East Petersburg is a borough of 5,190 in Lancaster County, about 5 miles northwest of downtown Lancaster · Updated November 2026
Is East Petersburg, PA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in East Petersburg: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 82% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in East Petersburg grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 942 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
82% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than East Petersburg as a whole, and 18% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. East Petersburg scores 942.
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 East Petersburg, PA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in East Petersburg, 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 East Petersburg
Theft runs low. East Petersburg has 4.2 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 13.1.
Crime rates and types in East Petersburg
CrimeGrade™ estimates East Petersburg has about 8.8 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 76% less than the US as a whole and 69% less than 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.
Theft is the most common crime in East Petersburg, about 48% of everything reported.
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.
How East Petersburg compares with nearby cities
East Petersburg has less crime than 4 of its 7 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from East Petersburg. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, East Petersburg has more crime than 51% of them.
Parking lots, empty homes and walkability in East Petersburg
Two things set East Petersburg apart: it has 3.5 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 2.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with a lot of parking-lot space tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.5 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 91% 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.2.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 90% of US city residents
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. 98% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (12 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 68% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.70 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 86% 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 East Petersburg: D+ (18 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.8.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 72% 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 East Petersburg
Crime costs East Petersburg about $259 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 79% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $1.6 million a year, or $314 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$130,000
$26
Rape
$21,000
$4
Robbery
$8,800
$2
Assault
$110,000
$22
Burglary
$18,000
$4
Theft
$110,000
$22
Vehicle theft
$27,000
$5
Arson
$3,800
$1
Vandalism
$60,000
$12
Total
$500,000
$96
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 East Petersburg 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. East Petersburg is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 East Petersburg, PA average a SchoolGrade of A+: 63% of students test proficient, against 54% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in East Petersburg on SchoolGrade
