State hub · WV

Safest cities in West Virginia? Lowest and highest property-crime candidates

Use this hub to compare validated West Virginia city candidates by reported selected property-offense rate. It is a cautious city-page index, not a statewide safety ranking or personal-risk score.

Candidate-city rate 27.25 per 1,000 residents across listed cities; not a statewide risk score

Validated cities23Current candidate pages

Candidate population355,655Sum of listed city estimates

Selected offenses9,691FBI NIBRS offense records

Highest-rate city candidates

Use the city pages for source notes, trend handling, and offense mix. Small or ambiguous places remain outside automatic publication.

16,511 residents Beckley 80.61 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 13,165 residents South Charleston 55.91 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 45,068 residents Huntington 39.67 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 6,328 residents Nitro 38.08 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 28,795 residents Parkersburg 33.62 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 10,380 residents Vienna 33.24 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents

Lowest-rate city candidates

Searchers often ask for the safest cities in a state. This section answers that intent carefully by showing the lowest reported selected property-offense rates among validated city candidates only.

5,068 residents New Martinsville 0.79 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 5,592 residents Princeton 2.68 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 18,293 residents Weirton 3.28 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 6,696 residents Elkins 4.48 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 9,191 residents Bluefield 10.66 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 7,700 residents Moundsville 11.82 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents

Home-security guides

City data pages point into practical guides for renters, no-subscription setups, package areas, cameras, and entry alerts.

Buying guide Door and window alarms for renters Compare simple entry alarms for apartments, rented homes, garages, and windows before moving into heavier systems. Buying guide No-subscription home security starter kit Build a basic home-security setup with local alarms, lighting, locks, and cameras without starting with a monthly plan. Buying guide Package theft camera checklist Check porch visibility, driveway angles, storage, Wi-Fi, and evidence needs before buying a camera for package areas. Buying guide Security camera checklist Evaluate exterior visibility, entry coverage, storage needs, and placement before choosing a camera system. Buying guide Smart lock and entry sensor checklist Start with reliable locks, entry sensors, lighting, and backup access before adding convenience features. Buying guide Basic home-security checklist A balanced setup can cover entries, packages, motion, lighting, and alerts without overbuying.

West Virginia city candidates

City	Population	Selected offenses	Rate per 1,000	Trend
Beckley	16,511	1,331	80.61	Increasing
South Charleston	13,165	736	55.91	Increasing
Huntington	45,068	1,788	39.67	Increasing
Nitro	6,328	241	38.08	Increasing
Parkersburg	28,795	968	33.62	Decreasing
Vienna	10,380	345	33.24	Decreasing
Charleston	46,431	1,474	31.75	Decreasing
Clarksburg	15,659	358	22.86	Decreasing
St. Albans	10,292	222	21.57	Decreasing
Wheeling	26,002	536	20.61	Mixed
Morgantown	30,330	610	20.11	Decreasing
Dunbar	7,103	136	19.15	Decreasing
Bridgeport	9,378	145	15.46	Increasing
Fairmont	18,099	253	13.98	Decreasing
Buckhannon	5,062	67	13.24	Roughly stable
Hurricane	6,794	89	13.10	Trend pending
Oak Hill	7,718	94	12.18	Increasing
Moundsville	7,700	91	11.82	Decreasing
Bluefield	9,191	98	10.66	Increasing
Elkins	6,696	30	4.48	Trend pending
Weirton	18,293	60	3.28	Increasing
Princeton	5,592	15	2.68	Mixed
New Martinsville	5,068	4	0.79	Increasing

Important context

These figures are based on reported selected property offenses and Census population context for validated city candidates. Agency reporting boundaries can differ from municipal boundaries, so the methodology page explains why ambiguous or tiny-denominator rows stay out of automatic publication.

Read methodology