Virginia Crime Statistics: Is Your Town on the Safest City List?
The beautiful state of Virginia is shaped by the Chesapeake Bay to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. The tenth state to become a part of the United States, Virginia has a rich and fascinating history, nice cities, and beautiful rural areas.
If you live in Virginia or you are considering moving to Virginia, you might be wondering how safe your town or city is.
When looking at crime in the United States, one of the most common resources is the FBI crime statistics. Looking at violent crime and property crime, you can get a sense for whether or not an area is safe.
Let’s take a look at Virginia crime statistics and which towns are safe in which are the most dangerous.
Virginia Crime Statistics
The state of Virginia is one of the states in the United States with the lowest crime rate. As far as violent crime goes, Virginia had the fourth-lowest rate. For property crime, Virginia was the 13th lowest state in the US..
The only states with a lower violent crime rate than Virginia according to the 2018 statistics were Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Her 100,000 residents in 2018, Virginia had 200 violent crimes. The national statistics per 100,000 people was 369 violent offenses.
In 2018, all of the metropolitan areas of Virginia had violent crime rates that were below the US average, and most were lower than the national rate for property crime as well.
The metro area with the least amount of violent crime is the Winchester and Harrisonburg Metro areas. The metro areas that are known to have the most violent crime were Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, Richmond, and Roanoke.
Harrisonburg and Lynchburg had the lease property crime out of all of the Virginia Metro areas. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Roanoke, and Richmond had the highest property crime rate out of all of the metro areas.
The Safest Towns and Cities in Virginia
There are a number of towns in Virginia that have less than 3000 residents who have practically no crime each year. However, considering that these areas are so sparsely populated, our list will focus on areas that have at least more than 3000 residents.
Bridgewater
Bridgewater has a small population of roughly 6000 will. Located in the Harrisonburg metropolitan area, there were not any crime and Bridgewater according to the most recent FBI crime statistics.
Wytheville
This southwestern Virginia town is one of the safest places in Virginia. With roughly 8000 people, it can be considered the second safest town in the state.
Falls Church
Located in the Washington metropolitan area, Falls Church has a population of around 14,000. Considering how large the population is of this town, the crime rate is quite low. Considering that the median income for a household in Falls Church was $120,000, it is clear that this town is largely made up of wealthy residents.
Fairfax City
The city of Fairfax has roughly 22,000 residents. Considering the size of its population, it has a remarkably low crime rate, but the FBI crime statistics stating that only 18 crimes occurred there in 2019.
Purcellville
This town of over 7000 people in Loudoun County is also one of the safest cities in Virginia. In 2019, there was only 8 crime in this town.
Big Stone Gap
Big Stone gap only had four crimes in 2019. Located in Wise County in southwestern Virginia, this is a small town with roughly 5000 people.
The Most Dangerous Towns and Cities in Virginia
While Virginia is a relatively safe state compared to other states in the United States, some parts of the Commonwealth are more dangerous than others. Let’s take a look at which towns and cities are considered to be the most dangerous in Virginia.
Portsmouth
Out of the cities that range in size between 30,000 and 100,000 residents, Portsmith ranks the worst as far as crime goes. With a population of over 93,000, their were nearly 900 crimes in the city in 2019.
Richmond
The capital of the state of Virginia, Richmond is one of the more dangerous parts of the state. That being said, with many large cities, there are certain areas that are much safer than others in certain areas that are more dangerous.
With a population of over 230,000, there were over 1000 crimes in Richmond in 2019.
Roanoke
Roanoke has nearly 100,000 residents. The largest municipality in Southwest Virginia, Roanoke had over 380 crimes in 2019.
Galax
Galax is a town with only roughly 6000 residents. However, there were 29 crimes committed there in 2019.
Petersburg
Petersburg is one of the most dangerous of these in Virginia. With over 30,000 residents, there were 234 crimes in Petersburg in 2019
Newport News
The city of Newport News has over 177,000 residents. At the same time, and 2019, they had over 1000 crimes. This makes it one of the more dangerous places in Virginia.
Do You Need Help With the Bail Bond Process?
Living in safe cities can ensure that you and your family face the smallest amount of risk when it comes to violent crimes. When an individual grows up in an area that is more prone to crime, there is a higher likelihood that they will end up committing crimes themselves. Having a sense of what the Virginia crime statistics say can help you to understand which regions you’d like to live in and which regions you’d prefer to stay away from.
If you have gotten into some trouble with the law, whether it be due to DUI charges, domestic violence charges, or otherwise, you might be looking for bail bond solutions. Our licensed bail bond agents are here to provide you and your loved ones with the professional assistance you need.
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