Virginia Sex Offender Statistics (2026)
As of August 2026, we index about 31,900 sex-offender registry records in Virginia — the 7th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions, at 3.7 per 1,000 residents. These are counts of the records in our continuously updated index, rounded and dated — not Virginia’s official figures.
Virginia against the national average
Registrants we index, with the rate per 1,000 residents (2020 Census population). Neighboring jurisdictions are listed for scale; each links to its own statistics page.
| Jurisdiction | Registrants indexed (approx.) | Per 1,000 residents | Rank by count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | ≈ 31,900 | 3.7 | 7th |
| United States (all 58 registries) | ≈ 1,560,000 | 4.7 | — |
| District of Columbia | ≈ 1,060 | 1.5 | 52nd |
| Kentucky | ≈ 11,000 | 2.4 | 25th |
| Maryland | ≈ 7,490 | 1.2 | 28th |
| North Carolina | ≈ 31,100 | 3.0 | 8th |
| Tennessee | ≈ 27,900 | 4.0 | 10th |
| West Virginia | ≈ 5,450 | 3.0 | 34th |
Cite this: ≈31,900 sex-offender registry records indexed in Virginia (3.7 per 1,000 residents) — Offendersearch, Virginia Sex Offender Statistics (August 2026). https://offendersearch.app/sex-offender-statistics/virginia#headline
Virginia at a glance
- About 31,900 registry records indexed, the 7th-largest count of the 56 US jurisdictions.
- That is about 2% of the registrants we index nationwide.
- 3.7 per 1,000 residents, about 21% below the national average of 4.7.
- 16th by rate per resident among jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records.
- Largest local count among the cities we publish pages for: Norfolk, about 1,656.
- Largest county count among the counties we publish pages for: Henrico County, about 1,376.
Against its neighbors
- Virginia is about 140% above District of Columbia (3.7 vs 1.5 per 1,000).
- Virginia is about 51% above Kentucky (3.7 vs 2.4 per 1,000).
- Virginia is about 205% above Maryland (3.7 vs 1.2 per 1,000).
- Virginia is about 24% above North Carolina (3.7 vs 3.0 per 1,000).
- Virginia is about 8% below Tennessee (3.7 vs 4.0 per 1,000).
- Virginia is about 22% above West Virginia (3.7 vs 3.0 per 1,000).
Where Virginia ranks
Virginia holds the 7th-largest count of registrants we index among the 56 US jurisdictions — just behind Georgia (≈41,500) and ahead of North Carolina (≈31,100). Virginia's rate of 3.7 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 16th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. Virginia's rate is higher than 5 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 1. Absolute size and per-capita rate order the states very differently — the full rankings are on the count ranking and the per-capita ranking.
Housing status (national estimate). No per-state housing figure is published here, because our housing data is a national sample estimate: across 6,668 sampled records nationwide, 5.7% of registrants with a known housing status were homeless or had no fixed address as of August 2026. That figure describes the country, not Virginia — the breakdown is on the national statistics page.
Where Virginia’s registrants live
The largest local counts among the Virginia cities and counties we publish pages for, with the rate per 10,000 residents so places of different size compare fairly.
| City | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | ≈ 1,656 | 69.6 |
| Virginia Beach | ≈ 1,397 | 30.4 |
| Newport News | ≈ 1,327 | 71.2 |
| Chesapeake | ≈ 1,242 | 49.8 |
| Hampton | ≈ 927 | 67.6 |
| Portsmouth | ≈ 824 | 84.2 |
| Alexandria | ≈ 579 | 36.3 |
| County | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Henrico County | ≈ 1,376 | 41.1 |
| Fairfax County | ≈ 1,341 | 11.7 |
| Chesterfield County | ≈ 1,046 | 28.7 |
| Prince William County | ≈ 992 | 20.6 |
| Loudoun County | ≈ 553 | 13.1 |
What these Virginia numbers measure
Every figure on this page is a count of the registry records in our continuously updated index that carry a Virginia address, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Rates divide that rounded count by the 2020 Census population, so they describe scale, not precision to the last person. Local counts cover the cities and counties we publish pages for, not every town in the state.
Registry sizes are not a direct measure of risk. States set their own rules on who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown to the public, so two states with similar populations can carry very different counts. Use the comparison for context, and a search for any question about a specific person or address.
Virginia's registry publishes an age rather than a date of birth, so a match is confirmed against the person's age, not their birthday. Check the photograph and the offense details too — an age alone is a weak tie-breaker on a common name.
How to search Virginia’s registry
Virginia’s own public search is Virginia Sex Offender Registry (VSP), which covers Virginia only. A search here covers Virginia and every other US registry in one pass, returns photographs and the official record link for each result, and can be narrowed to a city, county or ZIP — or run outward from a street address.
Virginia registry search guide · Search by address · Alerts when someone moves in
Virginia city figures
Cities where we publish a local count, largest first:
Virginia county figures
Virginia statistics, answered
How many registered sex offenders live in Virginia?
As of August 2026, we index about 31,900 sex-offender registry records in Virginia — the 7th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions. That is a count of the records in our continuously updated index, not Virginia's official figure: registries add, remove and amend records all the time, so the live answer for a specific person comes from a search, not a table.
How many sex offenders does Virginia have per capita?
About 3.7 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents, using the 2020 Census population as the denominator. Virginia's rate of 3.7 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 16th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. A rate describes the size of a registry relative to population — jurisdictions differ in who must register, for how long, and which registrants they publish, so it is a scale comparison rather than a safety measure.
Which Virginia city has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Virginia cities we publish local pages for, Norfolk has the most registrants we index, at about 1,656, followed by Virginia Beach (about 1,397). Big cities lead on raw counts because they have more people; the per-10,000 column is the fairer comparison.
Which Virginia county has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Virginia counties we publish pages for, Henrico County has the most registrants we index, at about 1,376. Each county page breaks that figure down by city.
How does Virginia compare with neighboring states?
Virginia's rate is higher than 5 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 1. Rates differ partly because states set different rules for who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown publicly, so a neighbor comparison describes registry size relative to population rather than relative risk.
Where can I search Virginia's sex offender registry?
Virginia's own public search is Virginia Sex Offender Registry (VSP), which covers Virginia only. A search here covers Virginia and every other US registry at once, with photographs and links to each official record, and can be narrowed to a Virginia city, county or ZIP.
Are these Virginia's official registry numbers?
No — they are approximate counts of the registrants we index for Virginia, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Jurisdictions count different things (people, registrations, addresses) and publish on their own terms, so no single official national table exists. For a legal or research purpose that requires Virginia's official figure, request it from the state registry authority.
Registry data is not a consumer report, and decisions made on it are regulated in that use.
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