The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Pennsauken, NJ

Pennsauken is a township of 19,700 in Camden County, about 5 miles east of downtown Philadelphia · Updated November 2026

Is Pennsauken, NJ safe?

With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B-, Pennsauken has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 77% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Violent crime grades B+ and property crime C. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Pennsauken run from A- to F, so check the map below.

B-
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 602 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

23% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Pennsauken as a whole, and 77% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pennsauken scores 602.

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.

B+
Violent crimeSafety score 702 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
C
Property crimeSafety score 429 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Pennsauken

Map of Pennsauken 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 Pennsauken, NJ at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Pennsauken, 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 Pennsauken

Burglary stands out among B-graded cities. For the typical resident of a B-graded US city, the figure is 2.7 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; Pennsauken has 7.0.

Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Pennsauken, 57% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.


The safest and least safe parts of Pennsauken

Crime varies widely across Pennsauken: 38% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 26% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Pennsauken run from A- to F; every part of Pennsauken has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 38%C 36%D or F 26%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Within Pennsauken, the northeast side has the least crime and the southwest side the most.


Crime rates and types in Pennsauken

CrimeGrade™ estimates Pennsauken has about 77 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about double the rate for the US as a whole and more than double the rate for New Jersey.

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 Pennsauken, about 44% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderB+under 10.040.05
RapeA-40.220.38
RobberyB190.970.62
AssaultB-35317.912.3
Property crime
BurglaryD+1397.02.4
TheftC-67434.313.1
Vehicle theftC+1608.12.7
ArsonA10.070.12
VandalismC+1688.55.5

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 Pennsauken Township Police Department's 2024 report to the FBI was missing some months of simple assault; CrimeGrade™ filled them in from the department's own monthly pattern.

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 Pennsauken

Pennsauken has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.

In Pennsauken, 38% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (38%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theftStreets and sidewalks (52%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsStreets and sidewalks (57%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (40%)Morning (6 am to noon)
RobberyStores and businesses (69%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (57%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.


How Pennsauken compares with nearby cities

Pennsauken has more crime than 7 of its 10 nearest cities. Cherry Hill Mall and Golden Triangle have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PennsaukenB-602B+C19,700
Merchantville 1 mileB692A-C+22,800
Golden Triangle 2 milesA-770A-B5,970
Camden 3 milesF0FD+68,800
Philadelphia, PA 5 milesF9D-F1.59 million
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Collingswood 3 milesB+757AC+17,600
Cherry Hill Mall 3 milesA-825AB+14,200
Woodlynne 3 milesD+247D+D3,040
Palmyra 4 milesB+766A-B7,520
Maple Shade 4 milesB+750A-B18,500
Oaklyn 4 milesB-604A-D+10,800

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Pennsauken has more crime than 68% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PennsaukenB-602B+C19,700
Foothill Ranch, CAA911A+A19,600
Iselin, NJA902A+A-19,600
Avenel, NJA852AA-19,500
Fillmore, CAA-807A-A-19,400
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Harrison, NJB+706B+B-19,900
Arvin, CAC+529C+B-20,100
South San Jose Hills, CAC+469B+F19,800
Alum Rock, CAC-349BF19,500
San Fernando, CAC-349B-F19,600
Pinewood, FLD161D-D+19,400

Night lighting, walkability and parking lots in Pennsauken

Two things set Pennsauken apart: it has a Walk Grade of C+ (44 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 3.4 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. It also combines many jobs with busy transit: places with both tend to report more theft and robbery than places with only one of them, and they run high here.

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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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+ (44 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 90% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 89% 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.58% of residentsUS: 24%Higher 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 Pennsauken: C- (26 of 100).9 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 83% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.62 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 79% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Pennsauken 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 Pennsauken

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Pennsauken about $2,156 a year per household, 79% more 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 $33 million a year, or $1,671 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.6 million$80
Rape$260,000$13
Robbery$590,000$30
Assault$3.7 million$189
Burglary$1.2 million$63
Theft$3.5 million$176
Vehicle theft$2.5 million$125
Arson$31,000$2
Vandalism$1.2 million$60
Total$15 million$738

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 Pennsauken 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 Pennsauken

Schools in Pennsauken, NJ average a SchoolGrade of D: 30% of students test proficient, against 23% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Pennsauken on SchoolGrade