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VAVirginia rankings

Safest towns in Virginia

Ranked by crime reported to police per 1,000 residents, averaged over 2023–2025, with violent crimes counted four times as heavily as property crimes. Lower is safer. 86 towns with 2,500+ residents whose police reported every year.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Broadway 1 Broadway 5.7 Violent 0.6 per 1,000 Berryville 2 Berryville 5.9 Violent 0.2 per 1,000 Purcellville 3 Purcellville 6.2 Violent 0.2 per 1,000
#TownWeighted crime rateViolentProperty
1 Broadway Broadway4,273 people 5.7 0.6 per 1,000 3.3 per 1,000
2 Berryville Berryville4,707 people 5.9 0.2 per 1,000 5.1 per 1,000
3 Purcellville Purcellville8,973 people 6.2 0.2 per 1,000 5.4 per 1,000
4 Bridgewater Bridgewater6,708 people 7.1 0.5 per 1,000 5.2 per 1,000
5 Map of Buena Vista Buena Vista6,593 people 7.8 0.9 per 1,000 4.2 per 1,000
6 Shenandoah Shenandoah2,888 people 8.9 1.2 per 1,000 4.0 per 1,000
7 Lexington Lexington7,525 people 9.4 1.0 per 1,000 5.4 per 1,000
8 Blacksburg Blacksburg45,446 people 9.6 0.8 per 1,000 6.5 per 1,000
9 West Point West Point3,480 people 11.1 1.7 per 1,000 4.3 per 1,000
10 Map of Grottoes Grottoes2,961 people 11.7 1.9 per 1,000 4.2 per 1,000
11 Vienna Vienna16,412 people 12.1 0.9 per 1,000 8.6 per 1,000
12 Manassas Park Manassas Park16,798 people 12.5 1.2 per 1,000 7.6 per 1,000
13 Warrenton Warrenton10,176 people 13.0 0.7 per 1,000 10.3 per 1,000
14 Elkton Elkton3,006 people 14.6 1.4 per 1,000 8.9 per 1,000
15 Map of Windsor Windsor2,852 people 15.1 1.6 per 1,000 8.7 per 1,000
16 Hillsville Hillsville2,864 people 15.5 0.8 per 1,000 12.2 per 1,000
17 Dublin Dublin2,671 people 17.1 1.1 per 1,000 12.6 per 1,000
18 Poquoson Poquoson12,639 people 17.5 2.5 per 1,000 7.5 per 1,000
19 Strasburg Strasburg7,214 people 18.1 2.3 per 1,000 8.9 per 1,000
20 Chincoteague Chincoteague3,296 people 18.4 2.3 per 1,000 9.4 per 1,000
21 Radford Radford16,726 people 18.4 2.2 per 1,000 9.6 per 1,000
22 Dumfries Dumfries5,816 people 18.8 1.7 per 1,000 12.1 per 1,000
23 Big Stone Gap Big Stone Gap5,162 people 19.3 1.3 per 1,000 14.1 per 1,000
24 Virginia Beach Virginia Beach456,349 people 19.6 1.0 per 1,000 15.8 per 1,000
25 Luray Luray4,827 people 19.7 1.6 per 1,000 13.3 per 1,000
26 Falls Church Falls Church14,710 people 19.9 1.0 per 1,000 15.9 per 1,000
27 Smithfield Smithfield8,834 people 20.0 2.4 per 1,000 10.3 per 1,000
28 Colonial Beach Colonial Beach3,966 people 20.0 2.2 per 1,000 11.4 per 1,000
29 Covington Covington5,680 people 20.1 1.9 per 1,000 12.5 per 1,000
30 Pearisburg Pearisburg2,860 people 20.2 0.5 per 1,000 18.4 per 1,000
31 Staunton Staunton25,948 people 20.7 1.6 per 1,000 14.3 per 1,000
32 Williamsburg Williamsburg15,798 people 20.7 2.1 per 1,000 12.3 per 1,000
33 Culpeper Culpeper20,794 people 20.9 1.4 per 1,000 15.2 per 1,000
34 Wise Wise2,916 people 21.6 1.2 per 1,000 17.0 per 1,000
35 Tazewell Tazewell4,390 people 22.2 2.6 per 1,000 11.7 per 1,000
36 Abingdon Abingdon8,330 people 22.2 1.7 per 1,000 15.4 per 1,000
37 Clifton Forge Clifton Forge3,447 people 22.7 2.3 per 1,000 13.6 per 1,000
38 Woodstock Woodstock5,871 people 23.9 1.2 per 1,000 19.0 per 1,000
39 Herndon Herndon24,672 people 24.9 2.4 per 1,000 15.1 per 1,000
40 Front Royal Front Royal15,296 people 25.1 2.7 per 1,000 14.4 per 1,000
41 Bedford Bedford7,724 people 25.1 2.1 per 1,000 16.7 per 1,000
42 Leesburg Leesburg49,171 people 26.0 2.5 per 1,000 16.0 per 1,000
43 Orange Orange5,066 people 26.1 3.1 per 1,000 13.9 per 1,000
44 Harrisonburg Harrisonburg51,392 people 26.3 2.3 per 1,000 17.0 per 1,000
45 Waynesboro Waynesboro22,841 people 26.3 2.4 per 1,000 16.7 per 1,000
46 Vinton Vinton8,056 people 27.0 2.0 per 1,000 19.1 per 1,000
47 Manassas Manassas42,976 people 27.9 2.8 per 1,000 16.8 per 1,000
48 Map of Alexandria Alexandria156,976 people 30.0 1.9 per 1,000 22.3 per 1,000
49 Wytheville Wytheville8,202 people 30.2 0.8 per 1,000 26.9 per 1,000
50 Christiansburg Christiansburg22,720 people 30.4 1.8 per 1,000 23.1 per 1,000
51 Map of Martinsville Martinsville13,658 people 30.9 4.3 per 1,000 13.8 per 1,000
52 Chesapeake Chesapeake252,583 people 31.1 3.6 per 1,000 16.8 per 1,000
53 Suffolk Suffolk98,796 people 31.8 4.3 per 1,000 14.8 per 1,000
54 Lynchburg79,497 people 31.8 3.5 per 1,000 17.9 per 1,000
55 Map of Hopewell Hopewell22,959 people 32.4 3.8 per 1,000 17.3 per 1,000
56 Marion Marion5,670 people 32.7 3.3 per 1,000 19.6 per 1,000
57 Winchester Winchester27,913 people 33.5 2.6 per 1,000 23.3 per 1,000
58 Richlands Richlands5,171 people 33.7 5.1 per 1,000 13.5 per 1,000
59 Fairfax Fairfax25,026 people 34.1 1.1 per 1,000 29.8 per 1,000
60 Lebanon Lebanon3,116 people 34.3 2.3 per 1,000 25.3 per 1,000
61 Blackstone Blackstone3,341 people 38.8 5.2 per 1,000 18.0 per 1,000
62 Hampton Hampton137,557 people 39.8 2.7 per 1,000 29.1 per 1,000
63 Ashland Ashland7,772 people 40.1 4.9 per 1,000 20.4 per 1,000
64 South Boston South Boston7,853 people 40.3 4.5 per 1,000 22.2 per 1,000
65 Crewe Crewe2,906 people 41.0 5.7 per 1,000 18.3 per 1,000
66 Altavista Altavista3,342 people 41.2 2.4 per 1,000 31.6 per 1,000
67 Danville Danville42,214 people 42.0 3.4 per 1,000 28.4 per 1,000
68 Bluefield Bluefield4,979 people 42.1 1.2 per 1,000 37.4 per 1,000
69 Farmville Farmville7,774 people 43.7 4.8 per 1,000 24.4 per 1,000
70 Charlottesville Charlottesville45,437 people 44.5 3.2 per 1,000 31.7 per 1,000
71 Rocky Mount Rocky Mount4,950 people 46.3 1.1 per 1,000 42.0 per 1,000
72 Map of Richmond Richmond229,359 people 49.2 3.8 per 1,000 34.1 per 1,000
73 Fredericksburg Fredericksburg28,873 people 49.9 5.0 per 1,000 29.9 per 1,000
74 Map of Colonial Heights Colonial Heights18,352 people 50.0 4.2 per 1,000 33.3 per 1,000
75 Pulaski Pulaski8,893 people 50.1 5.6 per 1,000 27.6 per 1,000
76 Galax Galax6,726 people 50.1 3.0 per 1,000 38.1 per 1,000
77 South Hill South Hill4,786 people 51.2 4.2 per 1,000 34.4 per 1,000
78 Bristol Bristol16,849 people 51.4 4.8 per 1,000 32.2 per 1,000
79 Franklin Franklin8,250 people 51.9 5.4 per 1,000 30.3 per 1,000
80 Norfolk Norfolk233,596 people 54.5 4.7 per 1,000 35.8 per 1,000
81 Newport News Newport News184,216 people 56.0 8.0 per 1,000 24.0 per 1,000
82 Roanoke Roanoke98,355 people 61.6 5.9 per 1,000 38.2 per 1,000
83 Emporia Emporia5,547 people 65.7 8.9 per 1,000 30.2 per 1,000
84 Petersburg Petersburg33,537 people 65.9 8.8 per 1,000 30.6 per 1,000
85 Portsmouth Portsmouth97,190 people 70.1 7.8 per 1,000 38.9 per 1,000
86 Norton Norton3,577 people 100.6 2.9 per 1,000 89.2 per 1,000

How this ranking works

For each town we add up the violent and property crimes its police reported to the FBI over 2023–2025 and divide by the population they served, giving a rate per 1,000 residents. Violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) count four times as much as property crimes (burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson), because they weigh more on how safe a place feels. The lowest weighted rate ranks #1.

These are crimes reported to police, not convictions, and towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center also count incidents involving visitors. A town is ranked only if its police department reported a full year in every one of these years; towns patrolled by a county sheriff or state police don't have their own figures. There is no “most dangerous” list, on purpose.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, offenses known to law enforcement by city. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states

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