The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Bethlehem, PA
Bethlehem is a city of 121,400 in Northampton County, about 6 miles northeast of downtown Allentown · Updated November 2026
Is Bethlehem, PA safe?
Yes, crime in Bethlehem is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Bethlehem sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 51% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A against A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Bethlehem run from A+ to C-, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 841 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
51% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Bethlehem as a whole, and 49% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Bethlehem scores 841.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Bethlehem, PA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Bethlehem, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Bethlehem
Car thefts run high in South Side & Sayre Park. In this part of south Bethlehem, they run at more than double the rate in the rest of Bethlehem.
Burglaries and robberies both run low. In Bethlehem, each runs at less than half the US rate: 0.79 burglaries and 0.21 robberies a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 0.62 nationally.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Bethlehem
Low crime is the norm across Bethlehem: 93% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across Bethlehem run from A+ to C-; 53% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
93%
A or B 93%C 7%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Middletown, northeastAggravated assaults run at less than half the rate in the rest of Bethlehem.A914
2West Bethlehem, southwestCar thefts run at about double the rate in the rest of Bethlehem.B+754
3South Side & Sayre Park, southAggravated assaults run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Bethlehem.B+749
Neighborhood areas of Bethlehem, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Crime rates and types in Bethlehem
CrimeGrade™ estimates Bethlehem has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 22% less than the US as a whole and close to Pennsylvania.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in Bethlehem is assault, about 40% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Bethlehem
Bethlehem has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Bethlehem, 68% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 50% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (68%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (55%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (50%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (32%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Bethlehem compares with nearby cities
Bethlehem has more crime than 5 of its 9 nearest cities. Center Valley and Hellertown have the least crime nearby.
Two things set Bethlehem apart: it has a Walk Grade of C (33 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 3.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Even so, 59% of residents in Bethlehem live in car-dependent areas, where most errands take a car. Very walkable places tend to report more theft and assault, and assault runs high here.
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault.C (33 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 84% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.59 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 74% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.35% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 73% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Bethlehem: D+ (22 of 100).5 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 69% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.0 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 61% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Bethlehem
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Bethlehem about $746 a year per household, 38% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $35 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $96 million a year, or $795 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$5.6 million
$46
Rape
$2.2 million
$18
Robbery
$800,000
$7
Assault
$13 million
$107
Burglary
$860,000
$7
Theft
$7.0 million
$58
Vehicle theft
$1.9 million
$16
Arson
$200,000
$2
Vandalism
$3.1 million
$26
Total
$35 million
$286
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Bethlehem means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Bethlehem, PA average a SchoolGrade of C+: 46% of students test proficient, against 44% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Bethlehem on SchoolGrade
