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 44 cities in the Keystone State with over 6,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Pennsylvania
- Wilkinsburg
- Chester
- Stowe Township
- Sunbury
- McKeesport
- Harrisburg
- York
- Philadelphia
- Darby Township
- Pottstown
What city has the highest murder rate in Pennsylvania? The city with the highest murder rate in Pennsylvania is Wilkinsburg with 104.0 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 514 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Pennsylvania ranked. There were ‘only’ 44 cities in Pennsylvania where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 126 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 2024
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Population: 15,389
Murders: 16 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 104.0 (Most)
More on Wilkinsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 33,905
Murders: 27 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 79.6 (2nd Most)
More on Chester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
3. Stowe Township
Population: 6,141
Murders: 4 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 65.1 (3rd Most)
More on Stowe Township:
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Population: 9,624
Murders: 5 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 52.0 (4th Most)
More on Sunbury: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 20,765
Murders: 10 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 48.2 (5th Most)
More on Mckeesport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 49,244
Murders: 23 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 46.7 (6th Most)
More on Harrisburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 44,901
Murders: 15 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.4 (7th Most)
More on York: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 1,555,812
Murders: 514 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 33.0 (8th Most)
More on Philadelphia: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Darby Township
Population: 9,256
Murders: 3 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.4 (9th Most)
More on Darby Township:
10. Pottstown
Population: 22,705
Murders: 7 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.8 (10th Most)
More on Pottstown:
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 44 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 Wilkinsburg. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Pennsylvania. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Pennsylvania For 2024
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 Wilkinsburg, Chester, Stowe Township, Sunbury, McKeesport, Harrisburg, York, Philadelphia, Darby Township, and Pottstown.
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 | Wilkinsburg, PA | 15389 | 16 | 103.97 |
| 2 | Chester, PA | 33905 | 27 | 79.63 |
| 3 | Stowe Township, PA | 6141 | 4 | 65.14 |
| 4 | Sunbury, PA | 9624 | 5 | 51.95 |
| 5 | McKeesport, PA | 20765 | 10 | 48.16 |
| 6 | Harrisburg, PA | 49244 | 23 | 46.71 |
| 7 | York, PA | 44901 | 15 | 33.41 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | 1555812 | 514 | 33.04 |
| 9 | Darby Township, PA | 9256 | 3 | 32.41 |
| 10 | Pottstown, PA | 22705 | 7 | 30.83 |
| 11 | Chambersburg, PA | 21131 | 6 | 28.39 |
| 12 | Waynesboro, PA | 10925 | 3 | 27.46 |
| 13 | Norristown, PA | 35888 | 9 | 25.08 |
| 14 | Penn Hills, PA | 40809 | 10 | 24.5 |
| 15 | St. Marys City, PA | 12602 | 3 | 23.81 |
| 16 | Aliquippa, PA | 8780 | 2 | 22.78 |
| 17 | Berwick, PA | 10360 | 2 | 19.31 |
| 18 | West Norriton Township, PA | 15650 | 3 | 19.17 |
| 19 | Rostraver Township, PA | 11368 | 2 | 17.59 |
| 20 | Shamokin, PA | 6874 | 1 | 14.55 |
| 21 | New Cumberland, PA | 7588 | 1 | 13.18 |
| 22 | Grove City, PA | 7840 | 1 | 12.76 |
| 23 | Bellevue, PA | 8091 | 1 | 12.36 |
| 24 | Jeannette, PA | 8636 | 1 | 11.58 |
| 25 | Swissvale, PA | 8652 | 1 | 11.56 |
| 26 | Upper Dublin Township, PA | 26624 | 3 | 11.27 |
| 27 | Swatara Township, PA | 26643 | 3 | 11.26 |
| 28 | Butler Township, Luzerne County, PA | 9819 | 1 | 10.18 |
| 29 | Carlisle, PA | 20237 | 2 | 9.88 |
| 30 | Wyomissing, PA | 10504 | 1 | 9.52 |
| 31 | North Middleton Township, PA | 11713 | 1 | 8.54 |
| 32 | Allentown, PA | 121855 | 10 | 8.21 |
| 33 | New Kensington, PA | 12273 | 1 | 8.15 |
| 34 | Robinson Township, Allegheny County, PA | 13711 | 1 | 7.29 |
| 35 | Kingston, PA | 14232 | 1 | 7.03 |
| 36 | State College, PA | 58633 | 4 | 6.82 |
| 37 | Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, PA | 17176 | 1 | 5.82 |
| 38 | Erie, PA | 93363 | 5 | 5.36 |
| 39 | West Manchester Township, PA | 18860 | 1 | 5.3 |
| 40 | Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, PA | 25238 | 1 | 3.96 |
| 41 | Lebanon, PA | 25959 | 1 | 3.85 |
| 42 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 44497 | 1 | 2.25 |
| 43 | Bristol Township, PA | 53508 | 1 | 1.87 |
| 44 | Scranton, PA | 75798 | 1 | 1.32 |
