Crime in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Scranton, however, property crimes account for only about 53% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in Scranton than it is nationwide. There were 1,347 property crimes in Scranton in 2019, or 1,742 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Scranton. There were 1,026 larcenies reported in Scranton in 2019, or 1,327 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 239 break-ins reported in Scranton in 2019, or 309 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Scranton, meanwhile, there were 82 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 106 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Scranton, however, violent offenses account for a much larger 47% share of all reported crime.

At 1,551 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Scranton is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Scranton reported a total of 1,199 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Scranton. There were 1,088 aggravated assaults reported in Scranton in 2019, or 1,407 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 66 robberies reported in Scranton in 2019, a rate of 85 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 45 rapes reported in Scranton in 2019, or 58 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

While there were 16,425 murders nationwide in 2019, none were reported in Scranton.