Photo: Dr. Blazer · CC BY-SA 4.0West Columbia reports more crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns
Out of every 1,000 residents, 6.5 violent crimes and 43.1 incidents of property crime are reported annually, against 5.1 and 27.1 in the rest of South Carolina. What’s more, its letter for safety is D−, worked out from crimes West Columbia’s police reported over 2023 to 2025: #61 of 87 graded towns in South Carolina. All 4 towns next door with figures record less crime per resident. The graded rate fell 12% from 2023 to 2025.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of SC” is every other South Carolina city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in West Columbia
4 of the 4 graded towns next door report less crime
Of the 6 South Carolina towns on West Columbia’s borders, 4 have a Safety Grade: Lexington (B), Springdale (D), Cayce (D), Columbia (D). Oak Grove and Seven Oaks are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own. Neighbors ↓
Among South Carolina towns, closer to the middle
South Carolina’s cities and towns report more crime than most states’, so West Columbia’s place among its own towns differs from its national one: it reports less crime than 30% of the 87 South Carolina towns we grade, against 4% nationally. Safety Grade ↓
A job center
West Columbia has 13,527 jobs based in town for 18,489 residents (Census LEHD), so some reports involve people who work or shop there rather than residents. How to read it ↓
Reported crime is falling
Crime reported per resident fell from 2023 to 2025 by more than ordinary year-to-year swings, on the grade’s own score. Trend ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind West Columbia’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Both violent and property crime are higher than in most U.S. towns; violent crime is the closer of the two to typical.
Crime in West Columbia per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 5 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
Violent crime, by year and by type
Show as a table
| Year | West Columbia | Rest of South Carolina | U.S. (FBI national estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7.3 | 5.7 | 4.0 |
| 2023 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 3.6 |
| 2025 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 3.3 |
Violent crimes per 1,000 residents
By type 2023–2025, counts
West Columbia’s police reported 355 violent crimes to the FBI over 2023–2025, about 6.5 per 1,000 residents a year, against 5.1 in the rest of South Carolina and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
Reported crime per resident, 2023 to 2025
Show as a table
| Year | West Columbia property | Rest of South Carolina property | West Columbia violent | Rest of South Carolina violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 55.2 | 30.8 | 7.3 | 5.7 |
| 2023 | 45.1 | 30.3 | 6.5 | 5.6 |
| 2024 | 44.4 | 27.6 | 7.5 | 5.4 |
| 2025 | 39.9 | 23.5 | 5.4 | 4.5 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident fell from 2023 to 2025, by more than ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of South Carolina.
846 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
101 violent and 745 property, as reported to the FBI by West Columbia’s police.
22 people died in crashes on West Columbia’s roads in 2019–2023
West Columbia had 20 fatal crashes in five years, in which 22 people died; 9 were pedestrians and 1 was a cyclist. 3 died in crashes on an Interstate.
That is 24.5 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, above the median for South Carolina towns of 5,000–25,000 people (8.8, 79 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
West Columbia and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Columbia | D− | 6.5 | 43.1 |
| Oak Grove | — | — | — |
| Columbia | D | 7.7 | 32.7 |
| Springdale | D | 6.4 | 24.8 |
| Cayce | D | 6.9 | 26.9 |
| Lexington | B | 1.0 | 9.4 |
| Seven Oaks | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Oak Grove and Seven Oaks are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
South Carolina towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Columbia | D− | 6.5 | 43.1 |
| Port Royal | B− | 1.4 | 12.6 |
| Hardeeville | B− | 1.5 | 14.4 |
| Clemson | C+ | 1.3 | 17.7 |
| Moncks Corner | C | 3.2 | 19.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach | D | 3.7 | 36.9 |
The five graded South Carolina towns closest to West Columbia’s population (18,489), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of West Columbia. A town-wide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against West Columbia’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (18,652 in 2025); our figure for West Columbia is 18,489 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in West Columbia
Is West Columbia, SC safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, West Columbia reports more crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, a D− Safety Grade and #61 of 87 in South Carolina. Its police reported 6.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 5.1 in the rest of South Carolina and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in West Columbia?
6.5 violent and 43.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of South Carolina reports 5.1 and 27.1; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
Is West Columbia safer than Columbia?
Columbia reports less crime per resident than West Columbia: Columbia grades D for safety and West Columbia D−. Columbia’s police reported 7.7 violent and 32.7 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices West Columbia?
West Columbia’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “West Columbia”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in West Columbia.
Crime: 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. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.