Crime in Bluefield, West Virginia

Bluefield's crime rate

There were 195 crimes reported in Bluefield, West Virginia in 2018, the most recent year crime data is available for the city. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 1,992 incidents for every 100,000 people.

In September 2020, the FBI released crime figures for 2019, however, as a complete dataset for Bluefield was not included in that release, 2018 data is shown here.

How does Bluefield compare?

Bluefield has a lower overall crime rate than the majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,580 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Bluefield's overall crime rate is 12% higher than the overall crime rate in West Virginia. Statewide, there were 32,063 crimes reported in 2018, or 1,776 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2018. In Bluefield, however, property crimes account for only about 53% of all offenses.

Property crime is much less prevalent in Bluefield than it is nationwide. There were 103 property crimes in Bluefield in 2018, or 1,052 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,200 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Bluefield. There were 66 larcenies reported in Bluefield in 2018, or 674 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,595 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 32 break-ins reported in Bluefield in 2018, or 327 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 327 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2018.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 229 for every 100,000 people. In Bluefield, meanwhile, there were 5 motor vehicle thefts in 2018, or 51 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the more than 8.4 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2018. In Bluefield, however, violent offenses account for a larger 47% share of all reported crime.

At 940 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Bluefield is well above the national violent crime rate of 381 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Bluefield reported a total of 92 violent crimes in 2018.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Bluefield. There were 88 aggravated assaults reported in Bluefield in 2018, or 899 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 247 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There was just one robbery reported in Bluefield in 2018, a rate of 10 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 86 per 100,000 in 2018.

Rape

There were 3 rapes reported in Bluefield in 2018, or 31 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,380 rapes in 2018, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

While there were 16,214 murders nationwide in 2018, none were reported in Bluefield in 2018.

Bluefield compared to other cities in West Virginia

Bluefield has a lower crime rate than the majority of all comparable cities in West Virginia. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2018 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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