Old Forge is a borough of 8,730 in Lackawanna County, about 5 miles southwest of downtown Scranton · Updated November 2026
Is Old Forge, PA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Old Forge: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 914 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
72% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Old Forge as a whole, and 28% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Old Forge scores 914.
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 Old Forge, PA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Old Forge, 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 Old Forge
Theft runs low. Old Forge has 3.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 13.1.
Crime rates and types in Old Forge
CrimeGrade™ estimates Old Forge has about 9.2 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 75% less than the US as a whole and 68% 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 Old Forge, about 43% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does far more harm.
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 Old Forge Police Department reports to the FBI in a format that leaves out vandalism, so CrimeGrade™ makes its own vandalism estimate.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Old Forge compares with nearby cities
Old Forge has less crime than 4 of its 8 nearest cities.
Two things set Old Forge apart: it has 24 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 4% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, and theft runs low here.
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 Old Forge: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.24 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 80% 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. 71% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (24 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 70% 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.4% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 78% 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.4.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 69% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.8.5 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 68% 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 Old Forge
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Old Forge about $289 a year per household, 76% 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 $4.4 million a year, or $501 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$250,000
$29
Rape
$63,000
$7
Robbery
$29,000
$3
Assault
$360,000
$41
Burglary
$45,000
$5
Theft
$170,000
$20
Vehicle theft
$69,000
$8
Arson
$8,500
$1
Vandalism
$110,000
$13
Total
$1.1 million
$128
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 Old Forge 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. Old Forge 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 Old Forge, PA average a SchoolGrade of A: 60% of students test proficient, against 53% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Old Forge on SchoolGrade
