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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.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Pennsylvania.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Keystone State for 2021:
- Chester (Photos)
- Wilkinsburg (Photos)
- Harrisburg (Photos)
- McKeesport (Photos)
- Pottstown
- Penn Hills
- Stowe Township
- Chambersburg (Photos)
- Erie (Photos)
- Norristown
The city with highest murder rate in Pennsylvania? That would be Wilkinsburg with 71.5 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? Chester with 18.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were 'only' 29 cities in Pennsylvania where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 92 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 2021
5. Pottstown
Population: 22,705
Rank Last Year: 5
Murders: 5 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.0 (6th Most)
More on Pottstown:
6. Penn Hills
Population: 40,809
Rank Last Year: 71
Murders: 7 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.2 (9th Most)
More on Penn Hills:
7. Stowe Township
Population: 6,141
Rank Last Year: 47
Murders: 3 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 48.9 (3rd Most)
More on Stowe Township:
10. Norristown
Population: 34,430
Rank Last Year: 79
Murders: 4 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.6 (13th Most)
More on Norristown:
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 didn't want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at 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 that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked 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 29 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It - The Places With The Most Murders In Pennsylvania For 2021
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.
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
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Pennsylvania For 2021
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester, PA | 18 |
| 2 | Wilkinsburg, PA | 11 |
| 3 | Harrisburg, PA | 13 |
| 4 | McKeesport, PA | 7 |
| 5 | Pottstown, PA | 5 |
| 6 | Penn Hills, PA | 7 |
| 7 | Stowe Township, PA | 3 |
| 8 | Chambersburg, PA | 4 |
| 9 | Erie, PA | 9 |
| 10 | Norristown, PA | 4 |
| 11 | Darby Township, PA | 2 |
| 12 | West Norriton Township, PA | 2 |
| 13 | Allentown, PA | 7 |
| 14 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 3 |
| 15 | Wilson, PA | 1 |
| 16 | Upper Dublin Township, PA | 2 |
| 17 | Swatara Township, PA | 2 |
| 18 | Grove City, PA | 1 |
| 19 | Swissvale, PA | 1 |
| 20 | State College, PA | 3 |
| 21 | Wyomissing, PA | 1 |
| 22 | North Middleton Township, PA | 1 |
| 23 | New Kensington, PA | 1 |
| 24 | Robinson Township, Allegheny County, PA | 1 |
| 25 | Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, PA | 1 |
| 26 | West Manchester Township, PA | 1 |
| 27 | Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, PA | 1 |
| 28 | Lebanon, PA | 1 |
| 29 | Bristol Township, PA | 1 |
