The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Virginia
West Virginia is home to 1.78 million residents; Charleston is both its capital and its largest city · Updated November 2026
Is West Virginia safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and West Virginia has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 73% of Americans live. It ranks 11th safest of the 50 states and Washington, DC. Violent crime grades A and property crime A+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within West Virginia run from A+ to F, so check the map or the safest and least safe counties and cities below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 918 of 1,00011th safest of the 50 states and DCi What this means
73% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than West Virginia as a whole, and 27% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. West Virginia scores 918.
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 West Virginia at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia
Robberies and car thefts both run low. In West Virginia, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.10 robberies and 0.78 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 and 2.7 nationally.
Arsons run above the US rate. West Virginia has less crime than the US as a whole, 34% below the US rate, but more arsons: 0.23 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.12 nationally.
The safest and most dangerous counties and cities in West Virginia
Most of West Virginia grades well: 97% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 1% in areas graded D or F. Grades across West Virginia run from A+ to F; 77% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
97%
A or B 97%C 2%D or F 1%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
All 55 counties, 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.
Cities of 10,000 or more 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.
Crime rates and types in West Virginia
CrimeGrade™ estimates West Virginia has about 25 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 34% less than the US 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 makes up about 38% of crime reported in West Virginia. 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 West Virginia
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across West Virginia, 2022 to 2024.
In West Virginia, 69% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 32% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (69%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (51%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (32%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (43%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (30%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (62%)
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; they are over one in five for car theft.
How West Virginia compares with nearby states
West Virginia has the least crime of its 8 nearest states.
Transit, night lighting and empty homes in West Virginia
Two things set West Virginia apart: it has 46% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and 12.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places whose neighborhoods are dark at night tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.
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 West Virginia: F (0 of 100).under 1 trip an hourUS: noneLower than for 99% 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.46% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.12.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of Americans
Show all 4
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.6% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 95% 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 West Virginia
Crime costs West Virginia about $812 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 33% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $604 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $2.37 billion a year, or $1,334 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$178 million
$100
Rape
$50 million
$28
Robbery
$5.7 million
$3
Assault
$185 million
$104
Burglary
$29 million
$16
Theft
$85 million
$48
Vehicle theft
$21 million
$12
Arson
$9.9 million
$6
Vandalism
$39 million
$22
Total
$604 million
$340
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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia average a SchoolGrade of C+: 30% of students test proficient, against 34% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in West Virginia on SchoolGrade
