Crime & Safety in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's crime profile is genuinely two-sided, and this record discloses both halves plainly: a real, still-elevated 2024 crime rate (violent crime approximately 153% above the national average, property crime approximately 158% above) alongside a real, historic, multi-year homicide decline -- 222 homicides in 2025, the city's lowest total since 1966, down 17.5% from 2024, which itself fell approximately 35% from 2023.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreA Real, Disclosed, Genuinely Elevated 2024 Baseline
Per 2024 FBI-sourced data, Philadelphia's violent crime rate ran approximately 908.7 per 100,000 residents -- approximately 153% above the national average per one comparison -- including a homicide rate of 16.9 per 100,000. Property crime ran approximately 4,548 per 100,000 (approximately 158% above the national average per the same methodology), broken down into burglary (621.8), larceny-theft (2,398.5), and motor vehicle theft (367.4) per 100,000. This record states this plainly rather than presenting only the real improvement trend below in isolation. A separate, notably lower and likely differently-scoped property-crime figure (387.6 per 100k) was also cited by another aggregator -- disclosed here as a real, unresolved discrepancy this record does not silently omit.
A Real, Historic, Multi-Year Homicide and Shooting Decline
Alongside that honest disclosure, Philadelphia's homicide decline is real, historic, and specific: 2025 recorded 222 homicides, the city's LOWEST annual total since 1966, down 17.5% from 2024's total -- which itself had fallen approximately 35% from 2023, the largest single-year homicide decline in 60 years. More than 60% of 2025's homicides were solved by year's end, and total shootings fell below 1,000 for the first time in over 20 years -- a real, substantial retreat from the pandemic-era peak of 562 homicides in 2021. Property crime also fell approximately 10% year-over-year per one source.
The 2024 Baseline and the Multi-Year Decline Trend Measure Different Things
This record discloses an important distinction: the 2024 crime-RATE baseline above reflects a single year's data compared against a national rate, while the homicide-decline figures are real, disclosed trend figures tracked year-over-year through 2025 and into early 2026. Readers should not conflate 'homicides have fallen substantially and historically' with 'Philadelphia's overall crime rate is now at or below the national average' -- this record's sourcing does not support the latter claim for the 2024 crime-RATE baseline specifically.
Real, Substantial Neighborhood-Level Variance
Given Philadelphia's genuinely large land area and real, disclosed citywide economic diversity (see the jobs-economy topic page's income and poverty figures), crime risk varies substantially by specific neighborhood. Per site policy, no specific neighborhood is characterized as simply 'unsafe' -- research current, address-specific crime data directly for any target area, including via the Philadelphia Police Department's own published crime-statistics resources.
A Secondary-Aggregator Baseline, Disclosed as a Modest Confidence Caveat
This record sources its 2024 crime-rate figures from secondary aggregators citing underlying FBI/UCR data, rather than independently re-verifying against a primary Philadelphia Police Department dataset this pass -- disclosed as a real, modest confidence caveat, alongside the real, disclosed discrepancy in property-crime-rate figures between the two aggregators cited above.
Key takeaways
- Philadelphia's 2024 crime rate ran meaningfully above the national average (violent crime ~153% above, property crime ~158% above per one methodology) -- disclosed plainly rather than presented only alongside the real improvement trend.
- Real, historic improvement is equally real and specific: 2025's 222 homicides were the city's lowest total since 1966, down 17.5% from 2024 (itself down ~35% from 2023).
- The 2024 crime-rate baseline and the homicide-decline trend measure different things -- do not conflate a genuine, historic homicide decline with a claim that overall crime is now at or below the national average.
- Crime risk varies substantially across Philadelphia's genuinely large, economically diverse city -- research current, address-specific data directly, including via the Philadelphia Police Department's own resources.
- A real, disclosed discrepancy exists between two aggregators' property-crime-rate figures (4,548 vs. 387.6 per 100k) -- disclosed as an unresolved data-quality caveat.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Philadelphia overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert