The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Virginia For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Virginia For 2022

If you thought having a a whole bunch of battleships around would make Portsmouth any safer, think again. Portsmouth ranked #1 in both violent and property crime in Virginia for 2022, with an overall crime rate three times higher than the statewide average.

Residents faced a 1 in 108 chance of being the victim of an attack, murder, or rape reported in 2020, so it's not a bad idea to keep your guard up on the streets of Portsmouth.

You also want to keep your doors locked in Portsmouth because the city had the third highest burglary rate in Virginia, with 465 cases recorded over the year.

Portsmouth is located on the west bank of the Elizabeth River, across from Norfolk.

Roanoke is the commercial hub of Southwest Virginia and also one of the state's most dangerous cities.

Property crime is disturbingly high in Roanoke. To give you an idea, a resident living in Roanoke had a 1 in 26 shot of having their stuff stolen or damaged in 2020. And with the eighth highest burglary rate in Virginia, we hope there's enough security at Roanoke's museums to stave off any would-be heists.

On top of property crime, Roanoke experienced about one murder a month on average, so keeping your guard up here is just good protocol.

The county seat of Smyth County in western Virginia, Marion is a small town of 5,515. Marion spends far less than the national average on its schools and we wonder if there's a correlation between that and above-average crime rates.

Or if both statistics just reflect a town without enough resources to adequately serve the community. Population data sure supports that theory, considering Marion's population has dropped at one of the most rapid rates of anywhere in Virginia.

Whatever the full story is, you'd be well-advised to keep your doors locked in Marion, the place with the 14th highest burglary rate in Virginia for 2020. There also 131 larceny cases reported, so make sure a black bear doesn't swipe your wallet at Hungry Mother State Park.

Virginia's 3rd most populous city, Norfolk, also ranks as the state's fourth most dangerous city.

Violent crime is especially bad in Norfolk, where residents had a 1 in 157 chance of being the victim of an assault, rape, or murder in 2020. That's the kind of thing that makes it hard to stop and smell the flowers at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

That being said, Norfolk is a city of 242,516, so if you steer clear of the worst neighborhoods in Norfolk, you should be as safe as houses.

Located just south of the Appomattox River from Colonial Heights, Petersburg has a bigger problem with violent crime than its northern neighbor.

Petersburg experienced 24 murders in 2020, which gave it the highest murder rate in Virginia. Overall, residents faced a 1 in 158 shot of being the victim of an attack over the year.

Makes you wonder if the Petersburg National Battlefield Park is a memorial site or a testament to day-to-day life in Petersburg.

Vinton is in the southwest section of Virginia, just outside of Roanoke, itself the main population center of this largely rural part of the state. As such, Vinton acts as a suburb, providing residents access to a large number of useful amenities.

However, its placement within an urban center also leaves the community vulnerable to the more dangerous elements of society. This includes a high rate of crime. Violence is particularly prevalent in the area, with Vinton ranking number 8 on the list of most violent communities in the state.

Named for a Revolutionary War general, Pulaski sits in the southwest part of Virginia, about 45 minutes south of the Kentucky border. The town, originally incorporated in the 1880s, now sits close to I-81, a key transportation artery to the world beyond this generally rural part of the state.

If you're rumbling down the interstate, you might be better off to keep driving. After all, this counts as the number 7 most dangerous community in Virginia. Property crime represents a major problem. This includes high rates of larceny and burglary. In terms of violence, the town also suffers a horrendous pace of sexual assaults.

A part of the Tri-City area a half-hour south of Richmond, Colonial Heights comes in as Virginia's eighth most dangerous city for 2022.

Property crime is all too common in Colonial Heights. Residents had a 1 in 27 chance of being having their stuff stolen or damaged in 2020.

It's not just stolen bikes and a few broken windows either -- Colonial Heights also had the 17th highest rate of rape cases in Virginia for 2020.

Ultimately, the word "Emporia" harkens back to ancient Carthage. However, that's not quite the source of this town's name. Instead, the moniker comes from a town Kansas -- not quite as fancy a namesake..

Wherever the name comes from, this town in south-central Virginia, sits along I-95, about 15 minutes north of the North Carolina border. Fleeing the jurisdiction quickly might be part of the appeal for certain residents of Emporia. After all, this town endures high rate of larceny, robbery and arson.

You might think that crime is a bigger problem in Boston, Massachusetts, but South Boston, Virginia has much more criminal activity per capita.

A town of 7,528 located in south-central Virginia, SoBo had the seventh highest overall crime rate in Virginia, about 2.5 times higher than the statewide average. Talk about a lot of work for the South Boston Police Department.

Most of that's down to property crime, which residents had a 1 in 31 chance of being the victim of in 2020. South Boston did have the fourth highest burglary rate in the state, after all.

It's not just petty theft going on in South Boston, either -- the town also had the 15th highest murder rate in Virginia.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Virginia FAQs

Is Virginia a dangerous state?

No, Virginia is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #7 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in virginia ranks 45th highest in the United States -- 46.19% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Old Dominion ranks 40th highest in the United States -- 25.62% better than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Virginia Beach, VA a dangerous city?

No, Virginia Beach is not a dangerous city. Virginia Beach ranks as the #37 safest out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Virginia Beach might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, US Navy Little Creek Amphibious Base is the safest in Virginia Beach, while North Central is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Virginia Beach ranks 310th highest in America -- 82.02% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 265th highest in the United States -- 43.08% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.