10 Most Dangerous Cities in Pennsylvania
October 3, 2014
What are the most dangerous cities in Pennsylvania? To get the lowdown on the cities in Pennsylvania that are the most dangerous with the highest crime rates, we consulted the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report. Our rankings are based solely on the data publicly released each year by the FBI. A crime is a crime, so we took both violent and property crimes into account when compiling our list of Pennsylvania’s most dangerous cities. Our list of dangerous cities, however, are ranked according to violent crime rate.*
We realize that this topic is inherently controversial in nature and hits close to home. We are aware that there are many different ways to present this data, but when compiling this list we chose to consider not just murder rate, but both violent and property crimes. Our list is ranked by violent crime rate, but check each city listing to get a general idea of the city’s ranking in terms of overall criminal offenses. Only cities with populations over 5,000 were considered. Cities with overall crime rates below 45 were also excluded.
1. Chester, PA: Pennsylvania’s Most Dangerous City
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 21.03 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 35.14 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 56.16 per 1,000 residents
Chester has a crime rate of about 56 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Chester? One in 18.
Chester’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #6
These statistics make Chester the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania.
2. Ambridge, PA
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 18.86 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 41.27 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 60.13 per 1,000 residents
Ambridge has a crime rate of about 60 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Ambridge? One in 17.
Ambridge’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #4
3. New Castle, PA
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 15.37 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 46.36 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 61.73 per 1,000 residents
New Castle has a crime rate of about 62 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in New Castle? One in 16.
New Castle’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #3
4. McKees Rocks, PA
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 15.01 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 53.52 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 68.54 per 1,000 residents
McKees Rocks has a crime rate of about 69 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in McKees Rocks? One in 15.
McKees Rocks’ ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #1
5. Harrisburg, PA
Annual Crimes Per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crimes: 14.61 per 1,000 residents
Property Crimes: 48.76 per 1,000 residents
Total Reported Crimes: 63.37 per 1,000 residents
Harrisburg has a crime rate of about 63 per one thousand residents.
Your chance of becoming a victim of a crime in Harrisburg? One in 16.
Harrisburg’s ranking when considering both violent and property crimes? #2