Do you live in one of the murder capitals of West Virginia?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in West Virginia with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 10 cities in the Mountain State with over 7,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In West Virginia
What city has the highest murder rate in West Virginia? The city with the highest murder rate in West Virginia is South Charleston with 38.6 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in West Virginia with highest number of murders? The city in West Virginia with the highest number of murders is Charleston with 6 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in West Virginia ranked. There were ‘only’ 10 cities in West Virginia where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 10 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Mountain State check out:
- Best Places To Live In West Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In West Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In West Virginia
The 10 Murder Capitals Of West Virginia For 2025
/10
Population: 12,946
Murders: 5 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 38.6 (Most)
More on South Charleston: Data
/10
Population: 16,520
Murders: 4 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.2 (2nd Most)
More on Beckley: Data
/10
Population: 9,310
Murders: 2 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.5 (3rd Most)
More on Bluefield: Data
/10
Population: 10,441
Murders: 2 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.2 (4th Most)
More on Vienna: Data
/10
Population: 18,153
Murders: 3 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.5 (5th Most)
More on Fairmont: Data
/10
Population: 7,083
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.1 (6th Most)
More on Dunbar: Data
/10
Population: 46,390
Murders: 6 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.9 (7th Most)
More on Charleston: Data
/10
Population: 30,331
Murders: 2 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.6 (8th Most)
More on Morgantown: Data
/10
Population: 15,465
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.5 (9th Most)
More on Clarksburg: Data
/10
Population: 45,251
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 2.2 (10th Most)
More on Huntington: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of West Virginia
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in West Virginia for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 10 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is South Charleston. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in West Virginia. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In West Virginia For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in West Virginia with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in West Virginia are South Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield, Vienna, Fairmont, Dunbar, Charleston, Morgantown, Clarksburg, and Huntington.
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In West Virginia
- Fastest Growing Cities In West Virginia
- Safest Places In West Virginia
- Best Cities For Singles In West Virginia
- Worst Places To Live In West Virginia
Murder Rates By City In West Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Charleston, WV | 12946 | 5 | 38.62 |
| 2 | Beckley, WV | 16520 | 4 | 24.21 |
| 3 | Bluefield, WV | 9310 | 2 | 21.48 |
| 4 | Vienna, WV | 10441 | 2 | 19.16 |
| 5 | Fairmont, WV | 18153 | 3 | 16.53 |
| 6 | Dunbar, WV | 7083 | 1 | 14.12 |
| 7 | Charleston, WV | 46390 | 6 | 12.93 |
| 8 | Morgantown, WV | 30331 | 2 | 6.59 |
| 9 | Clarksburg, WV | 15465 | 1 | 6.47 |
| 10 | Huntington, WV | 45251 | 1 | 2.21 |