The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Princeton, WV
Princeton is a city of 16,900 in Mercer County, about 40 miles west of Blacksburg · Updated November 2026
Is Princeton, WV safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Princeton has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 60% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 879 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
60% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Princeton as a whole, and 40% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Princeton scores 879.
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 Princeton, WV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Princeton, 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 Princeton
Thefts and car thefts both run low. In Princeton, each runs at about half the US rate: 6.0 thefts and 1.4 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 2.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Princeton
Every part of Princeton where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Princeton run from A+ to A-; 85% 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.
Within Princeton, the northeast side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in Princeton
CrimeGrade™ estimates Princeton has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 40% less than the US as a whole and close to 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 Princeton is assault, about 43% 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 Princeton compares with nearby cities
Princeton has the most crime of its 3 nearest cities.
Two things set Princeton apart: it has 15.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 18.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, yet vandalism runs lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.15.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.18.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 95% 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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (17 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 54% of US city residents
Show all 6
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 Princeton: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.63 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 81% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
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 Princeton
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Princeton about $725 a year per household, 40% 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 $1,146 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.4 million
$82
Rape
$430,000
$25
Robbery
$27,000
$2
Assault
$1.8 million
$106
Burglary
$300,000
$18
Theft
$520,000
$31
Vehicle theft
$350,000
$21
Arson
$71,000
$4
Vandalism
$310,000
$19
Total
$5.2 million
$308
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 Princeton 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 Princeton, WV average a SchoolGrade of C-: 28% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Princeton on SchoolGrade
