Crime in State College, Pennsylvania

State College's crime rate

There were 602 crimes reported in State College, Pennsylvania in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 1,027 incidents for every 100,000 people.

How does State College compare?

State College has a lower overall crime rate than the vast majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.

State College's overall crime rate is 40% lower than the overall crime rate in Pennsylvania. Statewide, there were 218,893 crimes reported in 2019, or 1,710 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In State College, however, property crimes account for about 91% of all offenses.

Despite accounting for a higher than average share of total offenses, property crime is much less prevalent in State College than it is nationwide. There were 548 property crimes in State College in 2019, or 935 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 State College. There were 497 larcenies reported in State College in 2019, or 848 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 36 break-ins reported in State College in 2019, or 61 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 State College, meanwhile, there were 15 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 26 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 State College, however, violent offenses account for a smaller 9% share of all reported crime.

At 92 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in State College is well below the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in State College reported a total of 54 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 State College. There were 32 aggravated assaults reported in State College in 2019, or 55 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far higher, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 8 robberies reported in State College in 2019, a rate of 14 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 11 rapes reported in State College in 2019, or 19 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 3 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in State College is 5.1 murders for every 100,000 people, similar to the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

State College compared to other cities in Pennsylvania

State College has a lower crime rate than the majority of all comparable cities in Pennsylvania. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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