Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Virginia

Virginia has 68 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Petersburg city at 46.0 per 100K , while the safest is Loudoun County at 1.1 per 100K .

20 of 68 counties (29%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Virginia

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Petersburg city 46.0 per 100K +475.3%
2 Danville city 27.8 per 100K +247.1%
3 Emporia city 26.7 per 100K +233.8%
4 Portsmouth city 23.5 per 100K +193.4%
5 Richmond city 22.9 per 100K +186.4%
6 Hopewell city 18.9 per 100K +135.9%
7 Franklin city 17.6 per 100K +120.3%
8 Norfolk city 16.4 per 100K +104.5%
9 Newport News city 15.8 per 100K +97.4%
10 Hampton city 14.5 per 100K +81.5%

Safest Counties in Virginia

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
68 Loudoun County 1.1 per 100K -86.6%
67 Arlington County 1.1 per 100K -85.6%
66 Montgomery County 1.9 per 100K -76.5%
65 Frederick County 1.9 per 100K -76.1%
64 Fairfax County 1.9 per 100K -76.0%
63 Augusta County 2.3 per 100K -71.9%
62 Albemarle County 2.3 per 100K -70.9%
61 Hanover County 2.4 per 100K -70.4%
60 Rockingham County 3.0 per 100K -63.1%
59 James City County 3.0 per 100K -63.1%

All 68 Counties Ranked

Every county in Virginia ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Petersburg city 46.0 per 100K +475.3%
2 Danville city 27.8 per 100K +247.1%
3 Emporia city 26.7 per 100K +233.8%
4 Portsmouth city 23.5 per 100K +193.4%
5 Richmond city 22.9 per 100K +186.4%
6 Hopewell city 18.9 per 100K +135.9%
7 Franklin city 17.6 per 100K +120.3%
8 Norfolk city 16.4 per 100K +104.5%
9 Newport News city 15.8 per 100K +97.4%
10 Hampton city 14.5 per 100K +81.5%
11 Accomack County 14.4 per 100K +80.3%
12 Martinsville city 14.2 per 100K +77.4%
13 Roanoke city 14.1 per 100K +76.4%
14 Sussex County 12.9 per 100K +61.0%
15 Amelia County 10.9 per 100K +36.1%
16 Halifax County 10.5 per 100K +31.0%
17 Dinwiddie County 10.1 per 100K +26.1%
18 Buchanan County 9.3 per 100K +16.3%
19 Henry County 8.7 per 100K +9.3%
20 Colonial Heights city 8.0 per 100K +0.4%
21 Mecklenburg County 7.9 per 100K -0.9%
22 Chesapeake city 7.6 per 100K -4.6%
23 Henrico County 7.6 per 100K -5.5%
24 Suffolk city 7.5 per 100K -6.0%
25 Franklin County 6.7 per 100K -16.9%
26 Smyth County 6.6 per 100K -17.1%
27 Chesterfield County 6.4 per 100K -20.3%
28 Lynchburg city 6.4 per 100K -20.4%
29 Prince Edward County 6.3 per 100K -21.1%
30 Lee County 6.2 per 100K -22.9%
31 Pittsylvania County 5.9 per 100K -26.2%
32 Staunton city 5.8 per 100K -27.7%
33 Campbell County 5.7 per 100K -28.7%
34 Caroline County 5.6 per 100K -30.0%
35 Salem city 5.6 per 100K -30.0%
36 Fredericksburg city 5.5 per 100K -31.8%
37 Louisa County 5.3 per 100K -33.4%
38 Virginia Beach city 5.2 per 100K -35.6%
39 Winchester city 5.1 per 100K -36.0%
40 Prince George County 4.3 per 100K -45.8%
41 Roanoke County 4.2 per 100K -47.3%
42 Tazewell County 4.2 per 100K -47.4%
43 Pulaski County 4.2 per 100K -47.5%
44 Charlottesville city 4.0 per 100K -50.5%
45 Wise County 3.8 per 100K -52.3%
46 Fauquier County 3.8 per 100K -52.5%
47 Isle of Wight County 3.8 per 100K -52.8%
48 Gloucester County 3.8 per 100K -52.9%
49 Alexandria city 3.6 per 100K -54.8%
50 Spotsylvania County 3.4 per 100K -57.3%
51 Prince William County 3.3 per 100K -58.8%
52 Culpeper County 3.3 per 100K -59.1%
53 Shenandoah County 3.3 per 100K -59.3%
54 Bedford County 3.3 per 100K -59.4%
55 Washington County 3.2 per 100K -60.4%
56 Stafford County 3.2 per 100K -60.5%
57 York County 3.1 per 100K -61.3%
58 Harrisonburg city 3.0 per 100K -62.9%
59 James City County 3.0 per 100K -63.1%
60 Rockingham County 3.0 per 100K -63.1%
61 Hanover County 2.4 per 100K -70.4%
62 Albemarle County 2.3 per 100K -70.9%
63 Augusta County 2.3 per 100K -71.9%
64 Fairfax County 1.9 per 100K -76.0%
65 Frederick County 1.9 per 100K -76.1%
66 Montgomery County 1.9 per 100K -76.5%
67 Arlington County 1.1 per 100K -85.6%
68 Loudoun County 1.1 per 100K -86.6%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Virginia only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Virginia?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Virginia is Petersburg city, at 46.0 per 100,000 residents. This is 475% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Virginia?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Virginia is Loudoun County, at 1.1 per 100,000 residents.
How does Virginia's crime rate compare to the national average?
20 of 68 counties in Virginia (29%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Virginia has the most firearm fatalities?
Petersburg city has the highest firearm fatality rate in Virginia at 60.6 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Virginia has the most drug overdose deaths?
Petersburg city has the highest drug overdose death rate in Virginia at 112.1 per 100,000 residents.