Crime & Safety in Columbia, PA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
2.97
per 1,000 residents
-34% vs national
Property Crime Rate
20.30
per 1,000 residents
-7% vs national
Total Crimes
243
2024
Violent Clearance
74%
cases solved
+75% vs national
Property Clearance
49%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+14%
vs 10K-25K avg
+14% vs 10K-25K
YoY Change
-21.2%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Columbia Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Columbia vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 10,000 - 25,000 residents. Columbia is highlighted in green.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Murder Rate (per 1,000)
Violent Crime Clearance Rate
Crime Rate Trends
Source: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Columbia police solve 75% of robbery cases but only 13% of motor vehicle theft cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.
Weapon Used in Violent Crime
Source: FBI (2024)Crime Breakdown
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)| Crime Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 0 | 0.00 | N/A |
| Rape | Violent | 0 | 0.00 | N/A |
| Robbery | Violent | 4 | 0.38 | 75.0% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 27 | 2.58 | 74.1% |
| Burglary | Property | 16 | 1.53 | 43.8% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 181 | 17.33 | 51.9% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 15 | 1.44 | 13.3% |
Columbia, PA reported 31 violent crimes and 212 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 2.97 per 1,000 residents is 33.8% below the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 74% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 181 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 18.5% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (10,000 - 25,000 population), Columbia's violent crime rate is 14% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 31 | 212 | 2.97 | 20.30 |
| 2023 | 38 | 204 | 3.76 | 20.21 |
| 2020 | 38 | 82 | 3.67 | 7.92 |
| 2019 | 14 | 87 | 1.35 | 8.39 |
| 2018 | 19 | 176 | 1.82 | 16.86 |
| 2017 | 24 | 161 | 2.32 | 15.55 |
| 2016 | 23 | 218 | 2.21 | 20.99 |
| 2015 | 25 | 241 | 2.41 | 23.22 |