The 20 Safest Cities in Virginia—2017

Rebecca Edwards Jul 10, 2017

The Old Dominion State comes in with the third-lowest violent crime rate and the tenth-lowest property crime rate in the country. This puts Virginia in the top ten for both violent crime and property crime rates. Virginia has a number of public safety task forces and initiatives that speak to the state’s impressive commitment to protecting and serving its citizens.

Responding to the national opioid crisis, Virginia’s governor launched the Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse, which works with community representatives from across the state.¹ This task force has recommended new legislation and a number of community actions to help reduce addiction and curb drug-related deaths.

Representing the best that Virginia has to offer, our top twenty safest cities include four that are new to our rankings this year and sixteen that made the cut for the second year in a row. In fact, our top three cities, Bridgewater, Broadway, and Purcellville, all maintained their 2016 positions on the list.

Among the twenty cities we’ve recognized, only one murder was reported, according to the FBI’s most recent crime report. In addition, 85% reported twenty or fewer total violent crimes, and two cities had no violent crimes at all. Over 50% of these safe cities experienced fewer than 100 total property crimes, with twelve reporting zero counts of arson, and seventeen reporting fewer than twenty incidents of burglary.

Calling Virginia home already puts you in one of the safest states in the nation, and living in one of Virginia’s top twenty cities is something to be proud of. Help your state—and your local community—stay safe by learning about home security and crime prevention resources available in your area. Our Virginia Safety Directory can point you in the right direction to help keep your neighborhood a safe, peaceful place to live.

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Virginia

To identify the safest cities in Virginia, we reviewed the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2015, along with population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 3,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To further level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.

Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.

1. Bridgewater

Previous Rank: 1

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.33
Property Crime per 1,000: 2.65

2. Broadway

Previous Rank: 2

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.42

3. Purcellville

Previous Rank: 3

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.54
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.52

4. Buena Vista

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.76
Property Crime per 1,000: 6.39

5. Lexington ↓

Previous Rank: 4

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.82
Property Crime per 1,000: 8.43

6. Vienna ↑

Previous Rank: 8

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.54
Property Crime per 1,000: 9.01

7. Manassas Park ↑

Previous Rank: 9

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.78
Property Crime per 1,000: 9.13

8. Berryville ↑

Previous Rank: 11

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 10.87

9. Poquoson ↓

Previous Rank: 5

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.92
Property Crime per 1,000: 11.76

10. Tazewell ↑

Previous Rank: 19

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.13
Property Crime per 1,000: 12.62

11. Williamsburg ↓

Previous Rank: 10

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.67
Property Crime per 1,000: 13.07

12. Strasburg

Previous Rank: 12

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.36
Property Crime per 1,000: 13.94

13. West Point ↓

Previous Rank: 7

Violent Crime per 1,000: 2.10
Property Crime per 1,000: 13.49

14. Smithfield ↑

Previous Rank: 18

Violent Crime per 1,000: 2.28
Property Crime per 1,000: 13.44

15. Wise ↑

Previous Rank: 33

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.96
Property Crime per 1,000: 14.75

16. Leesburg ↓

Previous Rank: 14

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.64
Property Crime per 1,000: 14.09

17. Dumfries ↑

Previous Rank: 30

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.38
Property Crime per 1,000: 15.45

18. Radford ↑

Previous Rank: 36

Violent Crime per 1,000: 3.24
Property Crime per 1,000: 15.52

19. Fairfax City ↓

Previous Rank: 17

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.65
Property Crime per 1,000: 17.14

20. Falls Church ↓

Previous Rank: 16

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.44
Property Crime per 1,000: 17.52

Didn’t see your city rank in the top 20?

Check the remaining cities below, and take a look at the most recent FBI crime data here.

21. Manassas	22. Alexandria	23. Salem
24. Staunton	25. Orange	26. Clifton Forge
27. Abingdon	28. Culpeper	29. Virginia Beach
30. Colonial Beach	31. Covington	32. Richlands
33. Lynchburg	34. Luray	35. Christiansburg
36. Harrisonburg	37. Front Royal	38. Bristol
39. Woodstock	40. Chesapeake	41. Wytheville
42. Waynesboro	43. Vinton	44. Charlottesville
45. Suffolk	46. Warrenton	47. Pulaski
48. Hopewell	49. Lebanon	50. Martinsville
51. Farmville	52. Newport News	53. Blackstone
54. Hampton	55. Big Stone Gap	56. Altavista
57. Petersburg	58. Marion	59. Winchester
60. Roanoke	61. Norfolk	62. Rocky Mount
63. South Boston	64. Ashland	65. Fredericksburg
66. Richmond	67. Galax	68. South Hill
69. Bluefield	70. Danville	71. Colonial Heights
72. Emporia	73. Bedford	74. Portsmouth
75. Franklin	76. Norton

How safe is your home?

Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.

To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2018 or select the city nearest you in the drop down menu below.

If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email safestcities@safewise.com.

---

1. Virginia.gov, “Executive Order Number Twenty-Nine (2014)”