The numbers pull in two directions. Philadelphia sits in the 2nd percentile of the 13,216 jurisdictions SafeNest grades, with property crime at 4,548 per 100k against a national 1,954, yet the violent crime rate fell 7.5% year over year in 2024 — a trend SafeNest classifies as improving. Schools offer no counterweight: 302 rated schools average 2.8/10, middle schools 2.2/10, and the highest scorer, Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures CS, reaches 6.0/10. So a buyer here is weighing a falling crime rate against a low starting point and a weak school field. Flood risk sits apart from both: 26 FEMA declarations for Pennsylvania between 1955 and 2016 describe a state, not a parcel. Every figure on this page is a city-wide average. No street in Philadelphia is average, and none of these numbers describe the address you are actually considering.
Crime in Philadelphia vs. the national average
Philadelphia reports 910 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 139% above the U.S. average of 381, and 4,548 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (133% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 7.5% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving.
| Philadelphia | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 910 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 4548 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Philadelphia can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Pennsylvania — the state SafeNest uses for Philadelphia's flood context — list 26 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1955 and 2016, most recently "Severe Storms And Flooding". Pennsylvania has also seen 10 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Philadelphia address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Philadelphia
Public schools in Philadelphia average 2.8/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 302 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 2.9/10 on average, while middle schools average 2.2/10. The highest-scoring is Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures CS at 6.0/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Philadelphia: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Philadelphia address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Check a specific Philadelphia address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF for $6.99.
Or search any Philadelphia address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Philadelphia
Is Philadelphia, PA safe?
Philadelphia records 910 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 139% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: D, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia reports approximately 910 violent crimes and 4548 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Philadelphia have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Philadelphia, federal records show 26 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Pennsylvania, most recently in 2016; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Pennsylvania.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).