The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in West Virginia

West Virginia’s violent crime rate is 27% below the national average, and Buckhannon and Fayetteville have the state’s lowest rates of violent crime.
Derek Prall
October 8, 2024 Derek Prall Derek Prall , Home Security Expert | October 8, 2024
Statewide Crime Property Crime Our Data

A sparsely populated Appalachian Mountain state, West Virginia ranks low for violent crime and even lower for property crime. Compared to the rest of the states in the United States, West Virginia has a violent crime rate 27 percent lower than the national average and a property crime rate 37 percent lower than the nationwide figures.

Williamstown boasted the state’s lowest property crime rate. The small town is located on the banks of the Ohio River, which separates West Virginia from Ohio. Bluefield, the city with the second-lowest property crime rate, was also located on the boundary line separating Virginia from West Virginia. Although Bluefield had one of the lowest property crime rates, it had the highest violent crime rate in the state.

west virginia-city-mapBeckley had the state’s highest property crime rate. The town has three national parks and several tourist attractions, which indicates that visitors may contribute to the high property crime rate.

Statewide Crime Trends in West Virginia

Besides its relatively low crime rates, West Virginia is known for its mountainous terrain, nationally protected forest woodlands, and its coal, oil, and natural gas industries. The state’s population has been steadily declining from an all-time high in the 1950s but has shown some signs of refreshment in recent years.

The original reason for the state's declining population was a massive drain of workers heading south to bigger economies to find work. But U.S. Census data reveals net positive migration to West Virginia over the past couple of years, indicating an interruption of a seven decades-long trend if not a potential trend reversal. Although the state is mostly rural or small towns, some areas are not as safe from violent and property crimes as others.

The most common crimes in West Virginia are drug and narcotics violations, not violent or property crimes ― although one category of crime can lead to one of the others, so residents living in areas plagued by rampant dangerous drug abuse should be on alert for their safety.

Property Crime in West Virginia

Property crime in West Virginia for every 100,000 residents occurred at a rate of 1,230 in the most recent year for which data are available. That's 37 percent lower than the national average and ranks the state 46th among the 50 states for property crime.

west virginia-property crime ratesThose crimes were, for every 100,000 people, 89 car thefts reported, 190 burglaries, and 951 larceny-thefts.

Violent Crime in West Virginia

Violent crime in West Virginia for every 100,000 residents occurred at a rate of 278, 27 percent lower than the national average and ranking West Virginia No. 36 for violent crimes nationally.

Those crimes were, for every 100,000 people, 5 murders or nonnegligent manslaughters, 44 rapes, 10 robberies, and 219 aggravated assaults.

west virginia-violent crime rates

Our Data

Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer (CDE) website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area. City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City. The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.

Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety.

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