Pennsylvania’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Pennsylvania continues to see less crime than most of the country. Despite lower than average crime rates, the Pennsylvanians we surveyed expressed higher levels of concern about crime and safety year over year. Respondents also shared more experiences with violent crime and property crime, which may impact their perceptions of safety.

Violent crime in The Keystone State fell from 3.9 incidents per 1,000 people in our 2022 report (the last year we were able to calculate a statewide crime rate) to 3.5 this year, beating the US rate of 4.0. Property crime followed the nationwide upward trend, rising from 16.4 crimes per 1,000 in our 2022 report to 16.5 this year—but that still keeps Pennsylvania under the national rate of 20.7.

Property crime is a lesser crime concern in the state, but 51% fear it may happen to them, just under the 52% who fear the same nationwide. Pennsylvanians reported more experiences with property crime year over year, but still remains below the nationwide average of 27%.

• Pennsylvania's property crime rate is 16.5 incidents per 1,000 people—the thirteenth-lowest in the US.
• Although personal experiences with property crime among Pennsylvania respondents went up by 33% since last year, the state average of 24% is the twelfth-lowest in the country (US 27%).
• 62% of Pennsylvania respondents use some form of property protection (US 75%) with security cameras on top at 29%.
• 1 in 4 Pennsylvanians (25%) said they added or increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%).

• 33% of survey respondents in Pennsylvania reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 35%).
• 53% of participants expressed a high level of concern about package theft (US 53%).
• Nearly 4 in 10 respondents (37%) said they don't do anything to protect their packages from porch pirates.
• The preferred methods of package protection for those who take security measures in Pennsylvania are doorbell or security cameras (24%) and asking the carrier to leave the package in a safe location (23%).

Pennsylvania continues to report lower incidence of violent crime than most of the country. The Keystone State's violent crime rate of 3.5 incidents per 1,000 people is the seventeenth-lowest in the US. Reports of personal experience with violent crime in Pennsylvania rose from 14% to 16% year over year, topping national levels (US 15%). 

• Nearly 6 in 10 survey respondents (59%) reported a high level of concern about violent crime (US 50%).
• 76% of Pennsylvanians say crime is increasing (US 73%), which is up from 69% in the previous survey year.
• Just 42% of Pennsylvania residents reported feeling safe in their home state (US 45%).
• 29% of survey respondents use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
• Pepper spray and concealed firearms are the most commonly used forms of personal protection at 41% each.

• 57% named gun violence their top safety concern (US 51%).
• The number of respondents with a personal gun violence experience (11%) decreased by 4 percentage points since the previous survey year (US 12%).
• Firearms are the third-most used form of property protection behind security cameras.
• Concealed carry firearms are tied with pepper spray as the most common choice for personal protection among respondents who use some kind of self-defense device.
• Mass shooting incidents increased from 34 in 2022 to 35 in 2023.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• We couldn’t rank the safest cities in Pennsylvania last year due to limited information reported to the FBI, so we won't have any year over year comparisons.
• 18 cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Hampden Township is the safest city in Pennsylvania, thanks to it's low property crime rate of 2.9 incidents per 1,000 people. 
• Every safest city reported less than 1 violent crime per 1000 people.
• Shaler Township reported the fewest violent crimes, with 8 reported.
• West Mifflin Borough reported the fewest property crimes, with 67 reported.
• Every safest city reported fewer than 6.5 property crimes per 1,000 people. 
• The collective violent crime rate of the safest cities (0.4) is 89% below the statewide rate (3.5).
• The collective property crime rate of the safest cities (4.0) is 76% below the statewide rate of 16.5.

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Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.