Crime per resident in Steelton runs higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
All 3 towns next door with figures record less crime per resident. What’s more, from 2023 to 2025, crimes Steelton’s police reported put it at D for safety: #560 of 578 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The graded rate fell 30% from 2023 to 2025. Annual rates stand at 9.4 violent crimes and 15.1 incidents of property crime for every thousand residents, next to 2.9 and 17.5 in the rest of Pennsylvania.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of PA” is every other Pennsylvania city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in Steelton
3 of the 3 graded towns next door report less crime
Of the 3 Pennsylvania towns on Steelton’s borders, 3 have a Safety Grade: Lower Swatara Township (A−), Highspire (B−), Swatara Township (C). Neighbors ↓
Reported crime is falling
Crime reported per resident fell from 2023 to 2025 by more than ordinary year-to-year swings, on the grade’s own score. Trend ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind Steelton’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Both violent and property crime are higher than in most U.S. towns; property crime is the closer of the two to typical. Its property rate (15.1) is below the FBI’s national estimate (17.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns.
Reported crime per resident, 2023 to 2025
Show as a table
| Year | Steelton property | Rest of Pennsylvania property | Steelton violent | Rest of Pennsylvania violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17.8 | 19.1 | 11.9 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | 14.7 | 17.4 | 8.4 | 2.9 |
| 2025 | 12.8 | 16.1 | 8.0 | 2.6 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident fell from 2023 to 2025, by more than ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2023–2025, against the rest of Pennsylvania.
Violent crime, by year and by type
Show as a table
| Year | Steelton | Rest of Pennsylvania | U.S. (FBI national estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 11.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | 8.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| 2025 | 8.0 | 2.6 | 3.3 |
Violent crimes per 1,000 residents
By type 2023–2025, counts
Steelton’s police reported 178 violent crimes to the FBI over 2023–2025, about 9.4 per 1,000 residents a year, against 2.9 in the rest of Pennsylvania and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
Crime in Steelton per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 8 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
133 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
51 violent and 82 property, as reported to the FBI by Steelton’s police.
Three people died in crashes on Steelton’s roads in 2019–2023
Steelton had 2 fatal crashes in five years, in which three people died. 1 died in crash on an Interstate.
That is about what is typical for Pennsylvania towns of 5,000–25,000 people: at their median rate (5.8 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Steelton’s size would see about 2 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Steelton’s own rate (9.5) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Steelton and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelton | D | 9.4 | 15.1 |
| Swatara Township | C | 1.6 | 25.1 |
| Lower Swatara Township | A− | 1.5 | 3.0 |
| Highspire | B− | 2.5 | 11.0 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Pennsylvania towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelton | D | 9.4 | 15.1 |
| Upper Pottsgrove Township | A | 0.6 | 2.8 |
| West View | A− | 0.7 | 6.9 |
| Hellertown | B | 2.2 | 6.8 |
| Milton | B | 2.0 | 8.4 |
| Prospect Park | B− | 2.3 | 7.7 |
The five graded Pennsylvania towns closest to Steelton’s population (6,328), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of Steelton. A town-wide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Steelton’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (6,382 in 2025); our figure for Steelton is 6,328 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Steelton
Is Steelton, PA safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, Steelton reports more crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, a D Safety Grade and #560 of 578 in Pennsylvania. Its police reported 9.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 2.9 in the rest of Pennsylvania and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in Steelton?
9.4 violent and 15.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of Pennsylvania reports 2.9 and 17.5; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
Is Steelton safer than Swatara Township?
Swatara Township reports less crime per resident than Steelton: Swatara Township grades C for safety and Steelton D. Swatara Township’s police reported 1.6 violent and 25.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices Steelton?
Steelton’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Steelton”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
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Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Steelton.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.