The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Tamaqua, PA
Tamaqua is a borough of 10,800 in Schuylkill County, about 11 miles south of downtown Hazleton · Updated November 2026
Is Tamaqua, PA safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Tamaqua: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map and the safest and least safe neighborhoods 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 Tamaqua as a whole, and 28% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Tamaqua 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 Tamaqua, PA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Tamaqua, 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 Tamaqua
Simple assault runs low. Tamaqua has 3.4 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 9.7.
How neighborhoods in Tamaqua compare
Every part of Tamaqua where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Tamaqua run from A+ to A-; 77% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1South Ward, southClose to the rest of Tamaqua on most crimes.A921
2Dutch Hill & East End, eastActs of vandalism run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Tamaqua.A872
3North Ward, centralThefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Tamaqua.A-824
Neighborhood areas of Tamaqua, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Crime rates and types in Tamaqua
CrimeGrade™ estimates Tamaqua has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 53% less than the US as a whole and 39% 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 Tamaqua, about 45% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does 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.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Tamaqua compares with nearby cities
Tamaqua has less crime than 3 of its 4 nearest cities; only Barnesville has less.
Two things set Tamaqua apart: it has 10.2% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and a Walk Grade of C (33 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Even so, 52% of residents in Tamaqua live in car-dependent areas, where most errands take a car. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, yet vandalism runs lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.10.2% of homesUS: 7.1%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 Tamaqua: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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 (33 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 84% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.13.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 79% of US city residents
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.69% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 78% 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.41% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 77% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Tamaqua 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 Tamaqua
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Tamaqua about $481 a year per household, 60% 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 $7.2 million a year, or $662 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$510,000
$47
Rape
$120,000
$11
Robbery
$42,000
$4
Assault
$560,000
$52
Burglary
$64,000
$6
Theft
$440,000
$40
Vehicle theft
$110,000
$10
Arson
$14,000
$1
Vandalism
$280,000
$26
Total
$2.1 million
$198
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 Tamaqua 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. Tamaqua 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 Tamaqua, PA average a SchoolGrade of D-: 36% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Tamaqua on SchoolGrade
