Crime & Safety in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
2.49
per 1,000 residents
-45% vs national
Property Crime Rate
115.60
per 1,000 residents
+432% vs national
Total Crimes
380
2024
Violent Clearance
75%
cases solved
+77% vs national
Property Clearance
47%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+6%
vs <10K avg
+6% vs <10K
YoY Change
-38.6%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Wilkes-Barre Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Wilkes-Barre vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with Under 10,000 residents. Wilkes-Barre 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)Wilkes-Barre police solve 100% of aggravated assault cases but only 9% 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 | 3 | 0.93 | 33.3% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 5 | 1.55 | 100.0% |
| Burglary | Property | 9 | 2.80 | 44.4% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 352 | 109.38 | 48.0% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 11 | 3.42 | 9.1% |
Wilkes-Barre, PA reported 8 violent crimes and 372 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 2.49 per 1,000 residents is 44.5% below the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 75% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 352 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 20.0% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (Under 10,000 population), Wilkes-Barre's violent crime rate is 6% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 372 | 2.49 | 115.60 |
| 2023 | 13 | 395 | 4.05 | 122.94 |
| 2022 | 11 | 385 | 3.42 | 119.71 |
| 2021 | 167 | 604 | 4.12 | 14.91 |
| 2020 | 11 | 327 | 3.83 | 113.74 |
| 2019 | 6 | 486 | 2.08 | 168.40 |
| 2018 | 8 | 505 | 2.77 | 174.80 |
| 2017 | 13 | 524 | 4.50 | 181.25 |
| 2016 | 16 | 668 | 5.48 | 228.69 |
| 2015 | 17 | 722 | 5.79 | 246.08 |