Safety · Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach, NC crime & safety

Sunset Beach's reported crime rate is well below North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2024.

Crime reported to police, trends and how Sunset Beach compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.

TownTapestry Safety GradeNew

Not graded yet

A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Sunset Beach's police department reported only 2024, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.

Reported crime, 2024

Sunset Beach at a glance

Violent crime
1.1
per 1,000 residents · North Carolina 3.8
Property crime
9.7
per 1,000 residents · North Carolina 20.1
Incidents reported
50
5 violent · 45 property
Violent crime per 1,000
Sunset Beach 1.1
North Carolina 3.8
U.S. 3.6
Property crime per 1,000
Sunset Beach 9.7
North Carolina 20.1
U.S. 17.7
What gets reported

2024, by type

Larceny / theft
36
Burglary
9
Vehicle theft
0
Aggravated assault
5
Robbery
0
Rape
0
Homicide
0
Arson
0

Offenses reported to police, not convictions.

Who keeps Sunset Beach safe

Local public safety

👮 Sunset 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.

Safety & preparedness in Sunset Beach →

Nearby

Sunset 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.
TownGradeViolentPropertyYear
Sunset Beach—1.19.72024

No town figures in the FBI's data: Calabash.

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 4,700, 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

Mostly hurricanes. Expected storm and flood damage here is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities. 72 flood insurance claims paid since 1981.

Natural hazards in Sunset Beach →

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2024, 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.

Housing in Sunset Beach → · Living in Sunset Beach →

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Sunset Beach, NCView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Sunset Beach is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01