West Virginia's 20 Safest Cities of 2019

SafeWise is happy to release our fifth annual Safest Cities report. Here are the 20 Safest Cities in West Virginia for 2019. See if your city made the list.

Crime rates in West Virginia are higher than national averages, but the state’s safest cities performed remarkably well in 2017. Despite a statewide violent crime rate of 5.78 incidents per 1,000, every city on our list reported fewer than two incidents per 1,000. Comparatively, the national violent crime rate is 4.49.

Property crime across West Virginia occurred at a rate of 32.11 incidents per 1,000 people—exceeding the national average of 27.11. But the safest cities did much better, with 80% keeping property crime under the national rate.

Learn more about the safest cities in West Virginia, and see if your city made the list.

Interesting Findings

50% of this year’s cities were also named the safest in the state last year.
Number two Ceredo debuts on the list this year with zero violent crimes.
85% reported five or fewer total violent crimes, and there were zero murders among the safest cities.
Property crime is rated as the top safety concern in the state, according to our State of Safety report.
15% of State of Safety respondents said they had a personal experience with property crime in the past year, but only 2% reported experiencing a violent crime.

The 20 Safest Cities in West Virginia

Population 5,121

Median Income $31,627

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.56

Population 1,365

Median Income $55,179

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 19.05

Population 2,831

Median Income $42,245

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.35

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 16.25

Population 2,634

Median Income $37,396

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.38

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 12.53

Population 5,610

Median Income $34,423

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.53

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 42.25

Population 6,062

Median Income $70,708

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.66

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 12.87

Population 4,315

Median Income $38,629

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.70

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 69.06

Population 4,035

Median Income $34,592

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.74

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 2.97

Population 3,243

Median Income $29,181

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.93

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.40

Population 3,935

Median Income $39,448

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.02

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 37.36

Population 2,839

Median Income $41,154

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.06

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 23.95

Population 18,870

Median Income $45,058

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.11

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 9.96

Population 4,219

Median Income $31,122

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.19

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 19.67

Population 1,433

Median Income $52,625

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.40

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 10.47

Population 1,341

Median Income $22,308

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.49

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 14.17

Population 1,171

Median Income $27,407

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.71

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 21.35

Population 1,731

Median Income $43,918

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.73

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 8.09

Population 3,411

Median Income $34,417

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.76

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 34.59

Population 8,490

Median Income $40,110

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.77

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 24.85

Population 3.029

Median Income $34,131

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.98

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 27.40

How We Determined the Safest Cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

Beyond Safest Cities: What Are the Biggest Safety Concerns in Your State?

Crime statistics are one thing, but do they line up with what people are really worried about when it comes to safety? To find out, SafeWise conducted a nationwide survey. See what the biggest safety concern is in your state—and learn more about what your neighbors are nervous about—in our State of Safety report.

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

How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere

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, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2019.

Didn’t Find Your City in the Top 20?

See how the remaining cities ranked in the list below.

Rank	City	Population	City Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)	City Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)
21	Nitro	6,645	2.11	26.03
22	Vienna	10,409	2.11	33.82
23	Williamson	2,883	2.43	10.75
24	Morgantown	31,215	2.66	15.38
25	Bridgeport	8,401	2.86	31.90
26	Moundsville	8,691	2.99	29.23
27	Fairmont	18,604	3.01	19.89
28	Princeton	5,935	4.38	35.21
29	Dunbar	7,486	4.68	28.45
30	Martinsburg	17,761	4.73	45.27
31	South Charleston	12,756	5.72	54.09
32	Beckley	16,862	6.94	59.66
33	Parkersburg	30,475	7.25	46.96
34	Huntington	47,933	8.93	43.44
35	Charleston	48,788	11.72	72.07
36	Bluefield	10,148	11.92	20.89
37	Wheeling	27,196	12.21	21.47

Find the Safest Cities in Each State

Click on the state image below to check out our “Safest City” winners for each state.

Sources:

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, “2017 Crime in the United States”
SafeWise’s, “2019 State of Safety”
US Census Bureau, “2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates“

Written by Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca has honed her safety and security skills as both a single mom and a college director. Being responsible for the well-being of others helped her learn how to minimize risk and create safe environments. Learn more

West Virginia’s 20 Safest Cities of 2019