Crime in Forty Fort, PA

Forty Fort is a borough of 4,250 in Luzerne County, about 14 miles southwest of downtown Scranton · Updated November 2026

Is Forty Fort, PA safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Forty Fort has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A+. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 923 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Forty Fort as a whole, and 25% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Forty Fort scores 923.

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.

A
Violent crimeSafety score 915 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 934 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Forty Fort

Map of Forty Fort shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Forty Fort, PA at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Forty Fort, 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


Crime rates and types in Forty Fort

CrimeGrade™ estimates Forty Fort has about 13 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 64% less than the US as a whole and 54% 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 Forty Fort, about 71% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderAunder 10.030.05
RapeAunder 10.190.38
RobberyA+under 10.130.62
AssaultA+71.712.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+30.632.4
TheftA409.413.1
Vehicle theftA+20.392.7
ArsonA+under 10.040.12
VandalismA+30.715.5

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.

The Forty Fort Police Department's 2024 count of theft fell far below its usual level, a sign of a reporting break, so CrimeGrade™ used the department's earlier years instead.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


How Forty Fort compares with nearby cities

Forty Fort has less crime than 7 of its 9 nearest cities; only Wyoming and West Wyoming have less.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Forty FortA923AA+4,250
Swoyersville 1 mileA883AA5,000
Luzerne 1 mileA866AA2,670
Plains 1 mileA887AA4,150
Wilkes-Barre 3 milesB+725BA-65,200
Show all 9
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Kingston 2 milesA-819A-A-13,100
Pringle 2 milesA-843A-A1,030
Edwardsville 2 milesA-777B+A-5,010
West Wyoming 3 milesA+925AA+2,710
Wyoming 3 milesA+936A+A+5,670

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Forty Fort. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Forty Fort is safer than 70% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Forty FortA923AA+4,250
East Palatka, FLA+952A+A+4,290
Carlton, ORA+944A+A+4,250
Esparto, CAA+932A+A4,240
St. Marys, WVA923A+A4,250
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Mabton, WAA903AA4,240
Gervais, ORA891AA4,220
Roseburg North, ORA864AA-4,240
Fort Eustis, VAA850A-A4,220
Hauula, HIA-839AA-4,300
East Flat Rock, NCA-831A-A-4,280

Shops, walkability and transit in Forty Fort

Two things set Forty Fort apart: it has 24.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and a Walk Grade of C (35 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Even so, 59% of residents in Forty Fort live in car-dependent areas, where most errands take a car. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.24.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 98% 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.C (35 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 85% 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 Forty Fort: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Show all 6
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.99% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 68% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.52 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 66% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 57% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Forty Fort on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Forty Fort

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Forty Fort about $338 a year per household, 72% 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 $2.4 million a year, or $560 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$200,000$47
Rape$49,000$11
Robbery$17,000$4
Assault$100,000$24
Burglary$24,000$6
Theft$210,000$48
Vehicle theft$25,000$6
Arson$3,600$1
Vandalism$21,000$5
Total$650,000$152

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 Forty Fort 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Forty Fort

Schools in Forty Fort, PA average a SchoolGrade of D+: 43% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Forty Fort on SchoolGrade