Elizabeth City, NC Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Elizabeth City, NC Crime & Safety

Is Elizabeth City, NC safe in 2026?

Elizabeth City earns an overall crime grade of D+, which signals elevated risk relative to many comparable small cities. That said, the picture across its 13 analyzed neighborhoods is genuinely mixed: 54% of neighborhoods score A or B, meaning more than half of the city's residential areas are considered safe by our metrics. Only 39% of neighborhoods fall into the D range, and no neighborhood received an F. Areas like Hickory Breeze (A), Pelican Pointe (A), and Chesterfield Heights (A-) demonstrate that low-crime living is achievable within city limits. Residents in higher-risk zones such as Hugh Cale (D+) and The Renaissance (D-) face meaningfully greater exposure to crime, so neighborhood selection matters significantly here.

What is the crime rate in Elizabeth City, NC?

Elizabeth City's city-wide safety rating lands at a moderate C when neighborhoods are weighted together, while the overall crime grade for the city as a whole is D+. Across the 13 neighborhoods analyzed, the grade distribution breaks down as follows: 30.8% earned an A (4 neighborhoods), 23.1% earned a B (3 neighborhoods), 7.7% earned a C (1 neighborhood), and 38.5% earned a D (5 neighborhoods). Property crime — including vehicle theft, burglary, and larceny — tends to drive the higher-crime grades, while violent incidents are concentrated in a smaller subset of areas. The city's 9% unemployment rate and 18.1% poverty rate are contextual factors that researchers consistently link to elevated crime risk at the neighborhood level.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Elizabeth City?

Based on 2026 crime data, the top-rated neighborhoods in Elizabeth City are:

• Hickory Breeze — Grade A: The highest-scoring neighborhood, with a median household income of $101,575. Its very small population (21 residents) contributes to an extremely low incident count.
• Pelican Pointe — Grade A: Tied for the top spot, also reporting a median income of $101,575 across its 35 residents.
• Chesterfield Heights — Grade A-: A slightly larger community of 137 residents with a median income of $81,800 — strong safety performance at a more meaningful population scale.
• Oxford Heights — Grade A-: 37 residents, median income of $72,795, and consistent A-range safety metrics.
• Riverside — Grade B+: With 1,642 residents and a median income of $70,551, Riverside is the largest neighborhood in the A/B tier and offers a practical, data-backed option for families seeking safety without isolation.
• Elizabeth City State University — Grade B+: Home to 1,363 residents and a median income of $64,911, this area benefits from an institutional presence that correlates with lower crime rates.

Combined, these six neighborhoods account for the 54% of the city graded A or B, and they span a range of income levels and population sizes.

Which neighborhoods in Elizabeth City have higher crime?

Five of the 13 analyzed neighborhoods — representing 38.5% of the city — received a D grade. The two most notable are:

• Hugh Cale — Grade D+: With 686 residents and a median income of just $31,933, Hugh Cale is the most populous of the higher-crime neighborhoods. Its income level is roughly 74% below the city median, a gap that correlates strongly with property and violent crime exposure.
• The Renaissance — Grade D-: A small enclave of 48 residents with a median income of $31,948. Despite its size, it carries one of the lowest safety grades in the dataset.

It's worth noting that Downtown Elizabeth City (B-) and Northside (C-) occupy the middle of the safety spectrum — neither among the safest nor the most dangerous — but both warrant situational awareness, particularly at night or during high-traffic periods.

Is Elizabeth City a good place to live?

Elizabeth City offers a cost-of-living profile that is genuinely accessible: a median home value of $149,835 and median rent of $938 place it well below national averages. For context, the median household income of $43,024 means the typical family spends roughly 26% of gross income on rent — a manageable ratio by most housing standards. The tradeoffs are real, however. A 9% unemployment rate and 18.1% poverty rate exceed state averages and contribute to the D+ overall crime grade. Still, with 54% of neighborhoods graded A or B, residents who choose carefully — prioritizing areas like Riverside, Chesterfield Heights, or the Elizabeth City State University corridor — can find livable, relatively safe communities. The city's waterfront character and small-city scale remain draws for those who value affordability and community over metropolitan amenities.

How does neighborhood income correlate with safety grades in Elizabeth City?

The data reveals a clear pattern: every neighborhood graded A or B has a median income above $60,000, while every neighborhood graded D has a median income below $32,000. Hickory Breeze and Pelican Pointe, both graded A, report median incomes of $101,575 — more than three times the median income of Hugh Cale ($31,933, D+) or The Renaissance ($31,948, D-). Northside, the lone C-rated neighborhood, sits at $44,542 — close to the city median of $43,024 — and occupies the predictable middle ground in safety outcomes. This income-to-safety gradient is consistent with broader criminological research and suggests that economic investment in lower-income neighborhoods like Hugh Cale could meaningfully shift the city's overall crime grade over time.