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.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in West Virginia.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Mountain State for 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in West Virginia? The city with the highest murder rate in West Virginia is Huntington with 22.5 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 Huntington with 10 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in West Virginia ranked. There were ‘only’ 11 cities in West Virginia where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 12 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
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of West Virginia For 2023
/10
Population: 44,522
Rank Last Year: 2
Murders: 10 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (Most)
More on Huntington: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 45,378
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 9 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.8 (3rd Most)
More on Charleston: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,416
Rank Last Year: 13
Murders: 2 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.2 (2nd Most)
More on Bluefield: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 15,632
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 2 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.8 (4th Most)
More on Beckley: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 26,081
Rank Last Year: 8
Murders: 2 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 7.7 (7th Most)
More on Wheeling: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 31,079
Rank Last Year: 9
Murders: 2 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.4 (8th Most)
More on Morgantown: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 8,036
Rank Last Year: 15
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.4 (5th Most)
More on Moundsville: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 8,853
Rank Last Year: 14
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.3 (6th Most)
More on Bridgeport: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 17,911
Rank Last Year: 5
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.6 (9th Most)
More on Weirton: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 18,335
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 1 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.5 (10th Most)
More on Fairmont: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
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 didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at 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 that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked 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 11 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in West Virginia and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In West Virginia For 2023
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.
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
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In West Virginia For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington, WV | 10 |
| 2 | Charleston, WV | 9 |
| 3 | Bluefield, WV | 2 |
| 4 | Beckley, WV | 2 |
| 5 | Wheeling, WV | 2 |
| 6 | Morgantown, WV | 2 |
| 7 | Moundsville, WV | 1 |
| 8 | Bridgeport, WV | 1 |
| 9 | Weirton, WV | 1 |
| 10 | Fairmont, WV | 1 |
| 11 | Parkersburg, WV | 1 |
