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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Wheeling, WV crime analytics

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:   Reflects 2024 calendar year; released from FBI in October 2025 (latest available). Updated annually. Where is 2025 data?

Methodology:   Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. This is possible by associating the 9.4 million reported crimes in the U.S, including over 2 million geocoded point locations…. Read more about Scout's Crime Data

With a crime rate of 30 per one thousand residents, Wheeling has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 33. Within West Virginia, more than 97% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Wheeling. In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Wheeling to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A.

Importantly, when you compare Wheeling to other communities of similar population, then Wheeling crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Wheeling does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Wheeling does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Wheeling.

For Wheeling, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Wheeling is one in 101.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that Wheeling's rate for property crime is 20 per one thousand population. This makes Wheeling a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in Wheeling is one in 49.

Wheeling Crime Data

total Crime Index

7

(100 is safest)


Safer than 7% of U.S. cities.

Wheeling Annual Crimes

  Violent Property Total

Number of Crimes

257

530

787

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

9.86

20.34

30.20

Violent Crime

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20 15 10 5 0
9.86
2.49
National Median: 4
    Wheeling
    West Virginia

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

1 in 101

in Wheeling

1 in 402

in West Virginia

Wheeling Violent Crimes

Population: 26,060
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 0 15 14 228
Rate per 1,000 0.00 0.58 0.54 8.75

United States Violent Crimes

Population: 340,110,988
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 16,935 127,527 205,952 870,931
Rate per 1,000 0.05 0.38 0.61 2.56

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

100 75 50 25 0
20.34
11.62
National Median: 18
    Wheeling
    West Virginia

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

1 in 49

in Wheeling

1 in 86

in West Virginia

Property Crimes

Population: 26,060
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 146 353 31
Rate per 1,000 5.60 13.55 1.19

United States Property Crimes

Population: 340,110,988
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 779,542 4,326,531 880,327
Rate per 1,000 2.29 12.72 2.59

Wheeling Crimes Per Square Mile

200 150 100 50 0
49
15
National Median: 24.5
    Wheeling
    West Virginia