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

B+

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$4.39 million

Cost of Crime™ for Swarthmore, PA

In 2025, crime will cost $803 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Swarthmore 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 Swarthmore, PA Safe?

The B+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Swarthmore's combined rate is lower than the norm. Swarthmore sits in the 71st percentile, ahead of 71% of cities and behind 29%. The grade covers only Swarthmore's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Swarthmore is 17.76 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 46 in the north neighborhoods to 1 in 75 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Swarthmore, PA report the most crime, about 31 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 17 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Swarthmore, PA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Swarthmore for 2025 is $4,390,133, about $336 per resident and $803 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): 48.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 40.0%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.2%

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

Swarthmore, PA:	$336
Duquesne, PA:	$1037
Lewisberry, PA:	$119
Pennsylvania:	$353
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Swarthmore is $336 per year, which is $128 less than the national average and $16 less than Pennsylvania's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Swarthmore:

In Duquesne, PA, crime costs $1,037 per person, which is $701 more than in Swarthmore.
In Lewisberry, PA, crime costs $119 per person, which is $217 less than in Swarthmore

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Swarthmore	Cost per Swarthmore Resident
Murder	$1.75 million	$134
Rape/Sexual Assault	$321,469	$25
Robbery	$231,011	$18
Assault	$374,566	$29
Kidnapping	$6,963	$1
Vehicle Theft	$678,924	$52
Burglary	$104,099	$8
Theft	$458,732	$35
Arson	$31,874	$2
Vandalism	$262,347	$20
Animal Cruelty	$4,003	$0
Drug Crimes	$116,678	$9
Identity Theft	$53,138	$4
Total Cost of Crime	$4,390,133	$336

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Swarthmore, 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 Swarthmore totals $13,317,057 ($1,020 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $17,707,191 ($1,356 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 north part of the city holds more 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, of which Swarthmore has 7, do the same, and of Swarthmore's 13,055 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 Swarthmore, PA at ISP Reports.

Swarthmore 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 Swarthmore residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.9990
Robbery	0.5626
Rape	0.4061
Murder	0.0712
Total Violent Crime	2.039 (B+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	6.785
Vehicle Theft	3.358
Burglary	0.8791
Arson	0.1011
Total Property Crime	11.12 (B-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0088
Drug Crimes	1.208
Vandalism	2.813
Identity Theft	0.5259
Animal Cruelty	0.0415
Total "Other" Rate	4.597 (A-)

Individual Swarthmore Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Folsom, PA	B-	B	C
Rutledge, PA	A	A+	B+
Morton, PA	B	B+	C
Wallingford, PA	A-	A	B
Woodlyn, PA	C	C	D+
Ridley Park, PA	B	B+	C
Holmes, PA	C-	C	D
Rose Valley, PA	A-	A+	B
Prospect Park, PA	C+	C	C-
Crum Lynne, PA	C	C-	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Swarthmore 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
Port Jefferson Station, NY	B+	B-	B-
Mulberry, FL	A	A-	A-
Murphysboro, IL	C+	B-	B-
Polk City, FL	A+	A	A
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL	A	A	A
Pontiac, IL	C+	B-	B-
Poquoson, VA	B	A-	A-
Port Allen, LA	D	D	D
Port Clinton, OH	C-	C+	C+
Mount Vernon, VA	B-	A	A

Considering only the crime rate, Swarthmore 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 Swarthmore, PA average SchoolGrade of A+, with 68% actual proficiency versus 59% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Swarthmore 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.

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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.