The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Tazewell County, VA
Tazewell County is home to 39,600 residents and includes Richlands and Bluefield · Updated November 2026
Is Tazewell County, VA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Tazewell County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime 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 922 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Tazewell County as a whole, and 25% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Tazewell County scores 922.
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 Tazewell County, VA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County
Reported rapes run high, though crime overall runs low. Crime overall in Tazewell County runs 23% below the US rate, but reported rapes run 32% above it: 0.50 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.38 nationally.
Car thefts and aggravated assaults both run low. In Tazewell County, each runs at about half the US rate: 1.5 car thefts and 1.4 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 and 2.6 nationally.
How places in Tazewell County compare
Every part of Tazewell County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Tazewell County run from A+ to A-; 97% 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 Tazewell 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 east side has the least crime and the Richlands and Cedar Bluff areas the most.
Is crime going up in Tazewell County?
Since 2019, reported property crime in Tazewell County is down 26%, while violent crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.0 to 1.8 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 18 to 14 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 28% and property crime fell 24%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Tazewell CountyUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Tazewell County. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Tazewell County
Violent, US
Property, Tazewell County
Property, US
2016
+4%
+4%
+9%
+15%
2017
-7%
+4%
-2%
+12%
2018
+6%
+0%
-6%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-20%
+4%
+1%
-8%
2021
-2%
+6%
+2%
-10%
2022
+22%
+5%
-14%
-6%
2023
+29%
+2%
-2%
-7%
2024
-7%
-4%
-26%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Tazewell County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Tazewell County has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 23% less than the US as a whole and 16% 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.
Theft makes up about 38% of crime reported in Tazewell County. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Tazewell County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Tazewell County, 2022 to 2024.
In Tazewell County, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 51% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (70%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (70%)
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 Tazewell County compares with nearby counties
Tazewell County has more crime than 8 of its 10 nearest counties. Bland County and Grayson County have the least crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Tazewell 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, Tazewell County has more crime than 68% of them.
Empty homes, walkability and night lighting in Tazewell County
Two things set Tazewell County apart: it has 15.6% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (5 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson, yet burglary 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 and arson.15.6% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% 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. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% 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.36% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 91% 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.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 87% 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 Tazewell County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.36 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 72% 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 Tazewell County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Tazewell County about $726 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 $38 million a year, or $951 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$2.0 million
$51
Rape
$1.2 million
$30
Robbery
$84,000
$2
Assault
$4.0 million
$100
Burglary
$560,000
$14
Theft
$2.2 million
$56
Vehicle theft
$880,000
$22
Arson
$180,000
$5
Vandalism
$1.2 million
$31
Total
$12 million
$311
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 Tazewell 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 Tazewell County, VA average a SchoolGrade of A-: 80% of students test proficient, against 54% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Tazewell County on SchoolGrade
