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Kanawha County · West Virginia

Charleston, WV crime rate

Offenses reported by the Charleston Police Department to the FBI for 2024, next to 2023, the state and the country — counts and rates per 100,000 residents.

Quick answer

In 2024 the Charleston Police Department reported 251 violent offenses and 1,456 property offenses across a covered population of 46,252. That is 542.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 49% above the national rate.

Violent crime rate 2024
542.7US 363.9 per 100k
Property crime rate 2024
3,148US 1,769 per 100k
Violent crime year over year
-11%2023 to 2024, reported counts
Violent clearance rate
28%Cleared by arrest or exceptional means

Every offense the FBI publishes for Charleston

Reported offenses and rates per 100,000 residents, 2024, with the state and national rate alongside.

OffenseReported 2024Rate per 100kWest Virginia rateUS ratevs 2023
Violent crime251542.7263.1363.9-11%
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter6136.45.20%
Rape2758.457.139.3-44.9%
Robbery2554.11161.7-26.5%
Aggravated assault193417.3188.7257.60%
Property crime1,4563,1481,183.41,769-17.8%
Burglary303655.1191.7232.1-17%
Larceny / theft1,0552,2818971,267.8-15.5%
Motor vehicle theft85183.883.3258-38.8%
Arson1328.111.511.1-35%

How to read Charleston crime data

What these numbers do and do not tell you.

Everything above is what one agency — the Charleston Police Department, ORI WV0200200 — reported to the FBI for a covered population of 46,252. Transit, university, county and state police working the same streets file separately and are not added in, so a city total is not the total of all crime inside the city limits. Rates use the agency's own population coverage as the denominator, which is how the FBI computes them. Property offenses moved down 17.8% against 2023. Reporting practices, staffing and NIBRS transition dates differ between departments, so treat city-to-city comparison as directional rather than exact.

Other Charleston data on this site.

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency-level UCR/NIBRS · rates as published for 2024 reporting year

Agency Charleston Police Department, ORI WV0200200. Counts are offenses known to law enforcement; clearances may include cases opened in an earlier year.