The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Charleston, WV
South Charleston is a city of 14,600 in Kanawha County, about 4 miles west of downtown Charleston · Updated November 2026
Is South Charleston, WV safe?
With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+, South Charleston has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 64% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Violent crime grades A- and property crime B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within South Charleston run from A to B-, so check the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 753 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
36% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than South Charleston as a whole, and 64% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Charleston scores 753.
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 South Charleston, WV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Charleston, 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 South Charleston
Theft at more than triple the US rate. South Charleston has 52.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of South Charleston
Every part of South Charleston where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across South Charleston run from A to B-; 1% 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 South Charleston, the southeast side has the least crime and the east side the most.
Crime rates and types in South Charleston
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Charleston has about 84 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and about triple the rate for 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 South Charleston, about 63% 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.
How South Charleston compares with nearby cities
Of the 6 cities closest to South Charleston, 4 have less crime. Tornado and Alum Creek have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Charleston. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, South Charleston has more crime than 95% of them.
Two things set South Charleston apart: it has 24.2 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 123 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.24.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 98% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.123 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 98% 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. 83% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (17 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 53% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.11.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 91% of US city residents
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 South Charleston: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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 South Charleston
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs South Charleston about $1,580 a year per household, 31% more 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 $29 million a year, or $1,961 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.2 million
$82
Rape
$410,000
$28
Robbery
$120,000
$8
Assault
$3.4 million
$234
Burglary
$420,000
$29
Theft
$4.0 million
$271
Vehicle theft
$430,000
$29
Arson
$44,000
$3
Vandalism
$630,000
$43
Total
$11 million
$727
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 South Charleston 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 South Charleston, WV average a SchoolGrade of B-: 33% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in South Charleston on SchoolGrade
