The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Northampton County, VA
Northampton County is home to 12,100 residents and includes Exmore and Cape Charles · Updated November 2026
Is Northampton County, VA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Northampton County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 80% 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 below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 936 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
80% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Northampton County as a whole, and 20% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Northampton County scores 936.
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 Northampton County, VA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Northampton 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 Northampton County
Thefts are uncommon. Northampton County has thefts at less than half the US rate: 4.9 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Northampton County
Every part of Northampton County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Northampton County run from A+ to A-; 95% 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.
Across the county, the north side has the least crime and the Exmore area the most.
Crime rates and types in Northampton County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Northampton County has about 26 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 29% less than the US as a whole and 23% 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 Northampton County, about 54% of everything reported, and it also accounts for 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 Northampton County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Northampton County, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Homes (42%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times; they are over one in five for vandalism.
How Northampton County compares with nearby counties
Northampton County has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest counties; only Middlesex County and Mathews County have less.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Northampton 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, Northampton County has more crime than 84% of them.
Shops, night lighting and walkability in Northampton County
Two things set Northampton County apart: it has 17.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 18% 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.17.6 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.18% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 98% 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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (7 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 91% 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.16.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% of Americans
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 97% 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 Northampton County: F (1 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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 Northampton County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Northampton County about $859 a year per household, 29% 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 $19 million a year, or $1,557 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.5 million
$127
Rape
$290,000
$24
Robbery
$32,000
$3
Assault
$1.8 million
$151
Burglary
$140,000
$12
Theft
$300,000
$25
Vehicle theft
$190,000
$15
Arson
$34,000
$3
Vandalism
$350,000
$29
Total
$4.7 million
$389
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 Northampton 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 Northampton County, VA average a SchoolGrade of B-: 74% of students test proficient, against 50% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Northampton County on SchoolGrade
