The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Columbia, WV: Crime Maps and Statistics

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B-
Property Crime Grade	C+
Other Crime Grade	C

Which crimes are included?

$464,270

Cost of Crime™ for West Columbia, WV

In 2025, crime will cost $832 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of West Columbia with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is West Columbia, WV Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where West Columbia's combined rate is about the same as the norm. West Columbia sits in the 51st percentile, ahead of 51% of cities and behind 49%. The grade covers only West Columbia's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in West Columbia is 23.60 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 39 in the northwest neighborhoods to 1 in 61 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of West Columbia, WV report the most crime, about 17 cases per year. The south part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in West Columbia, WV

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in West Columbia for 2025 is $464,270, about $335 per resident and $832 per household. That equals 1.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 59.0%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 28.4%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in West Columbia Compared to Other Cities?

West Columbia, WV:	$335
Welch, WV:	$655
Bunker Hill, WV:	$179
West Virginia:	$362
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in West Columbia is $335 per year, which is $129 less than the national average and $27 less than West Virginia's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to West Columbia:

In Welch, WV, crime costs $655 per person, which is $320 more than in West Columbia.
In Bunker Hill, WV, crime costs $179 per person, which is $156 less than in West Columbia

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of West Columbia for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to West Columbia	Cost per West Columbia Resident
Murder	$121,393	$88
Rape/Sexual Assault	$75,495	$54
Robbery	$2,729	$2
Assault	$60,514	$44
Kidnapping	$11,913	$9
Vehicle Theft	$12,220	$9
Burglary	$12,403	$9
Theft	$76,045	$55
Arson	$3,267	$2
Vandalism	$19,949	$14
Animal Cruelty	$213	$0
Drug Crimes	$68,087	$49
Identity Theft	$43	$0
Total Cost of Crime	$464,270	$335

The Intangible Cost of Crime in West Columbia, WV

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in West Columbia totals $1,181,530 ($852 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,645,801 ($1,187 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The city holds few retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which West Columbia has 1, do the same, and of West Columbia's 1,386 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in West Columbia, WV at ISP Reports.

West Columbia Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 West Columbia residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.520
Robbery	0.0626
Rape	0.8983
Murder	0.0466
Total Violent Crime	2.528 (B-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	10.59
Vehicle Theft	0.5694
Burglary	0.9866
Arson	0.0976
Total Property Crime	12.25 (C+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1418
Drug Crimes	6.641
Vandalism	2.015
Identity Theft	0.0040
Animal Cruelty	0.0208
Total "Other" Rate	8.822 (C)

Individual West Columbia Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in West Columbia is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to West Columbia.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Middleport, OH	B-	B-	B
Cheshire, OH	A	B	A+
Bellmeade, WV	B+	B	A-
Hartford, WV	C	B-	C+
Mason, WV	C	C-	C+
Upper Flats, WV	A	B+	A-
Hartford City, WV	C+	B-	B-
New Haven, WV	A-	B-	A
Letart, WV	A-	B-	A-
Syracuse, OH	B	B-	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

West Columbia is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Green Village, NJ	B-	A+	A+
South Pekin, IL	B+	B+	B+
Sloan, IA	C	A-	A-
Simpson, NC	D-	B	B
Kilmichael, MS	B+	A	A
Killdeer, ND	D+	B+	B+
Husum, WA	D	D	D
Hillcrest, IL	A-	A	A
Hay Springs, NE	D	C	C
Hankinson, ND	B-	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, West Columbia is as safe as the West Virginia state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in West Columbia, WV average SchoolGrade of D, with 25% actual proficiency versus 26% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See West Columbia schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.