The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Monongalia County, WV
Monongalia County, the third-most populous county in West Virginia, is home to 107,200 residents and includes Morgantown and Westover · Updated November 2026
Is Monongalia County, WV safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Monongalia County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Monongalia County run from A+ to B-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 913 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Monongalia County as a whole, and 29% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Monongalia County scores 913.
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 Monongalia County, WV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Monongalia 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 Monongalia County
Car thefts are uncommon. Monongalia County has car thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.26 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
Burglaries happen at homes more often than nationally. In Monongalia County, 79% of reported burglaries happen at homes, against 57% nationally.
The safest and most dangerous places in Monongalia County
Every part of Monongalia County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Monongalia County run from A+ to B-; 69% of residents live in areas with 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 Monongalia 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 southwest side has the least crime and the Morgantown area the most.
Crime rates and types in Monongalia County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Monongalia County has about 19 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 50% less than the US as a whole and 24% 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Monongalia County, about 51% of everything reported.
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 Monongalia County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Monongalia County, 2022 to 2024.
Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 47% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (79%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (33%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (47%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (30%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (45%)
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 Monongalia County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Monongalia County, 7 have less crime. Garrett County, MD and Tucker County have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Monongalia 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, Monongalia County is safer than 79% of them.
Jobs, transit and walkability in Monongalia County
Monongalia County looks like a typical county on the traits that tend to go with crime.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.60 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 89% 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 Monongalia County: F (3 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 61% of Americans
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.12.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher 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.9.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher 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.69% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 71% 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 Monongalia County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Monongalia County about $560 a year per household, 54% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $25 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $95 million a year, or $888 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$7.9 million
$73
Rape
$2.3 million
$21
Robbery
$280,000
$3
Assault
$6.1 million
$57
Burglary
$950,000
$9
Theft
$5.2 million
$49
Vehicle theft
$420,000
$4
Arson
$210,000
$2
Vandalism
$1.5 million
$14
Total
$25 million
$232
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 Monongalia 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 Monongalia County, WV average a SchoolGrade of A+: 44% of students test proficient, against 49% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Monongalia County on SchoolGrade
