Richmond’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Richmond.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Virginia thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Richmond. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Richmond neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Richmond hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 115 of Richmond’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$32,138 median income
$27,597 median income
$30,212 median income
$17,672 median income
$26,711 median income
$32,500 median income
$17,624 median income
$42,558 median income
$57,068 median income
$34,950 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Virginia’s statewide median.
Virginia statewide median: $412,467
Virginia statewide median: $93,170
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Richmond neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Richmond:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Richmond.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 115 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Richmond for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oak Grove | 1,692 | $95,850 | $32,138 |
| 2 | Jeff Davis | 2,749 | $122,300 | $27,597 |
| 3 | Windsor | 525 | $76,500 | $30,212 |
| 4 | Creighton | 856 | $85,400 | $17,672 |
| 5 | Washington Park | 601 | $120,200 | $26,711 |
| 6 | Woodville | 700 | $107,733 | $32,500 |
| 7 | Fairfield | 1,249 | $85,400 | $17,624 |
| 8 | Oakwood | 470 | $92,150 | $42,558 |
| 9 | Maymont | 208 | $167,400 | $57,068 |
| 10 | Magnolia Industrial Center | 246 | $96,800 | $34,950 |
| 11 | Midlothian | 3,810 | $133,420 | $46,643 |
| 12 | Peter Paul | 743 | $107,733 | $32,500 |
| 13 | Pine Camp | 451 | $120,200 | $26,711 |
| 14 | Highland Terrace | 793 | $107,800 | $36,396 |
| 15 | Parnell Industrial Area | 1,324 | $140,300 | $53,706 |
| 16 | Green Park | 822 | $107,100 | $32,837 |
| 17 | Highland Park Southern Tip | 1,846 | $142,900 | $39,033 |
| 18 | Old Town Manchester | 1,438 | $81,500 | $46,999 |
| 19 | Belt Center | 1,034 | $133,900 | $64,814 |
| 20 | Carver | 2,277 | $210,000 | $38,732 |
| 21 | Whitcomb | 2,820 | $95,467 | $20,537 |
| 22 | Jahnke | 2,495 | $180,400 | $37,448 |
| 23 | Broad Rock Sports Complex | 488 | $148,300 | $31,217 |
| 24 | South Garden | 2,342 | $148,950 | $32,796 |
| 25 | McGuire | 836 | $111,100 | $72,002 |
| 26 | Fairmount | 1,144 | $138,800 | $30,570 |
| 27 | City Center | 626 | $248,100 | $44,023 |
| 28 | Hillside Court | 789 | $115,400 | $30,125 |
| 29 | Cherry Gardens | 208 | $121,300 | $66,582 |
| 30 | Biotech And MCV District | 413 | $185,600 | $57,188 |
| 31 | Mosby | 1,665 | $95,600 | $18,194 |
| 31 | Piney Knolls | 2,615 | $148,950 | $35,860 |
| 33 | Deerbourne | 802 | $134,900 | $61,894 |
| 34 | Hollywood Cemetery | 492 | $167,400 | $57,068 |
| 35 | Fulton | 5,842 | $149,367 | $33,831 |
| 36 | Bellemeade | 3,285 | $116,367 | $39,448 |
| 37 | Swansboro | 2,160 | $178,875 | $53,623 |
| 38 | Eastview | 3,400 | $79,450 | $19,804 |
| 39 | British Camp Farms | 1,122 | $141,300 | $53,892 |
| 40 | Warwick | 817 | $139,000 | $52,321 |
| 41 | McGuire Manor | 1,312 | $134,900 | $48,079 |
| 42 | Broad Rock Industrial Park | 1,460 | $122,300 | $51,217 |
| 43 | North Highland Park | 3,834 | $111,300 | $34,250 |
| 44 | Cullenwood | 376 | $121,300 | $87,594 |
| 45 | Upper Shockoe Valley | 2,348 | $92,500 | $32,168 |
| 46 | Hickory Hill | 1,534 | $142,300 | $49,574 |
| 47 | Blackwell | 2,084 | $129,367 | $47,319 |
| 47 | Jackson Ward | 2,352 | $242,367 | $37,191 |
| 49 | Chamberlayne Industrial Center | 1,417 | $186,350 | $59,069 |
| 50 | Northrop | 1,330 | $292,100 | $39,570 |
| 51 | Oakwood Cemetery | 1,432 | $92,150 | $42,558 |
| 52 | Forest View | 864 | $252,300 | $80,785 |
| 53 | Swanson | 1,398 | $139,000 | $52,321 |
| 53 | Walmsley | 1,963 | $159,300 | $39,548 |
| 55 | John Marshall | 998 | $369,500 | $32,896 |
| 56 | Swansboro West | 2,617 | $95,100 | $43,084 |
| 57 | Worthington | 1,102 | $148,700 | $65,096 |
| 57 | Westlake Hills | 1,355 | $203,833 | $49,905 |
| 59 | Woodhaven | 1,954 | $127,500 | $50,417 |
| 60 | Southern Barton Heights | 1,279 | $179,367 | $56,312 |
| 61 | Providence Park | 1,235 | $131,050 | $46,259 |
| 62 | Virginia Union | 1,768 | $212,000 | $65,447 |
| 63 | Byrd Park | 1,608 | $270,933 | $66,915 |
| 64 | Woodland Heights | 1,542 | $236,650 | $74,637 |
| 65 | Pocoshock | 643 | $139,000 | $52,321 |
| 66 | The Diamond | 1,271 | $213,400 | $62,876 |
| 67 | Maymont Park | 200 | $243,650 | $72,534 |
| 68 | Westover | 2,934 | $147,150 | $53,316 |
| 69 | Ginter Park Terrace | 412 | $240,600 | $63,797 |
| 70 | Church Hill North | 2,128 | $187,217 | $52,930 |
| 71 | Chippenham Forest | 905 | $324,600 | $55,224 |
| 72 | Bryan Park | 933 | $287,200 | $37,549 |
| 72 | Cedarhurst | 2,564 | $199,200 | $57,467 |
| 74 | Edgewood | 692 | $154,200 | $57,994 |
| 75 | Belle And Mayo Islands | 331 | $228,300 | $50,928 |
| 75 | Vcu | 2,990 | $375,000 | $11,250 |
| 77 | Gravel Hill | 378 | $248,500 | $77,500 |
| 78 | Shockoe Slip | 181 | $483,300 | $37,123 |
| 79 | Stadium | 184 | $319,900 | $88,000 |
| 80 | Randolph | 3,292 | $222,033 | $53,224 |
| 81 | Rosedale | 827 | $190,000 | $69,372 |
| 82 | Brookland Park | 2,015 | $197,133 | $59,034 |
| 83 | Oregon Hill | 1,269 | $216,850 | $62,628 |
| 84 | Cottrell Farms | 1,546 | $146,500 | $44,828 |
| 85 | Ginter Park | 4,013 | $384,340 | $56,370 |
| 86 | Northern Barton Heights | 2,980 | $210,080 | $62,784 |
| 87 | Carillon | 576 | $319,900 | $88,000 |
| 88 | Southampton | 514 | $372,400 | $95,244 |
| 89 | Forest Hill Park | 499 | $346,700 | $94,593 |
| 90 | Shockoe Bottom | 3,068 | $418,250 | $42,467 |
| 91 | Powhite Park | 240 | $227,800 | $59,567 |
| 92 | Stratford Hills | 3,100 | $277,333 | $92,648 |
| 93 | Forest Hill Terrace | 1,340 | $290,250 | $92,462 |
| 94 | Willow Oaks | 665 | $248,500 | $77,500 |
| 95 | Central Office | 1,263 | $233,900 | $59,115 |
| 96 | Stony Point | 1,024 | $351,300 | $102,296 |
| 97 | Westover Hills West | 906 | $198,800 | $78,500 |
| 98 | Chimborazo | 2,026 | $245,920 | $66,724 |
| 99 | Carytown | 1,910 | $339,350 | $75,423 |
| 100 | Oxford | 1,815 | $310,100 | $87,925 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 115 Richmond neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Richmond
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Richmond with Oak Grove landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Richmond are Oak Grove, Jeff Davis, Windsor, Creighton, Washington Park, Woodville, Fairfield, Oakwood, Maymont, and Magnolia Industrial Center.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Richmond aren’t all bad. Colonial Place takes the cake as the best place to live in Richmond.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Richmond FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Richmond?
Oak Grove ranks as the worst neighborhood in Richmond for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Jeff Davis and Windsor are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Richmond?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Richmond are Oak Grove, Jeff Davis, Windsor, Creighton, Washington Park, Woodville, Fairfield, Oakwood, Maymont, and Magnolia Industrial Center. We scored all 115 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Oak Grove rank as the worst?
Oak Grove posts the roughest combined numbers in Richmond: a median household income of $32,138 and a median home value of $95,850, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
