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Most Dangerous Cities in Pennsylvania 2024

Avg Violent Crime Rate

180
0.4x avg
per 100K (these cities)

Avg Murder Rate

4.4
0.7x avg
per 100K (national: 6.2)

Avg Property Crime Rate

1,418
per 100K (these cities)

Crime Hotspots in Pennsylvania (2024)

These 63 cities reported the highest crime rates in Pennsylvania. On average, they experience 0.6x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 180 per 100,000 (national average: 473).

Philadelphia, PA tops the list with a total crime rate of 5,458 per 100,000 — 2.0x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 910 per 100K is 1.9x the national average.

Full Rankings

# City State Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Murder Rate vs National
1 Philadelphia PA 1,549,259 5,458.5 910.3 16.9 +98%
2 Cheltenham Township PA 38,819 5,123.8 200.9 0.0 +86%
3 Upper Merion Township PA 36,408 3,878.3 123.6 0.0 +41%
4 Upper Darby Township PA 84,668 3,046.0 213.8 4.7 +11%
5 Bensalem Township PA 62,843 2,970.9 93.9 1.6 +8%
6 Swatara Township PA 29,394 2,915.6 153.1 3.4 +6%
7 Chester City PA 33,944 2,819.4 830.8 58.9 +2%
8 Harrisburg PA 49,985 2,758.8 766.2 30.0 +0%
9 Pittsburgh PA 317,177 2,708.6 428.5 11.4 +-2%
10 Ross Township PA 32,076 2,662.4 53.0 0.0 +-3%
11 Whitehall Township PA 29,090 2,561.0 216.6 6.9 +-7%
12 Monroeville PA 27,753 2,540.3 122.5 0.0 +-8%
13 Norristown Borough PA 35,764 2,413.0 453.0 8.4 +-12%
14 York PA 44,893 2,392.4 530.2 11.1 +-13%
15 Stroud Area Regional PA 34,162 2,347.6 155.1 5.9 +-15%
16 Erie PA 92,379 2,304.6 375.6 5.4 +-16%
17 Upper Moreland Township PA 26,020 2,221.4 107.6 3.8 +-19%
18 Altoona PA 42,424 2,185.1 334.7 2.4 +-21%
19 Springettsbury Township PA 27,604 2,086.7 130.4 7.3 +-24%
20 Wilkes Barre City PA 44,254 1,988.5 431.6 9.0 +-28%
21 Lancaster PA 56,890 1,914.2 462.3 3.5 +-30%
22 Lower Merion Township PA 64,290 1,869.7 71.6 3.1 +-32%
23 Allentown PA 124,599 1,841.1 272.1 3.2 +-33%
24 East Lampeter Township PA 26,615 1,829.8 90.2 3.8 +-34%
25 Reading PA 97,868 1,772.8 338.2 7.2 +-36%
26 Bristol Township PA 53,784 1,745.9 150.6 0.0 +-37%
27 Montgomery Township PA 26,069 1,634.1 69.1 3.8 +-41%
28 Scranton PA 75,683 1,626.5 281.4 9.3 +-41%
29 Bethlehem PA 79,194 1,575.9 207.1 2.5 +-43%
30 Penn Hills Township PA 39,203 1,425.9 372.4 2.6 +-48%
31 Easton PA 30,064 1,387.0 196.3 0.0 +-50%
32 Lebanon PA 26,241 1,280.4 156.2 0.0 +-53%
33 Susquehanna Township PA 27,762 1,253.5 212.5 7.2 +-54%
34 Bethlehem Township PA 26,492 1,223.0 71.7 0.0 +-56%
35 Lower Paxton Township PA 55,174 1,192.6 146.8 0.0 +-57%
36 Derry Township PA 25,016 1,183.2 87.9 0.0 +-57%
37 Haverford Township PA 50,544 1,048.6 21.8 0.0 +-62%
38 Pocono Mountain Regional PA 42,656 1,029.2 189.9 11.7 +-63%
39 Ephrata PA 34,010 932.1 29.4 0.0 +-66%
40 Ridley Township PA 30,633 930.4 58.8 0.0 +-66%
41 East Hempfield Township PA 27,135 869.7 51.6 3.7 +-68%
42 Horsham Township PA 27,268 861.8 25.7 0.0 +-69%
43 North Huntingdon Township PA 31,761 853.3 37.8 0.0 +-69%
44 Warminster Township PA 33,195 837.5 60.3 0.0 +-70%
45 Upper Dublin Township PA 27,382 825.4 40.2 3.7 +-70%
46 Mccandless Township PA 28,350 804.2 109.4 0.0 +-71%
47 Warrington Township PA 26,355 766.5 22.8 0.0 +-72%
48 Manheim Township PA 63,061 765.9 74.5 0.0 +-72%
49 Hazleton PA 30,079 724.8 232.7 0.0 +-74%
50 Cranberry Township PA 34,970 712.0 11.4 0.0 +-74%
51 Bethel Park Borough PA 32,034 689.9 59.3 0.0 +-75%
52 Mount Lebanon PA 32,585 678.2 61.4 0.0 +-75%
53 Moon Township PA 26,389 674.5 75.8 3.8 +-75%
54 Shaler Township PA 26,801 604.5 48.5 3.7 +-78%
55 Lower Makefield Township PA 33,400 601.8 29.9 3.0 +-78%
56 Lower Providence Township PA 25,975 573.6 27.0 0.0 +-79%
57 Radnor Township PA 33,908 566.2 70.8 0.0 +-79%
58 Tredyffrin Township PA 31,754 544.8 34.6 0.0 +-80%
59 Middletown Township PA 45,516 463.6 15.4 2.2 +-83%
60 Westtown-East Goshen Regional PA 29,610 368.1 16.9 6.8 +-87%
61 Northampton Township PA 39,879 313.5 20.1 2.5 +-89%
62 Hampoliceen Township PA 35,576 261.4 22.5 0.0 +-91%
63 Plum Borough PA 26,145 214.2 61.2 0.0 +-92%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania?

Philadelphia, PA has the highest crime rate in Pennsylvania at 5,458.5 per 100,000 residents in 2024.

What makes a city dangerous?

High crime rates, particularly violent crime, indicate elevated risk. Cities on this list average a violent crime rate of 180 per 100K — 0.4x the national average of 473.

Is the crime rate getting worse?

Crime trends vary by city. Some cities on this list have seen decreasing rates in recent years while others have increased. Visit individual city pages for year-over-year trend data.

See Also

Safest cities in Pennsylvania Crime statistics by state Compare two cities

Understanding High Crime Rates

High crime rates often correlate with factors like poverty, unemployment, population density, and policing resources — not a city's inherent character. Many cities on this list have neighborhoods that are quite safe, while others face concentrated challenges in specific areas.

Crime rates also reflect reporting practices: cities with well-funded police departments may report more crimes than those with fewer resources.

Most Dangerous Cities by State

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