Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Pennsylvania?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Pennsylvania with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 62 cities in the Keystone State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Pennsylvania
What city has the highest murder rate in Pennsylvania? The city with the highest murder rate in Pennsylvania is Clairton with 50.4 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Pennsylvania with highest number of murders? The city in Pennsylvania with the highest number of murders is Philadelphia with 403 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Pennsylvania ranked. There were ‘only’ 62 cities in Pennsylvania where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 170 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Keystone State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Pennsylvania
- Cheapest Places To Live In Pennsylvania
- Most Dangerous Cities In Pennsylvania
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Pennsylvania For 2025
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Population: 5,949
Murders: 3 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 50.4 (Most)
More on Clairton: Data
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Population: 18,703
Murders: 8 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.8 (2nd Most)
More on Mckeesport: Data
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Population: 5,751
Murders: 2 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.8 (3rd Most)
More on Plymouth: Data
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Population: 14,220
Murders: 4 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 28.1 (4th Most)
More on Kingston: Data
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Population: 50,229
Murders: 14 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 27.9 (5th Most)
More on Harrisburg: Data
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Population: 11,026
Murders: 3 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 27.2 (6th Most)
More on Waynesboro: Data
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Population: 1,550,843
Murders: 403 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.0 (7th Most)
More on Philadelphia: Data
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Population: 13,341
Murders: 3 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (8th Most)
More on Pottsville: Data
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Population: 9,394
Murders: 2 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.3 (9th Most)
More on Oil City: Data
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Population: 10,606
Murders: 2 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.9 (10th Most)
More on Nanticoke: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Pennsylvania
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Pennsylvania for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 62 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Clairton. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Pennsylvania. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Pennsylvania For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Pennsylvania with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Pennsylvania are Clairton, McKeesport, Plymouth, Kingston, Harrisburg, Waynesboro, Philadelphia, Pottsville, Oil City, and Nanticoke.
For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Pennsylvania
- Fastest Growing Cities In Pennsylvania
- Safest Places In Pennsylvania
- Best Cities For Singles In Pennsylvania
- Worst Places To Live In Pennsylvania
Murder Rates By City In Pennsylvania
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clairton, PA | 5949 | 3 | 50.43 |
| 2 | McKeesport, PA | 18703 | 8 | 42.77 |
| 3 | Plymouth, PA | 5751 | 2 | 34.78 |
| 4 | Kingston, PA | 14220 | 4 | 28.13 |
| 5 | Harrisburg, PA | 50229 | 14 | 27.87 |
| 6 | Waynesboro, PA | 11026 | 3 | 27.21 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | 1550843 | 403 | 25.99 |
| 8 | Pottsville, PA | 13341 | 3 | 22.49 |
| 9 | Oil City, PA | 9394 | 2 | 21.29 |
| 10 | Nanticoke, PA | 10606 | 2 | 18.86 |
| 11 | Pocono Mountain Regional, PA | 43108 | 8 | 18.56 |
| 12 | Hanover, PA | 16601 | 3 | 18.07 |
| 13 | Mount Carmel, PA | 5636 | 1 | 17.74 |
| 14 | Adams Township, Cambria County, PA | 5658 | 1 | 17.67 |
| 15 | Carlisle, PA | 23334 | 4 | 17.14 |
| 16 | New Kensington, PA | 11896 | 2 | 16.81 |
| 17 | St. Marys City, PA | 12424 | 2 | 16.1 |
| 18 | York, PA | 44876 | 7 | 15.6 |
| 19 | Ambridge, PA | 6761 | 1 | 14.79 |
| 20 | Shamokin, PA | 6794 | 1 | 14.72 |
| 21 | Wilkinsburg, PA | 13811 | 2 | 14.48 |
| 22 | Reading, PA | 97790 | 14 | 14.32 |
| 23 | Erie, PA | 92920 | 13 | 13.99 |
| 24 | Allentown, PA | 124782 | 17 | 13.62 |
| 25 | New Cumberland, PA | 7614 | 1 | 13.13 |
| 26 | East Vincent Township, PA | 7691 | 1 | 13.0 |
| 27 | Conewago Township, Adams County, PA | 7966 | 1 | 12.55 |
| 28 | West Norriton Township, PA | 16294 | 2 | 12.27 |
| 29 | Jeannette, PA | 8580 | 1 | 11.66 |
| 30 | Warren, PA | 9094 | 1 | 11.0 |
| 31 | Lansdale, PA | 18988 | 2 | 10.53 |
| 32 | West Manchester Township, PA | 19172 | 2 | 10.43 |
| 33 | Cheltenham Township, PA | 39081 | 4 | 10.24 |
| 34 | East Pennsboro Township, PA | 21229 | 2 | 9.42 |
| 35 | Hellam Township, PA | 10921 | 1 | 9.16 |
| 36 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 44268 | 4 | 9.04 |
| 37 | Lower Burrell, PA | 11508 | 1 | 8.69 |
| 38 | Pottstown, PA | 23350 | 2 | 8.57 |
| 39 | Lower Pottsgrove Township, PA | 12499 | 1 | 8.0 |
| 40 | Sharon, PA | 12864 | 1 | 7.77 |
| 41 | Williamsport, PA | 27237 | 2 | 7.34 |
| 42 | Hermitage, PA | 16560 | 1 | 6.04 |
| 43 | Radnor Township, PA | 33687 | 2 | 5.94 |
| 44 | Scott Township, Allegheny County, PA | 17430 | 1 | 5.74 |
| 45 | Norristown, PA | 35804 | 2 | 5.59 |
| 46 | Limerick Township, PA | 21171 | 1 | 4.72 |
| 47 | Peters Township, PA | 23416 | 1 | 4.27 |
| 48 | Upper Allen Township, PA | 23808 | 1 | 4.2 |
| 49 | Scranton, PA | 75687 | 3 | 3.96 |
| 50 | Horsham Township, PA | 26774 | 1 | 3.73 |
| 51 | Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, PA | 26800 | 1 | 3.73 |
| 52 | Whitehall Township, PA | 29102 | 1 | 3.44 |
| 53 | Abington Township, Montgomery County, PA | 58433 | 2 | 3.42 |
| 54 | Swatara Township, PA | 29598 | 1 | 3.38 |
| 55 | Easton, PA | 31557 | 1 | 3.17 |
| 56 | Lower Merion Township, PA | 64350 | 2 | 3.11 |
| 57 | Stroud Area Regional, PA | 34108 | 1 | 2.93 |
| 58 | Cranberry Township, PA | 34346 | 1 | 2.91 |
| 59 | Upper Merion Township, PA | 35304 | 1 | 2.83 |
| 60 | Altoona, PA | 42666 | 1 | 2.34 |
| 61 | Northern York County Regional, PA | 90329 | 2 | 2.21 |
| 62 | Manheim Township, PA | 62753 | 1 | 1.59 |