The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Gainesville, VA: Crime Maps and Statistics

B+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A
Property Crime Grade	A-
Other Crime Grade	C-

Which crimes are included?

$9.86 million

Cost of Crime™ for Gainesville, VA

In 2025, crime will cost $959 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Gainesville with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Gainesville, VA Safe?

The B+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Gainesville's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Gainesville sits in the 70th percentile, ahead of 70% of cities and behind 30%. The grade covers only Gainesville's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Gainesville is 18.18 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 42 in the west neighborhoods to 1 in 75 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Gainesville, VA report the most crime, about 161 cases per year. The central part reports the fewest, around 10 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Gainesville, VA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Gainesville for 2025 is $9,856,961, about $316 per resident and $959 per household. That equals 0.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.1%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.3%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Gainesville Compared to Other Cities?

Gainesville, VA:	$316
Emporia, VA:	$1033
Round Hill, VA:	$132
Virginia:	$432
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Gainesville is $316 per year, which is $148 less than the national average and $116 less than Virginia's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Gainesville:

In Emporia, VA, crime costs $1,033 per person, which is $717 more than in Gainesville.
In Round Hill, VA, crime costs $132 per person, which is $184 less than in Gainesville

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Gainesville for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Gainesville	Cost per Gainesville Resident
Murder	$4.10 million	$132
Rape/Sexual Assault	$720,959	$23
Robbery	$257,343	$8
Assault	$696,009	$22
Kidnapping	$457,454	$15
Vehicle Theft	$378,162	$12
Burglary	$138,360	$4
Theft	$926,209	$30
Arson	$47,585	$2
Vandalism	$986,608	$32
Animal Cruelty	$39,653	$1
Drug Crimes	$1.03 million	$33
Identity Theft	$79,957	$3
Total Cost of Crime	$9,856,961	$316

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Gainesville, VA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Gainesville totals $30,891,690 ($990 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $40,748,651 ($1,306 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The central part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Gainesville has 3, do the same, and of Gainesville's 31,194 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Gainesville, VA at ISP Reports.

Gainesville Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Gainesville residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.7769
Robbery	0.2623
Rape	0.3812
Murder	0.0700
Total Violent Crime	1.490 (A)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	5.733
Vehicle Theft	0.7829
Burglary	0.4890
Arson	0.0632
Total Property Crime	7.068 (A-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.2419
Drug Crimes	4.449
Vandalism	4.427
Identity Theft	0.3312
Animal Cruelty	0.1718
Total "Other" Rate	9.621 (C-)

Individual Gainesville Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Gainesville is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Gainesville.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Haymarket, VA	A	A+	A+
Buckland, VA	A-	A+	A-
Linton Hall, VA	A-	A	A
Greenwich, VA	B+	A+	A
Bull Run, VA	C-	C	C-
Broad Run, VA	B	A-	B
New Baltimore, VA	A+	A+	A+
Sudley, VA	C+	C+	B-
Catharpin, VA	A	A+	A
Bristow, VA	A-	A-	A

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Gainesville is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Agawam Town, MA	B	B-	B-
Shelbyville, KY	B	B+	B+
Seymour, IN	B-	B+	B+
Severna Park, MD	B+	A	A
Sequim, WA	C+	B-	B-
Selma, CA	C-	D-	D-
Schererville, IN	C	B+	B+
Scaggsville, MD	C	B	B
Saugus, MA	B-	B-	B-
Rockville Centre, NY	C+	C-	C-

Considering only the crime rate, Gainesville is safer than the Virginia state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Gainesville, VA average SchoolGrade of A+, with 69% actual proficiency versus 61% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Gainesville schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.