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Crime Rate in Erie, PA (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Erie, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

69/100
CModerate risk

Crime Index

Population: 92,461
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#3 most dangerous of 8 cities in Pennsylvania
99% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Erie safe?

For 2025, Erie scores 69/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade C (moderate risk), which means it is close to the typical US city for reported crime. Its violent-crime rate of 315 per 100k is in line with the US average, and arson stands out most: 18 reported in 2025, 2.1× the national rate. It ranks #3 most dangerous of 8 cities in Pennsylvania.

Violent crime
315/100k
in line with US avg
+39% vs PA avg
Property crime
2,051/100k
+38% vs US avg
1.5× PA avg
Homicide
4.3/100k
in line with US avg
in line with PA avg
Total reported
2,365/100k
+31% vs US avg
1.5× PA avg
43%

Safer than 43% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 318

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 49

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Erie

3,6351,8180202120222023202420254332,365
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
+5% US
4.3
4 total
Rape
+26% US
44.3
41 total
Robbery
-8% US
44.3
41 total
Aggravated assault
-3% US
222
205 total

Property crime

Burglary
-7% US
173
160 total
Larceny-theft
1.6× US
1,742
1,611 total
Motor vehicle theft
0.6× US
116
107 total
Arson
2.1× US
19.5
18 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

4.33per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

+5% higher than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Erie compares

Erie against the Pennsylvania and US averages for 2025.

MetricEriePennsylvaniaUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)69C79B73C
Violent crime /100k315227315
Property crime /100k2,0511,3461,487
Homicide /100k4.34.24.1
Total reported /100k2,3651,5731,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

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No area has zero risk

A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.

Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →

Compare Erie to other Pennsylvania cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Erie.

Allentown76 BScranton73 CLancaster72 CHarrisburg53 DPhiladelphia26 F

Head-to-head comparisons

Erie vs ScrantonErie vs LancasterErie vs HarrisburgErie vs Philadelphia

Frequently asked questions

Is Erie safe?
Erie has a Crime Index of 69 out of 100 (grade C — moderate risk) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #6 of 8 cities in Pennsylvania by reported crime. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
What does a "C" grade mean?
A "Moderate risk" grade means Erie's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 60–74 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Erie?
The most frequently reported offense in Erie for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 1,611 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Erie getting better or worse?
There isn't enough multi-year data to state a reliable trend for Erie.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Erie?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Erie residents face roughly a 1 in 318 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 49 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Erie compare to other US cities?
Erie is safer than 43% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is +39% vs the Pennsylvania average and its property-crime rate is 1.5× the Pennsylvania average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
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