The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Sunbury, PA

Sunbury is a city of 14,900 in Northumberland County, about 30 miles southeast of Williamsport · Updated November 2026

Is Sunbury, PA safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Sunbury has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 913 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Sunbury as a whole, and 29% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Sunbury scores 913.

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 910 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 917 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Sunbury

Map of Sunbury 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 Sunbury, PA at ISP Reports.

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

Theft runs low. Sunbury has 6.2 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, about half the US rate of 13.1.


The safest and least safe parts of Sunbury

Every part of Sunbury where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Sunbury run from A+ to A-; 70% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

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

Within Sunbury, the southeast side has the least crime and the west side the most.


Crime rates and types in Sunbury

CrimeGrade™ estimates Sunbury has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 42% less than the US as a whole and 24% 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.

The largest share of crime reported in Sunbury is assault, about 44% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.030.05
RapeA40.280.38
RobberyA+10.070.62
AssaultA-1419.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+130.902.4
TheftA936.213.1
Vehicle theftA+110.732.7
ArsonA10.100.12
VandalismA563.85.5

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.

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


How Sunbury compares with nearby cities

Sunbury has more crime than 3 of its 4 nearest cities. Winfield and Shamokin Dam have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SunburyA913AA14,900
Shamokin Dam 2 milesA916AA+1,760
Northumberland 3 milesA907AA7,240
Selinsgrove 6 milesA913AA+14,000
Winfield 6 milesA+960A+A+3,290

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Sunbury is safer than 76% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SunburyA913AA14,900
Smithfield, RIA+947A+A14,900
Oil City, PAA921AA14,900
Bull Mountain, ORA882AA-14,900
Marshall, MOA881AA14,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Eatontown, NJA880AA15,000
Waddell, AZA879AA15,000
Lock Haven, PAA877AA15,000
Robbinsdale, MNA-785A-A-14,900
Eggertsville, NYB+718A-C+14,900
Hillcrest Heights, MDF0FF15,000

Walkability, empty homes and transit in Sunbury

Two things set Sunbury apart: it has a Walk Grade of C+ (40 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 40% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft and assault, and assault runs high here.

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+ (40 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 88% 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.9.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 84% 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 Sunbury: 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.67% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 79% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.40% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 76% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 71% of US city residents

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

Crime costs Sunbury about $544 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 55% 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 $11 million a year, or $707 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$790,000$53
Rape$250,000$17
Robbery$33,000$2
Assault$1.2 million$81
Burglary$120,000$8
Theft$480,000$32
Vehicle theft$170,000$11
Arson$35,000$2
Vandalism$400,000$27
Total$3.5 million$233

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 Sunbury 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 Sunbury

Schools in Sunbury, PA average a SchoolGrade of C-: 43% of students test proficient, against 45% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Sunbury on SchoolGrade