Safety · Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach, NC crime & safety
Atlantic Beach's reported crime rate is well above North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 7 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Atlantic Beach compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
TownTapestry Safety GradeNew
D
Atlantic Beach’s Safety Grade: D
Atlantic Beach reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
DViolent crimeD-Property crime▼Improving since 2023
All U.S. towns we grade (6,620)Safer than 5%
More reported crimeLess reported crime
North Carolina towns we grade (160)Safer than 16%
Places of 1,000–5,000 people (2,167)Safer than 4%
Good confidence. Built on 197 incidents over 3 years. With counts this size, ordinary swings could put Atlantic Beach anywhere from D- to D.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over the FBI’s latest 3 years (2023–2025). Violent crime counts four times as much because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind our Safest towns in NC ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town and city with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years (6,620 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone.
- Trend compares 2025 with 2023 and only says “improving” or “rising” when the change is bigger than normal year-to-year swings.
- Not graded: towns under 1,000 people, and towns missing any of the 3 years.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. Towns with a campus, highway or big shopping center count incidents involving visitors. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
Reported crime, 2025
Atlantic Beach at a glance
Violent crime
4.9
per 1,000 residents · North Carolina 3.3
Property crime
29.3
per 1,000 residents · North Carolina 18.1
Incidents reported
49
7 violent · 42 property
Since 2022
▼ 42%
change in reported property crime
Violent crime per 1,000
Property crime per 1,000
Trend
Reported crime per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025
Atlantic BeachNorth Carolina
Solid lines: property crime · dashed: violent crime.
Show as a table
| Year | Atlantic Beach property | North Carolina property | Atlantic Beach violent | North Carolina violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 50.7 | 21 | 1.4 | 4.1 |
| 2023 | 53.7 | 21.1 | 7.1 | 4 |
| 2024 | 36 | 20.1 | 7.8 | 3.8 |
| 2025 | 29.3 | 18.1 | 4.9 | 3.3 |
What gets reported
2025, by type
Larceny / theft
26
Burglary
16
Vehicle theft
0
Aggravated assault
2
Robbery
0
Rape
5
Homicide
0
Arson
1
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Who keeps Atlantic Beach safe
Local public safety
👮 Atlantic Beach Police DepartmentReports its crime counts to the FBI — the figures on this page.
🚨 EmergenciesCall 911. For non-emergency numbers, alerts and preparedness, see the town guide.
Nearby
Atlantic Beach and its neighbors
Reported crime per 1,000 residents in each town's latest year. * = a count, for towns under 1,000 people. Grade: the Safety Grade; — = not graded.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach | D | 4.9 | 29.3 | 2025 |
| Pine Knoll Shores | A- | 0.7 | 6.2 | 2025 |
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can't tell you
- It's reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- Small numbers swing. In a town of about 1,400, a handful of incidents moves the rate noticeably from year to year. The trend matters more than any one year.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don't live there, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn't report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Natural hazards
Very high
Natural hazards in Atlantic Beach →Mostly hurricanes. Expected storm and flood damage here is higher than in 100% of U.S. communities. 720 flood insurance claims paid since 1980.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. This isn't an official statement of public safety — in an emergency, call 911.