Do you live in one of the murder capitals of 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 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 31 cities in the Old Dominion with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Virginia
What city has the highest murder rate in Virginia? The city with the highest murder rate in Virginia is Petersburg with 62.6 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Virginia with highest number of murders? The city in Virginia with the highest number of murders is Norfolk with 63 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Virginia ranked. There were ‘only’ 31 cities in Virginia where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 32 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Old Dominion check out:
- Best Places To Live In Virginia
- Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
- Most Dangerous Cities In Virginia
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Virginia For 2024
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Population: 33,546
Murders: 21 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 62.6 (Most)
More on Petersburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,637
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 53.2 (2nd Most)
More on Emporia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,659
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 53.0 (3rd Most)
More on Dumfries: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 98,003
Murders: 47 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 48.0 (4th Most)
More on Portsmouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 23,395
Murders: 9 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 38.5 (5th Most)
More on Hopewell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 7,884
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 38.1 (6th Most)
More on South Boston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 8,292
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.2 (7th Most)
More on Franklin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 233,419
Murders: 63 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 27.0 (8th Most)
More on Norfolk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 227,323
Murders: 59 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.0 (9th Most)
More on Richmond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,158
Murders: 1 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.4 (10th Most)
More on Richlands: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of 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 Virginia for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 31 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 Petersburg. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Virginia. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Virginia For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in 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 Virginia are Petersburg, Emporia, Dumfries, Portsmouth, Hopewell, South Boston, Franklin, Norfolk, Richmond, and Richlands.
For more Virginia reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Virginia
- Fastest Growing Cities In Virginia
- Safest Places In Virginia
- Best Cities For Singles In Virginia
- Worst Cities In Virginia For 2017
Murder Rates By City In Virginia
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petersburg, VA | 33546 | 21 | 62.6 |
| 2 | Emporia, VA | 5637 | 3 | 53.22 |
| 3 | Dumfries, VA | 5659 | 3 | 53.01 |
| 4 | Portsmouth, VA | 98003 | 47 | 47.96 |
| 5 | Hopewell, VA | 23395 | 9 | 38.47 |
| 6 | South Boston, VA | 7884 | 3 | 38.05 |
| 7 | Franklin, VA | 8292 | 3 | 36.18 |
| 8 | Norfolk, VA | 233419 | 63 | 26.99 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | 227323 | 59 | 25.95 |
| 10 | Richlands, VA | 5158 | 1 | 19.39 |
| 11 | Danville, VA | 42111 | 8 | 19.0 |
| 12 | Roanoke, VA | 98204 | 18 | 18.33 |
| 13 | Newport News, VA | 183903 | 31 | 16.86 |
| 14 | Hampton, VA | 138843 | 21 | 15.12 |
| 15 | Farmville, VA | 7216 | 1 | 13.86 |
| 16 | Suffolk, VA | 98065 | 12 | 12.24 |
| 17 | Bristol, VA | 16909 | 2 | 11.83 |
| 18 | Lynchburg, VA | 79421 | 8 | 10.07 |
| 19 | Chesapeake, VA | 253745 | 25 | 9.85 |
| 20 | Colonial Heights, VA | 18419 | 1 | 5.43 |
| 21 | Culpeper, VA | 20836 | 1 | 4.8 |
| 22 | Virginia Beach, VA | 457556 | 21 | 4.59 |
| 23 | Charlottesville, VA | 45089 | 2 | 4.44 |
| 24 | Herndon, VA | 24070 | 1 | 4.15 |
| 25 | Fairfax City, VA | 24509 | 1 | 4.08 |
| 26 | Leesburg, VA | 49395 | 2 | 4.05 |
| 27 | Alexandria, VA | 150957 | 6 | 3.97 |
| 28 | Staunton, VA | 25611 | 1 | 3.9 |
| 29 | Winchester, VA | 28363 | 1 | 3.53 |
| 30 | Blacksburg, VA | 45749 | 1 | 2.19 |
| 31 | Harrisonburg, VA | 51363 | 1 | 1.95 |
richmond always has about double or more the murders of norfolk. they had way more than 36. this is very inaccurate. please fact check and redo
It’s FBI data. I’d say that’s pretty accurate where are you suggesting has more accurate crime statistics?
I agree. Richmond is clearly not reported. Idk if it is purposefully or not but I have zero confidence in this report as one of the major cities is not reported. And I live in the Richmond Metro Area.
Richmond had over 60 in 2018. And 2019 is not over and over 53. Think the writer is clearly dumbfounded. This is not FBI data rebecca not at all. According to chris and blind rebecca richmond had zero murders in a entire year. Guess someone is trying to sell houses in richmond’s blackwell neighborhood or east end oak grove afton ave Fairfield highland park etc. Well than again if its on the internet it must be true.
This is clearly the dumbest thing ever seen. Every city they have up is safer than Richmond that didn’t even make the list. Come on. Stop the lies