Homicides were down in Virginia in 2024, but hate crimes — particularly against religious groups — rose sharply, according to a new report from Virginia State Police.
Hate crimes against religious groups rose 100 percent from 2023 to 2024 — 99 victims reported — VSP said, which was spurred by a rise in crimes against the Jewish community. Overall, however, hate crimes were up 25 percent, with nearly two-thirds (59 percent) motivated by race. And nine out of 10 bias-motivated crimes were either assault, destruction of property, or vandalism.
Homicides dropped 19 percent in 2024 over 2023, falling from 520 homicides to 421, according to the report, which brought the murder rate down to 4.78 percent per 100,000 people. The report stated that both offenders and victims of murders were largely young men — 40 percent of victims were males aged 18-34, and 53 percent of offenders were males in that age group.
Other areas of crime also saw significant decreases from 2023 to 2024:
- Motor vehicle thefts and attempted thefts dropped 15.4 percent, though the report noted about 17 percent fewer stolen cars were recovered.
- Drug arrests were down 7.2 percent, with more than a quarter decrease in heroin seizures (26.5 percent).
- Burglaries decreased 10.6 percent, contributing to a downward trend over the past 10 years.
- Fraud offenses were also down 5.8 percent, with more than a quarter of victims (26.5 percent) aged 65 or older.
The report used incident-based reporting to collect and assess the data. To view the data dashboard behind the report, click here.
