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 2023:
- Chester
- Wilkinsburg
- Harrisburg
- McKeesport
- Penn Hills
- Pottstown
- Stowe Township
- Erie
- Chambersburg
- Norristown
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 Chester with 27 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Pennsylvania ranked. There were ‘only’ 35 cities in Pennsylvania where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 106 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
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Pennsylvania For 2023
/10
Population: 33,905
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 27 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 79.6 (2nd Most)
More on Chester: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 15,389
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 16 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 104.0 (Most)
More on Wilkinsburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 49,244
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 23 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 46.7 (5th Most)
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 20,765
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 10 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 48.2 (4th Most)
More on McKeesport: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
5. Penn Hills
Population: 40,809
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 10 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.5 (9th Most)
More on Penn Hills:
6. Pottstown
Population: 22,705
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 7 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.8 (7th Most)
More on Pottstown:
7. Stowe Township
Population: 6,141
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 4 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 65.1 (3rd Most)
More on Stowe Township:
/10
Population: 95,834
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 13 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.6 (13th Most)
More on Erie: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 21,131
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 6 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 28.4 (8th Most)
More on Chambersburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
10. Norristown
Population: 34,430
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 6 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.4 (12th Most)
More on Norristown:
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 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 35 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.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in Pennsylvania and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Pennsylvania For 2023
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 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester, PA | 27 |
| 2 | Wilkinsburg, PA | 16 |
| 3 | Harrisburg, PA | 23 |
| 4 | McKeesport, PA | 10 |
| 5 | Penn Hills, PA | 10 |
| 6 | Pottstown, PA | 7 |
| 7 | Stowe Township, PA | 4 |
| 8 | Erie, PA | 13 |
| 9 | Chambersburg, PA | 6 |
| 10 | Norristown, PA | 6 |
| 11 | Darby Township, PA | 3 |
| 12 | West Norriton Township, PA | 3 |
| 13 | Aliquippa, PA | 2 |
| 14 | Allentown, PA | 10 |
| 15 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 4 |
| 16 | Upper Dublin Township, PA | 3 |
| 17 | Swatara Township, PA | 3 |
| 18 | Carlisle, PA | 2 |
| 19 | State College, PA | 4 |
| 20 | East Pennsboro Township, PA | 2 |
| 21 | West Shore Regional, PA | 1 |
| 22 | Wilson, PA | 1 |
| 23 | Grove City, PA | 1 |
| 24 | Swissvale, PA | 1 |
| 25 | Wyomissing, PA | 1 |
| 26 | Waynesboro, PA | 1 |
| 27 | North Middleton Township, PA | 1 |
| 28 | New Kensington, PA | 1 |
| 29 | Robinson Township, Allegheny County, PA | 1 |
| 30 | Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, PA | 1 |
| 31 | West Manchester Township, PA | 1 |
| 32 | Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, PA | 1 |
| 33 | Lebanon, PA | 1 |
| 34 | Bristol Township, PA | 1 |
| 35 | Scranton, PA | 1 |
