VCU is a neighborhood of 4,070 residents in Richmond, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is VCU in Richmond safe?
Crime in VCU is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B-. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 77% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than VCU. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, B+ against C-. Richmond as a whole grades C.
B-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 602 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
23% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than VCU as a whole, and 77% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. VCU scores 602.
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 VCU, Richmond, VA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in VCU in Richmond, 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 VCU
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Richmond as a whole, 44% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Crime rates and types in VCU
CrimeGrade™ estimates VCU has about 45 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 22% more than the US as a whole and 28% less than Richmond as a whole.
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 VCU, about 44% 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 Richmond
The Richmond Police Department polices VCU; these figures cover Richmond as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Richmond as a whole, 67% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (67%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (48%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (44%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (33%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (33%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (38%)
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 VCU compares with nearby neighborhoods
VCU has the least crime of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.
Two things set VCU apart: it has 22.3% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 221 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and vandalism runs high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.22.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of residents of US city neighborhoods
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.221 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 96% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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. 59% of residents here live in walkable areas.B+ (66 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 75% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft and car theft.25.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 VCU
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs VCU about $2,969 a year per household, more than double 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 $9.2 million a year, or $2,271 per resident.
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 VCU 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 VCU, Richmond, VA average a SchoolGrade of D-: 63% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in VCU on SchoolGrade
