The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Lancaster County, VA
Lancaster County is home to 10,900 residents and includes Kilmarnock and Irvington · Updated November 2026
Is Lancaster County, VA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Lancaster County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against 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 930 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
78% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Lancaster County as a whole, and 22% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lancaster County scores 930.
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 Lancaster County, VA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Acts of vandalism happen at homes more often than nationally. In Lancaster County, 61% of reported acts of vandalism happen at homes, against 42% nationally.
How places in Lancaster County compare
Every part of Lancaster County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Lancaster County run from A+ to A; every part of Lancaster County has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Lancaster 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 Lancaster area has the least crime and the east side the most.
Crime rates and types in Lancaster County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Lancaster County has about 33 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 12% less than the US as a whole and close to 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 Lancaster County is assault, about 42% 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.
Where and when crime happens in Lancaster County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Lancaster County, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Homes (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (51%)
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 Lancaster County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Lancaster County, 7 have less crime. King and Queen County and Northumberland County have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Lancaster 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, Lancaster County has more crime than 88% of them.
Shops, night lighting and walkability in Lancaster County
Two things set Lancaster County apart: it has 20.3 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 11% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places with many stores and restaurants tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.20.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% 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.11% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of Americans
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. 98% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 99% of Americans
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 99% 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 Lancaster County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.8.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 81% of Americans
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 Lancaster County
Crime costs Lancaster County about $886 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 26% 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 $17 million a year, or $1,578 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.0 million
$93
Rape
$370,000
$33
Robbery
$25,000
$2
Assault
$1.9 million
$172
Burglary
$82,000
$8
Theft
$570,000
$52
Vehicle theft
$160,000
$15
Arson
$18,000
$2
Vandalism
$490,000
$45
Total
$4.6 million
$422
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 Lancaster 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
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 Lancaster County, VA average a SchoolGrade of D+: 69% of students test proficient, against 40% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Lancaster County on SchoolGrade
