbus

    Georgia

My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

Columbus Property CRIMES

Population: 206,922

burglarytheftmotor vehicle theft
Report Total UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED
Rate per 1,000 UNREPORTED UNREPORTED UNREPORTED

United States Property CRIMES

Population: 331,449,281

burglarytheftmotor vehicle theft
Report Total 1,035,314 4,606,324 810,400
Rate per 1,000 3.12 13.90 2.45

    Columbus

    Georgia

Why are people moving to Columbus GA?

One of the most significant advantages you'll find when moving to Columbus is the affordable cost of living. The cost of living in Columbus is lower than the national average and much lower than other US cities with a low cost of living.

What's it like to live in Columbus Georgia?

Living in Columbus offers residents a dense suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Columbus there are a lot of parks. Many families and young professionals live in Columbus and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Columbus are above average.

Is Columbus a safe city to live?

Columbus does have a rate of 503 per 100k people for violent crime. The majority comes from robbery and aggravated assault, and murder or rape is well below the rest of Ohio and even the national average.

What is the lowest crime rate city in Georgia?

The small city of Holly Springs in Cherokee County earns the title of Georgia's safest. Holly Springs violent crime rate of 1.03 per 1K and property crime rate of 12.36 per 1K are considerably below both national and state averages. Peachtree City earns Georgia's #2 spot.