Pennsylvania’s Safest Cities of 2024

John Carlsen
Mar 18, 2024
bullet3 min read
SafeWise is pleased to release the 10th annual Safest Cities report.

Here are the 5 Safest Cities in Pennsylvania for 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.

In this report

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NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2022.

2024 Pennsylvania crime rates

Pennsylvania's crime rates are lower than nationwide rates for violent crime and property crime.

Image: SafeWise

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 in Pennsylvania: Fear vs. reality

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%).

What security measures do Pennsylvanians use most?

Security measures used most in Pennsylvania: security cameras, guard dogs, firearms.

Image: SafeWise

Attitudes about package theft in Pennsylvania

  • 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%).

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What crimes are Pennsylvania residents concerned about most?

Bar chart showing percentages of how concerned state residents are about crime compared to the national averages for violent crime, property crime, package theft and gun violence.

Image: SafeWise

Violent crime in Pennsylvania: Fear vs. reality

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.

Attitudes about gun violence in Pennsylvania

  • 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.

A closer look at the safest cities in Pennsylvania

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.

The 5 safest cities in Pennsylvania

A silhouette of the state of Pennsylvania with pins marking where the safest cities are.

Image: SafeWise

#1
Hampden Township
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    34,244
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.4, 0.3, N/A
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    2.9, 4.1, N/A
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#2
Mount Lebanon
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    33,188
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, N/A, N/A
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.4, N/A, N/A
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Hyde Park Town, PA
#3
Hyde Park Town
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    19,122
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, N/A, N/A
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.5, N/A, N/A
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#4
Upper Allen Township
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    23,290
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, 0.5, N/A
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.9, 4.2, N/A
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#5
Shaler Township
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    27,427
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.4, N/A
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    6.4, 7.6, N/A
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.

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Get a home security system

Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems—and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security

Find security and safety resources in your area

Find the safest cities in each state

Click on the state image or dropdown menu below to check out the safest cities for each state.

Related articles on SafeWise


Endnotes and sources

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.

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John Carlsen
Written by
John Carlsen
John is a technology journalist specializing in smart home devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over a decade of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Home Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2020. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to complete.

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