The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Nelson, PA: Crime Maps and Statistics

A+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A-
Property Crime Grade	A+
Other Crime Grade	A

Which crimes are included?

$77,088

Cost of Crime™ for Nelson, PA

In 2025, crime will cost $440 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Nelson with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Nelson, PA Safe?

The A+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Nelson's combined rate is much lower than the norm. Nelson sits in the 99th percentile, ahead of 99% of cities and behind 1%. The grade covers only Nelson's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Nelson is 8.272 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 99 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 125 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of Nelson, PA report the most crime, about 2 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Nelson, PA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Nelson for 2025 is $77,088, about $166 per resident and $440 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 56.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 28.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 14.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Nelson Compared to Other Cities?

Nelson, PA:	$166
Duquesne, PA:	$1037
Lewisberry, PA:	$119
Pennsylvania:	$353
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Nelson is $166 per year, which is $298 less than the national average and $187 less than Pennsylvania's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Nelson:

In Duquesne, PA, crime costs $1,037 per person, which is $871 more than in Nelson.
In Lewisberry, PA, crime costs $119 per person, which is $47 less than in Nelson

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Nelson for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Nelson	Cost per Nelson Resident
Murder	$23,142	$50
Rape/Sexual Assault	$10,179	$22
Robbery	$18,677	$40
Assault	$1,597	$3
Kidnapping	$885	$2
Vehicle Theft	$3,212	$7
Burglary	$4,173	$9
Theft	$5,206	$11
Arson	$517	$1
Vandalism	$5,566	$12
Animal Cruelty	$74	$0
Drug Crimes	$3,361	$7
Identity Theft	$499	$1
Total Cost of Crime	$77,088	$166

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Nelson, PA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Nelson totals $213,863 ($460 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $290,951 ($626 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The city holds few retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas do the same, and of Nelson's 465 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Nelson, PA at ISP Reports.

Nelson Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Nelson residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.1196
Robbery	1.277
Rape	0.3610
Murder	0.0265
Total Violent Crime	1.784 (A-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	2.162
Vehicle Theft	0.4460
Burglary	0.9895
Arson	0.0460
Total Property Crime	3.643 (A+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0314
Drug Crimes	0.9771
Vandalism	1.676
Identity Theft	0.1386
Animal Cruelty	0.0215
Total "Other" Rate	2.844 (A)

Individual Nelson Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Nelson is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Nelson.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Elkland, PA	B-	F	B
Freeman, NY	A	A	B-
Osceola, PA	A-	B+	B+
Lawrenceville, PA	A	B+	B+
Niles Valley, PA	A+	A	A+
Tioga, PA	A-	C	B+
Tioga Junction, PA	B	D+	B-
Lindley, NY	B	F	A
Borden, NY	A+	A+	A+
Somers Lane, PA	A+	A-	A

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Nelson is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Grantsburg, IL	D+	B+	B+
Spring Prairie, WI	B-	B-	B-
Spring Grove, KY	D	D-	D-
Hailstone, UT	D	C	C
Hagensville, MI	B+	C+	C+
Greig, NY	B	D-	D-
Greenstreet, MO	C+	C-	C-
Greenough, GA	C-	B+	B+
Greenland, MI	D+	D-	D-
Gravelly Springs, AL	B-	A-	A-

Considering only the crime rate, Nelson is safer than the Pennsylvania state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Nelson, PA average SchoolGrade of A, with 65% actual proficiency versus 60% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Nelson schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

Crime By Zip Code Download

Our proprietary data is available for download by zip code or by state in a CSV Flat File. Please visit our download page for pricing and terms.

Download CSV

Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 34 days 22 hours in Nelson. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Nelson, PA

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.