Photo: DanRVA · CC BY-SA 4.0Per resident, Virginia Beach records less violent crime than 69% of U.S. towns
Neither of the two towns next door with figures records less crime per resident. Overall, it grades B− for safety (#23 of 84 graded towns in Virginia State, and #38 of 325 U.S. cities over 100,000). Still, for every 1,000 residents, 0.9 violent crime and 15.8 incidents of property crime were logged a year; in the rest of Virginia State, the figures are 3.7 and 23.8. The graded rate fell 11% from 2023 to 2025.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of VA” is every other Virginia State city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach reports less crime than every graded town next door
Of the 2 Virginia State towns on Virginia Beach’s borders, 2 have a Safety Grade: Chesapeake (C), Norfolk (D). Neighbors ↓
Among Virginia State towns, closer to the middle
Virginia State’s cities and towns report less crime than most states’, so Virginia Beach’s place among its own towns differs from its national one: it reports less crime than 73% of the 84 Virginia State towns we grade, against 47% nationally. Safety Grade ↓
Homicides: below U.S. cities overall
Virginia Beach’s police reported 15 homicides to the FBI in 2025. Over 2023–2025 that is 3.3 per 100,000 residents a year, below the rest of Virginia State (10.3) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (5.7). Violent crime ↓
Robberies: below the rest of Virginia State
30.6 robberies per 100,000 residents a year over 2023–2025 (140 reported in 2025), below the rest of Virginia State (58.2) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (79.4). Violent crime ↓
Against other big cities
Among the 325 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, Virginia Beach reports less crime per resident than 88% (#38). Places like it ↓
Reported crime is falling
Crime reported per resident fell from 2023 to 2025 by more than ordinary year-to-year swings, on the grade’s own score. Trend ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind Virginia Beach’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Violent crime holds Virginia Beach’s grade up; property crime pulls it down. Its property rate (15.8) is below the FBI’s national estimate (17.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns.
Homicides and robberies
Show as a table
| Year | Virginia Beach | Rest of Virginia State | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.6 | 14.3 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | 3.7 | 12.8 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | 2.9 | 10.2 | 5.7 |
| 2025 | 3.3 | 8.0 | 4.6 |
Homicides per 100,000 residents
Show as a table
| Year | Virginia Beach | Rest of Virginia State | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 30.4 | 71.2 | 95.5 |
| 2023 | 29.5 | 65.0 | 90.6 |
| 2024 | 31.6 | 57.1 | 81.9 |
| 2025 | 30.8 | 52.7 | 66.0 |
Robberies per 100,000 residents
Virginia Beach’s police reported 15 homicides, 140 robberies and 440 violent crimes in all to the FBI in 2025. By year, against the rest of Virginia State and all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables.
Reported crime per resident, 2023 to 2025
Show as a table
| Year | Virginia Beach property | Rest of Virginia State property | Virginia Beach violent | Rest of Virginia State violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16.1 | 26.8 | 0.9 | 4.0 |
| 2023 | 16.6 | 25.8 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | 16.4 | 24.5 | 0.9 | 3.7 |
| 2025 | 14.5 | 21.2 | 1.0 | 3.6 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident fell from 2023 to 2025, by more than ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of Virginia State.
Crime in Virginia Beach per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 1 violent crime, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
7,054 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
440 violent and 6,614 property, as reported to the FBI by Virginia Beach’s police.
149 people died in crashes on Virginia Beach’s roads in 2019–2023
Virginia Beach had 144 fatal crashes in five years, in which 149 people died; 28 were pedestrians and 5 were cyclists. 19 died in crashes on an Interstate.
That is 6.5 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, below the median for Virginia State towns of 100,000+ people (7.8, 8 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Virginia Beach and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | B− | 0.9 | 15.8 |
| Norfolk | D | 4.7 | 35.8 |
| Chesapeake | C | 3.6 | 16.8 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Virginia State towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | B− | 0.9 | 15.8 |
| Richmond | D | 3.8 | 34.1 |
The five graded Virginia State towns closest to Virginia Beach’s population (453,737), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of Virginia Beach. A citywide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of the city to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Virginia Beach’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (454,805 in 2025); our figure for Virginia Beach is 453,737 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Virginia Beach
Is Virginia Beach, VA safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, Virginia Beach reports more crime per resident than 53% of U.S. towns, a B− Safety Grade and #23 of 84 in Virginia State. Its police reported 0.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 3.7 in the rest of Virginia State and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in Virginia Beach?
0.9 violent and 15.8 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of Virginia State reports 3.7 and 23.8; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
How many homicides were there in Virginia Beach in 2025?
Virginia Beach’s police reported 15 homicides to the FBI for 2025, 3.3 per 100,000 residents. Across U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables the 2025 figure was 4.6.
Is Virginia Beach safer than Norfolk?
Norfolk reports more crime per resident than Virginia Beach: Norfolk grades D for safety and Virginia Beach B−. Norfolk’s police reported 4.7 violent and 35.8 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices Virginia Beach?
Virginia Beach’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Virginia Beach”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
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Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Virginia Beach.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.