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 6 cities in the Mountain State with over 9,000 residents.
What city has the highest murder rate in West Virginia? The city with the highest murder rate in West Virginia is Huntington with 13 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 6 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in West Virginia ranked. There were ‘only’ 6 cities in West Virginia where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 17 places had no murder.
13 per 100k · #1 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Wayne County, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell County and Wayne County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and largest city in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A historic and bustling city of commerce and heavy industry, Huntington has long-flourished due to its ideal location on the Ohio River at the mouth of the Guyandotte River. It is home to the Port of Huntington Tri-State, the busiest inland port in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13 per 100k · #2 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Monongalia County, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, situated along the banks of the Monongahela River. With a permanent population of 31,073 per the 2015 U.S. Census estimates, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia. The Morgantown metropolitan area has a population of 138,176, and is the 3rd largest in West Virginia. West Virginia University adds several thousand seasonal residents to the city and surrounding area from September through May. Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University and the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13 per 100k · #3 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Charleston is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of West Virginia, and the county seat of Kanawha County. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers. As of the 2013 Census Estimate, it had a population of 50,821, while its metropolitan area had 224,743. It is a center of government, commerce, and industry.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11 per 100k · #4 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Hancock County, West Virginia
Weirton is a city in Brooke and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located primarily in Hancock County, the city lies in the northern portions of the state’s Northern Panhandle region. As of the 2010 census, the city’s population was 19,746. It is a principal city within the Weirton-Steubenville Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 124,454 residents, and by extension part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11 per 100k · #5 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Mercer County, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,342.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10 per 100k · #6 highest murder rate in West Virginia
Located in
Wood County, West Virginia
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where West Virginia’s murders happen
Saturday Night Science
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 6 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 Huntington. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in West Virginia. We updated the list for 2026.
The full plate
Murder Rates By City In West Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington | 44,860 | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Morgantown | 30,510 | 4 | 13 |
| 3 | Charleston | 46,252 | 6 | 13 |
| 4 | Weirton | 18,151 | 2 | 11 |
| 5 | Bluefield | 9,163 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Vienna | 10,397 | 1 | 10 |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report. 6 West Virginia cities that reported a murder.
Summary
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In West Virginia For 2026
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 Huntington, Morgantown, Charleston, Weirton, Bluefield, Vienna.
