Pennsylvania: The Best and Worst Cities for Crime

Though Philadelphia has some of the worst crime rates in the state, its crime rates are lower than in many other major U.S. cities.
Pennsylvania header map with magnifying glass
Derek Prall
July 26, 2024 Derek Prall Derek Prall , Home Security Expert | July 26, 2024
Statewide Crime Trends in Pennsylvania Property Crime in Pennsylvania Violent Crime in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to the Liberty Bell, the chocolate capital of the United States in Hershey, and the world-famous weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. According to city crime data compiled by the FBI, it also has some of the lowest rates of violent and property crime in the U.S.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ranks in the bottom half of states for violent crime and in the bottom third for property crimes, meaning its crime rates are lower than the national averages in the federal uniform crime data report compiled annually by the FBI. That’s in keeping with the historical ethos of its largest city, Philadelphia. Known as “The City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia is home to some 1.56 million residents.

Pennsylvania city crime map

With lower violent and property crime rates than many other states of comparable size, lots of Pennsylvania’s cities are relatively safe places to live and work. The safest city in Pennsylvania by property crime rates was Point Marion, with a low rate of 89 incidents reported for every 100,000 residents. The least safe Pennsylvanian city for property crime was Plymouth Township (5,309 incidents per 100,000), which is located northwest of Philadelphia. Philadelphia itself had the second-highest property crime rate (4,321 per 100,000).

Property Crime in Pennsylvania

Don't expect many Steelers fans to steal your stuff. While Pennsylvania ranks low in violent crime nationwide (#34), it ranks even lower in property crime (#40).

Pennsylvania property crime rates bar graph

Pennsylvania ranked 40 in property crimes in the most recent FBI crime data report. The burglary rate per 100,000 residents was 148, the larceny-theft rate was 1,171, and the automotive theft rate was 163.

Violent Crime in Pennsylvania

The rate of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in Pennsylvania per 100,000 is 8, the rape rate is 30, the robbery rate is 68, and the aggravated assault rate is 175.

Pennsylvania violent crime rate bar graph

The least safe city in Pennsylvania for violent crime is Philadelphia, with 1,041 crime incidents of a violent nature reported per 100,000 residents in the most recent year for which data are available. Cranberry Township, Green Tree, and South Londonderry Township had the lowest violent crime rates.

Our Data

Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer (CDE) website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area. City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City. The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.

Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety. Limited data for 2022 were available for Florida, Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

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