Although Pennsylvania is the 11th safest state in the union, its several cities have high crime rates. According to FBI statistics, the most violent cities in Pennsylvania are Allentown, Altoona, McKees Rocks, Darby, Chester, Mckeesport, and Scranton. With between 101 and 205 percent more crimes per capita than all other communities in Pennsylvania, these cities consistently score highest in violent and property crimes.
The state of Pennsylvania is a very great place to live, both for its natural beauty and its distinctive inhabitants. Unfortunately, despite being such a beautiful state, PA also has its fair share of issues. It will be best to stay away from Ambridge, Philadelphia, and Pottstown. This post will examine Pennsylvania’s most dangerous cities and why they are so. The data in the following paragraphs are from the FBI and NEIGHBORHOODSCOUT crime reports.
McKees Rocks
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Having a crime score of 2, McKees Rocks is the riskiest city in Pennsylvania. It is a small city in Pennsylvania where a lot of crime affects the locals. Although the city is smaller than most other places on this list, the crime rate is alarmingly high per population. For every 1,000 people that live in McKees Rocks, there are about 62 crimes. This figure shows McKees Rocks is only 2% safer than other US cities. More problems occur in settings like parks, airports, and schools. Of which Mckees Rocks has none, major airports always appear to be high-crime areas due to the sheer volume of travelers and the sparse local population.
The same issue affects parks and designated recreational places, of which McKees Rocks has twoFew of the 23,691 residents of McKees Rocks lives close to recreational attractions. Whether a person lives there or not, crime ultimately occurs where people are. Even in safe parks, crime rates may appear more significant due to the volume of visitors.
Mckeesport
McKeesport, which is a half-hour drive southeast of Pittsburgh, is the second-most dangerous city in Pennsylvania to live in. McKeesport’s overall crime rate is more than 250 percent higher than the state average and 150 percent higher than the national average. Mckeesport, which has a population of 19,529, is a medium-sized city. It is still standing when it comes to the worst areas to live in the state. In addition, the city has the 22nd-highest crime rate in the state. We discovered that McKeesport has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country overall across all types of neighborhoods. Rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault, especially assault with a weapon, were among the documented violent offenses.
Darby
Darby has one of the top crime rates in America, compared to all communities of all sizes, from the tiniest towns to the most prominent cities, with a 54 per 1,000 population crime rate. There is a one in 19 chance of becoming a violent or property crime victim. More than 98 percent of Pennsylvanian communities have lower crime rates than Darby’s. Darby, which has a population of 10,715, has a very high combined rate of violent and property crime compared to other places with comparable people. There aren’t many smaller towns with a crime rate as high as Darby. Across all sizes of communities, Darby has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country (both large and small). Rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, and aggravated assault, including attack with a dangerous weapon, were among the violent offenses monitored.
Allentown
The FBI’s latest statistics show that Allentown has a total crime rate of 2,669.6 per 100,000 residents. And this is 31.27 percent higher than Pennsylvania’s overall crime rate of 2,033.6 per 100,000 people and 13.79 percent higher than the national rate of 2,346.0 per 100,000 people. Allentown has a higher total crime rate than the majority of American cities. In contrast, there are 2,489 crimes reported nationwide for every 100,000 inhabitants. The vast majority of violent crimes in the United States have aggravated assaults. In Allentown, it is also the violent crime that is most common. In Allentown in 2019, there were 230 reported aggravated assaults or 189 for every 100,000 residents. The rate is greater nationwide, hovering at 250 per 100 000 people.
Chester
Chester is a sizable city with several incidents of property crime. The town is just 6% safer than comparable US cities, with a crime index of 6. The bulk of the reports of crime in Chester involves theft. According to FBI data, there are reports of 4,389 crimes in total in this city. These crimes included homicide, rape, assault, auto burglary, and other events involving the property. However, property crime was more common than violent crime. There are reports of violent offenses of 1383 and 3,005 property crimes per capita in 2020. Keep in mind that visitors to the area who do not reside there may cause the rate of crime per resident to appear inflated. For instance, the northeastern region of the city has more retail shops. Many crimes get committed in blocks with few residents where there are retail areas.
Pottstown
Pottstown, home to 22,792 Pennsylvanians, recorded 196 violent offenses last year. Unfortunately, Pottstown is Pennsylvania’s third-most dangerous city. The state also has the third-highest rate of property crime. On average, there are reports of 39 crimes for every 1,000 people living in Pottstown. Pottstown may be reached from Philadelphia in under 50 minutes by car. In Pottstown, the most frequent violent crime, assault, has a 1 in 139 chance of happening to you. This year, there have been 100 recorded assaults. Around 22% of Pottstown’s population is below the poverty line. Residents of Pottstown typically believe that the southeast region of the city is the safest for this kind of crime.
Scranton
Scranton has some of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes, from the tiniest towns to the most significant cities, with a crime rate of 42 per 1,000. There is a one in 24 chance of becoming a violent or property crime victim. Not every city with a significant increase in violent crime is unsafe. However, Scranton is. The metro area’s violent crime rate is significantly greater than the national average. It is significant to note that the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have affected crime trends in the US over the past year.
Philadelphia
The city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, has high crime rates. 40 out of every 1,000 people living there are the victims of a property crime. This number far outweighs the number of violent crimes committed in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia’s violent crime is not exceptionally high compared to cities of its size. It has the most significant poverty rate among the 10 American cities with a population of more than one million but the lowest violent crime rate. You have a one in 110 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Philadelphia.
Ambridge
According to FBI data, there are four thousand fifty-seven crimes reported in total for Ambridge. These crimes included homicide, rape, assault, auto burglary, and other events involving the property. Despite being a small city, it has a high rate of crime. One Ambridge resident out of every 73 suffers a violent crime. Ambridge has seen 79 assaults so far this year. But in Ambridge, you are more likely to be robbed than attacked. In Ambridge, property crime affects 1 in every 39 people. Few of the 10,282 people who live in Ambridge are close to recreational sites. Even in safe parks, crime rates may appear more significant due to the volume of visitors.
Altoona
Forty-three thousand six hundred sixty-nine people live in Altoona’s Pennsylvanian town. Residents of Altoona enjoy a dense suburban atmosphere, and most own their homes. There are numerous taverns, eateries, and parks in Altoona. In terms of safety, Altoona is in the 36th percentile, which means that 64% of cities are safer than it is, and 36% of cities are riskier.
In Altoona, a violent crime occurs at an average rate of 3.31 per 1,000 people yearly. Residents of Altoona typically believe that the city’s southeast section is the least dangerous for this kind of crime. In the past five years, the violent crime rate in the Altoona, Pennsylvania, metro region has increased by 43.0 percent. 2019 saw 406 violent crimes reported in the area, or 333 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents.
Conclusion
Pennsylvania is an excellent place to live with its natural beauty and distinctive inhabitants. Pennsylvanians worry more about their safety than most Americans. Despite having higher violent and property crime rates than any other state in the Mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania continues to have meager crime rates than the rest of the nation.