Pennsylvania’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our latest State of Safety survey, Pennsylvania residents reported increases in violent crime, gun violence, and package theft experiences. Meanwhile, official FBI data shows a substantial increase in the statewide property crime rate. 

The violent crime rate in Pennsylvania is 5.72 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Pennsylvania reported a lower violent crime rate of 3.5.

Meanwhile, property crime in The Keystone State increased dramatically in recent years, nearly doubling from 16.5 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 30.36 incidents in this year's report. That's higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89.

The percentage of Pennsylvanians who feel safe in the state fell year over year from 55% to 40%. That means Pennsylvania residents feel less safe than the average American (US 52%). 

In addition, 66% said they worry about their overall safety and security on a daily basis, which is the highest percentage nationwide. 

According to our State of Safety survey, Pennsylvanians are more likely to experience package theft than any other crime, and they're more worried about it lately. Meanwhile, general property crime is the least worrisome crime issue for residents of The Keystone State, and it's the only crime that saw a year-over-year decline in our survey. 

• 44% of Pennsylvanians said they personally experienced a package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey, up from 37% the year before (US 31%). 
• Only New York residents were more likely to have experienced package theft (45%). 
• Concern about package theft rose from 47% to 60% year over year (US 44%).
• 23% said they experienced a property crime in the 8 months prior to our survey, down from 26% the previous year (US 21%).
• Concern about property crime increased slightly from 53% to 54% year over year. 
• Pennsylvania residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (53%), security systems (31%), and guard dogs (28%). 
• Pennsylvania ranked fifth on our list of the worst states for package theft. 

The percentage of Pennsylvanians who personally experienced a violent crime in the 12 months before our survey jumped considerably compared to the previous year, and residents feel more concerned than ever about this type of crime. 

• 2 out of 3 survey respondents (66%) reported a high level of concern about violent crime, up from 61% the year before (US 59%).
• 21% said they personally experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, up from 12% the previous year (US 12%).
• Last year, Pennsylvania residents reported the sixth lowest percentage of violent crime experiences nationwide. This year, they reported the second highest. 
• 29% of survey respondents use some form of personal protection.
• Pennsylvania residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (48%), firearms (45%), and pocket knives (45%).

• 22% said they experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey, more than double last year's 10% (US 9%).
• Pennsylvanians reported the highest levels of gun violence experience nationwide.
• Concern about gun violence increased slightly from 61% to 62% year over year (US 55%).
• Mass shooting incidents fell from 31 to 17 in 2025. 
• Pennsylvania saw the sixth highest number of mass shootings nationwide in 2025.

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.

• 47 cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Cecil Township is the safest city in Pennsylvania for the second year in a row thanks to its low crime rates.
• Hampden Township saw year-over-year decreases in both property crime and violent crime.
• Property crime has decreased in Upper Allen Township for the third year in a row.
• All of Pennsylvania's safest cities are clustered around Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or Harrisburg.
• 60% of Pennsylvania's safest cities reported zero murders.
• Westtown-East Goshen Regional, Newtown Township, and Cranberry Township reported zero rapes.
• No robberies were reported in Hampden Township, Westtown-East Goshen Regional, Warwick Township, and Cranberry Township.
• No motor vehicle thefts were reported in Franklin Park and Cranberry Township. 

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
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• Essential Home Security Systems Guide for 2026