The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Frederick County, VA

Frederick County is home to 95,000 residents and includes Stephens City and Middletown · Updated November 2026

Is Frederick County, VA safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Frederick County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 924 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Frederick County as a whole, and 25% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Frederick County scores 924.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 927 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 917 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Frederick County

Map of Frederick County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Frederick County, VA at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Frederick County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


What stands out in Frederick County

One weak spot: simple assault. It grades B+ in Frederick County, worse than in the neighborhoods where 59% of Americans live, against A+ for violent crime as a whole.

Aggravated assaults and burglaries both run low. In Frederick County, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.50 aggravated assaults and 0.58 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 2.4 nationally.


How places in Frederick County compare

Every part of Frederick County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Frederick County run from A+ to A-; 87% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Gore1,820A+973
  2. 2Cross Junction3,740A+971
  3. 3Clear Brook2,970A+957
  4. 4White Post4,080A+945

Most crime

  1. 1Winchester77,200A883
  2. 2Stephens City22,100A891
  3. 3Kernstown1,090A909
  4. 4Stephenson5,180A+933

Cities and towns in Frederick County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the north side has the least crime and the Winchester area the most.


Is crime going up in Frederick County?

Reported crime in Frederick County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 22% and property crime down 13%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.0 to 0.8 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 11 to 9.5 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime rose 51%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Frederick CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Frederick County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Frederick CountyViolent, USProperty, Frederick CountyProperty, US
2016+2%+4%+15%+15%
2017+16%+4%+27%+12%
2018-15%+0%+19%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020-11%+4%-10%-8%
2021-19%+6%-14%-10%
2022-35%+5%-8%-6%
2023-49%+2%-16%-7%
2024-22%-4%-13%-15%

Crime rates and types in Frederick County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Frederick County has about 24 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 35% less than the US as a whole and 29% less than Virginia.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

Assault is the most common crime in Frederick County, about 44% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+10.010.05
RapeA240.250.38
RobberyA+40.040.62
AssaultA-1,00410.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+550.582.4
TheftA-8168.613.1
Vehicle theftA+660.702.7
ArsonA+20.020.12
VandalismA3273.45.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


Where and when crime happens in Frederick County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Frederick County, 2022 to 2024.

In Frederick County, 74% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 41% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (74%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (53%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from carsHomes (41%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (53%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultStreets and sidewalks (42%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.


How Frederick County compares with nearby counties

Of the 10 counties closest to Frederick County, 6 have less crime. Rappahannock County and Hampshire County, WV have the least.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Frederick CountyA+924A+A95,000
Winchester City 1 mileA-811A-A-27,900
Clarke County 11 milesA+964A+A+15,200
Warren County 16 milesA895AA41,500
Jefferson County, WV 21 milesA+948A+A+59,300
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Berkeley County, WV 23 milesA899AA+129,500
Hampshire County, WV 25 milesA+976A+A+23,500
Shenandoah County 27 milesA+939A+A+44,900
Morgan County, WV 29 milesA+970A+A+17,400
Rappahannock County 33 milesA+979A+A+7,430
Loudoun County 37 milesA923A+A433,000

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Frederick County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Frederick County is safer than 62% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Frederick CountyA+924A+A95,000
Geauga County, OHA+975A+A+95,500
St. Croix County, WIA+964A+A+96,000
Grand Traverse County, MIA+926AA+96,200
Calvert County, MDA+924AA+94,300
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Madison County, KYA915AA95,800
St. Clair County, ALA909AA94,200
Lauderdale County, ALA898AA95,800
Cape May County, NJA866AA94,900
Fairbanks North Star Borough, AKA862A-A95,500
Rockdale County, GAA-844A-A95,300

Walkability, shops and transit in Frederick County

Two things set Frederick County apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (5 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 7.2 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.

Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 97% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 96% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Frederick County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.4.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 85% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.50% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 83% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.4% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 82% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Frederick County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What crime costs Frederick County

Crime costs Frederick County about $600 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 50% less than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $48 million a year, or $507 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$2.4 million$25
Rape$1.5 million$15
Robbery$120,000$1
Assault$8.3 million$88
Burglary$500,000$5
Theft$4.2 million$44
Vehicle theft$1.0 million$11
Arson$46,000under $1
Vandalism$2.3 million$24
Total$20 million$214

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Frederick County means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Frederick County

Schools in Frederick County, VA average a SchoolGrade of D: 65% of students test proficient, against 45% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Frederick County on SchoolGrade