Here Are The Safest Cities In PA, 2024 Report Says

PENNSYLVANIA — There are many safe places to call home in Pennsylvania, according to crime statistics analyzed by SafeWise.

SafeWise, a security product review platform, looked at FBI crime statistics for cities in the state to compile its 10th annual Safest Cities report. A total of 18 cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking, including municipalities like Shaler Township that reported the fewest violent crimes (eight in total), and others like West Mifflin Borough that reported the fewest property crimes (67 reported).

The Keystone State's violent crime rate of 3.5 incidents per 1,000 people is the seventeenth-lowest in the U.S., though reports of violent crime in Pennsylvania rose from 14 to 16 percent year over year, according to the analysis. That's on par with national violent crime levels at 15 percent.

In Pennsylvania, Hampden Township, Mount Lebanon, Hyde Park Town, Upper Allen Township and Shaler Township ranked as the top five safest cities in the state.

Hampden Township ranked as the safest city in the Keystone State, with a violent crime rate of 0.4 and a property crime rate of 2.9 incidents per 1,000 people, according to the report. The city has a population of 34,244.

The rankings were based on FBI crime data. Cities and jurisdictions across the country voluntarily report the information through the FBI Summary Reporting System and National Incident-Based Reporting System. The most recent FBI data was released in October 2023 and accounts for crimes reported in 2022. SafeWise also used population thresholds in its reporting, according to the company.

These are the top five safest cities in Pennsylvania for 2024, according to SafeWise:

1. Hampden Township
2. Mount Lebanon
3. West Mifflin
4. Upper Allen Township
5. Shaler Township

See the full list.

Statewide, the property crime rate of 6.5 incidents per 1,000 people is the thirteenth-lowest in the US., much lower than the nationwide rate of 20.7.

Nearly six in 10 survey respondents reported a high level of concern about violent crime, while only about 50 percent of U.S. respondents responded with a high level of concern, according to the report.

57 percent of Pennsylvania respondents named gun violence their top safety concern, the analysis added. It’s consistent with increasing mass shooting incidents in the state, with 34 incidents in 2022 rising to 35 in 2023.