Kenova is a city of 6,750 in Wayne County, about 7 miles west of downtown Huntington · Updated November 2026
Is Kenova, WV safe?
Yes, crime in Kenova is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Kenova sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 57% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Kenova run from A+ to B, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 866 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
57% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Kenova as a whole, and 43% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Kenova scores 866.
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.
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 Kenova, WV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Kenova, 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 Kenova
Crime per resident runs lower than the grade suggests. Few people come to Kenova to work or shop: it has only 27 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. With few visitors, its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ weighs each crime against the people, homes and parked cars actually here.
Crime rates and types in Kenova
CrimeGrade™ estimates Kenova has about 20 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 45% less than the US as a whole and 17% less than West 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.
The largest share of crime reported in Kenova is assault, about 62% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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.
How Kenova compares with nearby cities
Kenova has more crime than 5 of its 6 nearest cities. Catlettsburg, KY and Chesapeake, OH have the least crime nearby.
Two things set Kenova apart: it has 7.1 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 27 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
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 Kenova: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 80% of US city residents
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 and assault. 72% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 56% of US city residents
Show all 6
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.66% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 78% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.27 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 75% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Kenova 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 Kenova
Crime costs Kenova about $750 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 38% 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 $7.2 million a year, or $1,067 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$300,000
$44
Rape
$140,000
$21
Robbery
$7,600
$1
Assault
$1.1 million
$161
Burglary
$47,000
$7
Theft
$95,000
$14
Vehicle theft
$62,000
$9
Arson
$38,000
$6
Vandalism
$140,000
$21
Total
$1.9 million
$284
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 Kenova 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
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.
Schools in Kenova, WV average a SchoolGrade of B: 33% of students test proficient, against 33% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Kenova on SchoolGrade
