Historical data
Pick an indicator to see its long-run evolution.
Violent crime rate
1985–2023FBI Uniform Crime Reports.
Crime Rate
West Virginia's overall crime rate remains below the national average, with a violent crime rate of about 274 per 100,000 residents in 2023.
Violent + property crime rate
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent and property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Rate (per 100k) | 274 | 364 |
| Property Crime Rate (per 100k) | 1349 | 1978 |
- •West Virginia's violent crime rate is consistently among the lowest in the Appalachian region.
Violent Crime
West Virginia reports about 300 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, below the U.S. rate of roughly 364.
Violent crime rate, West Virginia
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, violent offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rate (per 100k) | 300 | 364 |
Property Crime
West Virginia's property crime rate of about 1,349 per 100,000 residents is well below the national average.
Property crime rate, West Virginia
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Property crime rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, property offenses per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Property Crime Rate (per 100k) | 1349 | 1978 |
- •Rural counties in West Virginia report some of the lowest property crime rates in the eastern United States.
Homicides
Homicide rate of about 5.1 per 100,000, close to the national average.
Homicide rate, West Virginia
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
Homicide rate, U.S.
1985–2025FBI Crime Data Explorer, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter per 100,000 residents, sum of monthly rates from reporting agencies.
| Indicator | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 5.1 | 5.7 |
- •West Virginia has one of the nation’s highest drug-overdose death rates.
Police Officers
West Virginia employs roughly 3,900 sworn law enforcement officers, about 22 per 10,000 residents.
- •The West Virginia State Police is one of the oldest state police agencies in the country, founded in 1919.
Public Safety Indicators
West Virginia posts generally favorable public safety indicators, including a violent crime rate under the U.S. average.
- •West Virginia's dispersed, mountainous geography can lengthen emergency response times in rural counties.