Safest Cities in Virginia 2026
Virginia has 7 cities in our database with a statewide violent crime rate of 523.7 per 100,000 residents. The safest city is Richmond with a Safety Context Score of 65/100. All rates are per capita — never raw counts.
| # | City | Population | Violent/100K | Property/100K | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 227K | 397.3 | 1,655 | B (65) |
| 2 | Virginia Beach | 459K | 620.7 | 2,405 | C (61) |
| 3 | Chesapeake | 249K | 328.5 | 1,424 | C (59) |
| 4 | Newport News | 186K | 613.5 | 1,306 | C (59) |
| 5 | Norfolk | 238K | 414.5 | 2,482 | C (57) |
| 6 | Alexandria | 159K | 665.3 | 1,828 | D (47) |
| 7 | Hampton | 137K | 665.3 | 2,176 | D (45) |
All rates per 100,000 residents. Source: FBI UCR 2023.
Crime statistics for Virginia cities are derived from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data. All figures represent per-capita rates per 100,000 residents, not raw counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on FBI crime data and our Safety Context Score, Richmond is the safest city in Virginia with a score of 65/100 (Grade B), a violent crime rate of 397.3 per 100,000, and a property crime rate of 1,655 per 100,000.
Cities are ranked using our Safety Context Score (0-100), which weighs violent crime rate vs. national average (40%), property crime rate vs. national average (30%), and 5-year trend direction (30%). All rates are per 100,000 residents — never raw counts.
Crime in Virginia has increased 0.0% over the past 5 years based on FBI data.
Safety Context Score: violent crime vs. national average (40%), property crime vs. national average (30%), 5-year trend (30%). All rates per 100,000 residents.