The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wetzel County, WV
Wetzel County is home to 14,100 residents and includes New Martinsville and Paden City · Updated November 2026
Is Wetzel County, WV safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Wetzel County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 81% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 939 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
81% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Wetzel County as a whole, and 19% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Wetzel County scores 939.
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 Wetzel County, WV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Wetzel 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 Wetzel County
Simple assaults are uncommon. Wetzel County has simple assaults at about half the US rate: 4.6 a year per 1,000 residents, against 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Wetzel County
Every part of Wetzel County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Wetzel County run from A+ to A-; 77% 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.
Across the county, the northeast side has the least crime and the west side the most.
Crime rates and types in Wetzel County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Wetzel County has about 27 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 26% less than the US as a whole and close to 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 Wetzel County, about 50% 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 Wetzel County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Wetzel County, 2022 to 2024.
In Wetzel County, 78% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (78%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (63%)
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 burglary.
How Wetzel County compares with nearby counties
Wetzel County has more crime than 6 of its 10 nearest counties. Monroe County, OH and Tyler County have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, jobs and walkability in Wetzel County
Two things set Wetzel County apart: it has 14.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 28 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 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.14.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 96% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.28 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 90% 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. 72% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 61% of Americans
Show all 6
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 Wetzel County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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.50% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 84% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 80% 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 Wetzel County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Wetzel County about $846 a year per household, 30% 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 $21 million a year, or $1,510 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.6 million
$111
Rape
$470,000
$33
Robbery
$12,000
$1
Assault
$1.4 million
$100
Burglary
$210,000
$15
Theft
$1,000,000
$71
Vehicle theft
$230,000
$16
Arson
$61,000
$4
Vandalism
$320,000
$23
Total
$5.3 million
$375
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 Wetzel 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 Wetzel County, WV average a SchoolGrade of D-: 23% of students test proficient, against 28% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Wetzel County on SchoolGrade
