Virginia Crime Grades A-F (2024)

Statewide grade B

111 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 64/100 (Above Average).

What is Virginia’s crime safety grade?

Virginia earned an overall safety grade of B (score: 64/100, Above Average) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 222.8 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1590.1 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 111 Virginia cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.

Across the 111 graded Virginia cities, 6 earned A+, 23 earned A, 35 received B, 24 landed at C, 13 received D, and 10 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Buena Vista with an A+ grade (score: 93/100, violent rate 45.5/100K). The lowest-rated city is Portsmouth with a F grade (score: 0/100, violent rate 752.4/100K).

Roughly 26% of graded cities in Virginia achieved an A or A+ rating, while 21% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between Virginia and other states on the site.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

6 cities

23 cities

35 cities

24 cities

13 cities

10 cities

Buena Vista

46
Purcellville

22
Bridgewater

29
Broadway

46
Saltville

57
Berryville

41
Haymarket

63
Stanley

59

What this shows Buena Vista reports the lowest violent-crime rate in Virginia. At 45.5 per 100K, it runs well below the Virginia average of 222.8. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Buena Vista	93	45.5/100K	333.4/100K	6,598
2	A+	Purcellville	92	22.4/100K	695.2/100K	8,918
3	A+	Bridgewater	92	29.3/100K	571.6/100K	6,823
4	A+	Broadway	92	45.8/100K	343.6/100K	4,366
5	A+	Saltville	91	56.6/100K	396.4/100K	1,766
6	A+	Berryville	90	41.2/100K	659.9/100K	4,849
7	A	Haymarket	88	63.4/100K	697.1/100K	1,578
8	A	Stanley	86	58.7/100K	939/100K	1,704
9	A	Vienna	86	61.5/100K	848.8/100K	16,258
10	A	Blacksburg	86	76.5/100K	715/100K	45,734
11	A	Cape Charles	86	77.2/100K	695/100K	1,295
12	A	Shenandoah	86	121/100K	242/100K	2,479
13	A	Luray	85	41.4/100K	1221.8/100K	4,829
14	A	Elkton	85	65.2/100K	1010.4/100K	3,068
15	A	Manassas Park	85	80.1/100K	764.1/100K	16,228
16	A	New Market	85	90.6/100K	679.3/100K	2,208
17	A	Stephens City	84	46.6/100K	1351.4/100K	2,146
18	A	Lexington	83	130.6/100K	457.2/100K	7,656
19	A	Clintwood	81	75.5/100K	1284/100K	1,324
20	A	West Point	80	139.9/100K	727.5/100K	3,574
21	A	Warrenton	79	97.4/100K	1285.9/100K	10,265
22	A	Chincoteague	78	123.1/100K	1108/100K	3,249
23	A	Falls Church	77	101.3/100K	1520.2/100K	14,801
24	A	Dumfries	77	133.7/100K	1102.8/100K	5,985
25	A	Virginia Beach	76	92.3/100K	1639.9/100K	455,155
26	A	Hillsville	76	140.5/100K	1124/100K	2,847
27	A	Tazewell	76	163.5/100K	887.4/100K	4,282
28	A	Louisa	75	90.7/100K	1768.7/100K	2,205
29	A	Big Stone Gap	75	118.3/100K	1557.9/100K	5,071
30	B	Strasburg	74	191.5/100K	765.9/100K	7,312
31	B	Windsor	74	203.4/100K	678/100K	2,950
32	B	Wise	73	69.9/100K	2306.9/100K	2,861
33	B	Culpeper	73	122.1/100K	1675.9/100K	21,302
34	B	Abingdon	73	132.4/100K	1564.4/100K	8,310
35	B	Staunton	73	141.5/100K	1506.6/100K	26,151
36	B	Smithfield	73	175.1/100K	1105.4/100K	9,137
37	B	Amherst	73	189.2/100K	898.8/100K	2,114
38	B	Pearisburg	72	106.9/100K	2031.4/100K	2,806
39	B	Dublin	72	188.3/100K	1054.2/100K	2,656
40	B	Covington	71	181.1/100K	1285.8/100K	5,522
41	B	Exmore	71	211.6/100K	916.8/100K	1,418
42	B	Radford	71	212.7/100K	902.4/100K	17,399
43	B	Wytheville	70	61.4/100K	2727.9/100K	8,138
44	B	Coeburn	70	64.6/100K	2711.4/100K	1,549
45	B	Woodstock	70	133.7/100K	1855.3/100K	5,983
46	B	Vinton	70	149.2/100K	1765.3/100K	8,044
47	B	Williamsburg	70	198.8/100K	1205.1/100K	16,098
48	B	Grottoes	69	264.1/100K	528.2/100K	3,029
49	B	Chilhowie	68	124.4/100K	2238.8/100K	1,608
50	B	Kenbridge	68	268.6/100K	626.7/100K	1,117
51	B	Bluefield	67	61.9/100K	3116.6/100K	4,845
52	B	Onancock	67	173.3/100K	1819.8/100K	1,154
53	B	Bedford	67	190.6/100K	1569.1/100K	6,819
54	B	Clifton Forge	66	209.6/100K	1557.4/100K	3,339
55	B	Colonial Beach	66	247.9/100K	1115.5/100K	4,034
56	B	Independence	65	99.5/100K	2885.6/100K	1,005
57	B	Gate City	65	198.5/100K	1737/100K	2,015
58	B	Poquoson	63	312.8/100K	664.7/100K	12,788
59	B	Waynesboro	62	245/100K	1516.5/100K	23,673
60	B	Blackstone	61	210.3/100K	2072.7/100K	3,329
61	B	Leesburg	61	255.9/100K	1573.8/100K	49,626
62	B	Lebanon	60	129.2/100K	3099.8/100K	3,097
63	B	Herndon	60	239.4/100K	1795.8/100K	25,058
64	B	Chase City	60	243.5/100K	1850.9/100K	2,053
65	C	Harrisonburg	59	267.2/100K	1693/100K	51,270
66	C	Victoria	59	343.1/100K	800.5/100K	1,749
67	C	Fairfax City	58	128.5/100K	3303.2/100K	25,672
68	C	Rocky Mount	56	140.3/100K	3466.9/100K	4,990
69	C	Winchester	56	238.3/100K	2328.5/100K	27,700
70	C	Pembroke	56	266.9/100K	2046.3/100K	1,124
71	C	Manassas	56	274.2/100K	1905.7/100K	43,028
72	C	Alexandria	55	219.1/100K	2640/100K	155,153
73	C	Christiansburg	55	224.2/100K	2596.8/100K	22,297
74	C	Front Royal	53	335/100K	1533.1/100K	15,524
75	C	Martinsville	52	386.6/100K	1131.2/100K	13,968
76	C	Marion	51	286.9/100K	2331.4/100K	5,576
77	C	Chesapeake	51	339.4/100K	1744.2/100K	257,248
78	C	Hampton	50	247.6/100K	2882/100K	138,100
79	C	Richlands	50	397.1/100K	1250.7/100K	5,037
80	C	Lynchburg	49	357.2/100K	1737.6/100K	80,339
81	C	Suffolk	49	371/100K	1570.9/100K	103,506
82	C	Damascus	48	254.5/100K	3053.4/100K	786
83	C	Orange	48	400.1/100K	1409.8/100K	5,249
84	C	Norton	47	231.3/100K	10266/100K	3,458
85	C	Altavista	47	271.4/100K	2955.4/100K	3,316
86	C	Gordonsville	47	460.5/100K	855.3/100K	1,520
87	C	Kilmarnock	46	346.3/100K	2216.1/100K	1,444
88	C	Hopewell	44	380.9/100K	2040/100K	22,843
89	D	Galax	39	310.2/100K	4534.7/100K	6,770
90	D	Tappahannock	39	320.2/100K	3339.4/100K	2,186
91	D	Richmond	39	336.9/100K	3179.4/100K	231,805
92	D	Danville	39	365/100K	2834.3/100K	41,915
93	D	Charlottesville	36	359/100K	3191.1/100K	44,844
94	D	Glade Spring	34	511.7/100K	1681.3/100K	1,368
95	D	Crewe	33	493.1/100K	2061.9/100K	2,231
96	D	Franklin	32	460.5/100K	2538.7/100K	8,469
97	D	South Boston	32	464.1/100K	2513.9/100K	7,757
98	D	South Hill	30	404.1/100K	3495.7/100K	4,949
99	D	Bristol	30	435.2/100K	3028.3/100K	16,775
100	D	Rich Creek	29	412.1/100K	3434.1/100K	728
101	D	Colonial Heights	26	462.2/100K	3181.9/100K	18,605
102	F	Norfolk	23	469.5/100K	3772.5/100K	230,460
103	F	Pulaski	23	567/100K	2324.8/100K	8,818
104	F	Ashland	22	594.7/100K	2100.5/100K	7,903
105	F	Farmville	15	548.3/100K	3544.2/100K	7,477
106	F	Fredericksburg	13	603.9/100K	3070.5/100K	29,474
107	F	Newport News	9	736/100K	2416.1/100K	183,563
108	F	Roanoke	8	620.4/100K	4055.6/100K	97,027
109	F	Petersburg	5	1043.6/100K	2889.3/100K	33,538
110	F	Emporia	5	1068.9/100K	2893.5/100K	5,426
111	F	Portsmouth	0	752.4/100K	3860.8/100K	97,156

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Virginia's overall crime safety grade?

Virginia has an overall safety grade of B (score: 64/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 222.8 per 100K and property crime rate of 1590.1 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in Virginia have an A+ safety grade?

6 cities in Virginia earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 23 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in Virginia?

Buena Vista is the highest-rated city in Virginia with an A+ grade (score: 93/100). Its violent crime rate is 45.5 per 100K.

Nationwide states with similar crime grades

FBI UCR peer sets for Virginia grade pages, ranked across all states so these neighborhoods are not the alphabetically adjacent list below.

Similar safety score

Nearest states by statewide safety score (64/100 here, grade B).

Similar graded-city count

Nearest states by cities with A–F grades (111 here); safety-score peers above are excluded.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare Virginia's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

Virginia Crime Overview → Safest Cities in Virginia → All State Grades →

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.