Crime in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
Updated ·Vorp Labs
The model puts major crime in Bethlehem Township at 9% below the U.S. rate per resident: 81% lower for persons crimes and 8% higher for property crimes. Expected major crimes are up 24.3% from a year earlier.
- Modeled from FBI crime data for the police agencies serving Bethlehem Township. Where an agency didn't report to the FBI, its totals are estimated from its past reports or similar agencies.
- The model estimates about 15.7 major crimes per 1,000 residents a year (0.6 violent, 15.1 property), against 17.2 for the U.S.
- By the model's major-crime rate per resident, Bethlehem Township is higher than 66% of the 478 other Pennsylvania places and 58% of the 8,446 other places nationwide on CrimeMetric.
Where these numbers come from
The estimates start from what police agencies report to the FBI, modeled across Bethlehem Township's 17 census block groups for 27,008 residents. How Pennsylvania residents' crime totals reach the FBI: detailed incident reports for 32.2%, summary counts only for 35.0%, estimates from past reports or similar agencies for 24.9% and no reporting agency of their own for 8.0% (shares of 2020 residents). Sources · Method
- Year: many show an agency's last full FBI year (often two years back). These figures are the model's estimate for the current year, release 2026-11-10.
- Crimes counted: some add simple assault, vandalism or drug offenses to "violent" or "property" crime; here major crime is persons plus property crime, and social disorder is separate.
- Area: an agency's totals cover its jurisdiction, which can differ from the city's limits; these are summed over the block groups inside Bethlehem Township.
- Scale: a grade or a 1-to-100 score ranks places against each other; a rate per 1,000 residents and an index against the U.S. rate don't.
Rates are the model's estimates of reported crime per 1,000 residents a year. Index: 100 is the U.S. rate per resident; 200 is twice it. How we calculated this
How crime varies across Bethlehem Township
Half of residents live where the major-crime index is between 29 and 134.
- 0–5039.4%
- 50–10021.1%
- 100–20030.1%
- 200–4009.4%
- 400+0.0%
Check an address in Bethlehem Township
Shoplifting stands out most, at 2.5 times the U.S. rate
Citywide indexWhere the middle half of residents live
Property crimes
Social disorder
Highest on weeknights and on weekend daytimes
100 is the U.S. rate, same hours.
Expected major crime rose 24.3% in a year; across Pennsylvania it fell 8.6%
Change in the model's expected crimes, not a count of reports; Pennsylvania in gray. 2031 is a model projection, not tested against past years.
Bethlehem Township against U.S. places with 25,000 to 50,000 residents
310 of the 1,120 other places of this size have a major-crime index at least 15% above Bethlehem Township's, and 200 are within 15% of it; the middle of the group is 73. The 9 nearest in population:
U.S. = 100. Residents in gray.
Bethlehem Township's major-crime index is higher than 5 and within 15% of 3 of its 8 nearest neighbors
The closest, Middletown (1 mi), is within 15% of Bethlehem Township's rate.
U.S. = 100. Miles between population centers.
Questions about crime in Bethlehem Township
Is Bethlehem Township safe?
Bethlehem Township's major-crime index is 92, 9% below the U.S. rate per resident and higher than 66% of the 478 other Pennsylvania places on CrimeMetric: violent crimes against people are 81% below the U.S. rate, and property crimes 8% above the U.S. rate.
What is the crime rate in Bethlehem Township?
The model expects about 425 major crimes a year in Bethlehem Township, about 15.7 per 1,000 residents, 9% below the U.S. rate.
Is crime going up or down in Bethlehem Township?
Expected major crimes in Bethlehem Township are up 24.3% from a year earlier; across Pennsylvania they're down 8.6%.
What are the most common crimes in Bethlehem Township?
By the model's expected count, the most common crimes against people and property are shoplifting (about 214 a year), other larceny (about 116 a year) and theft from vehicle (about 57 a year).
Are car break-ins common in Bethlehem Township?
The model expects about 57 thefts from vehicles a year in Bethlehem Township, 21% below the U.S. rate per resident.
Are car thefts common in Bethlehem Township?
The model expects about 9 motor vehicle thefts a year in Bethlehem Township, 79% below the U.S. rate per resident.
Is Bethlehem Township safe at night?
The model's major-crime index is 97 on Sunday to Thursday nights from 6pm to 6am, against 98 at its highest in the daytime; 100 is the U.S. rate for the same hours. That's a citywide estimate per resident for those hours: it can't speak to a particular street, venue or evening. For one address, use the address lookup on this page.
Is crime in Bethlehem Township higher than the Pennsylvania average?
Bethlehem Township's major-crime index is 92, within 15% of the Pennsylvania rate per resident. Pennsylvania as a whole is 84, where 100 is the U.S. rate.
How does crime in Bethlehem Township compare with Middletown?
Middletown, 1 mile away, has a major-crime index of 104, within 15% of Bethlehem Township's rate per resident. Bethlehem Township's is 92.
How we calculated this
Each police agency's crimes, as reported to the FBI or estimated where it didn't report, are spread across the census block groups it serves using population, jobs, points of interest and, where available, local incident records. Bethlehem Township's figures add up its 17 block groups. The index compares crimes per resident with the U.S. rate.
- Bethlehem Township has no published incident records in our data, so its estimate relies on agency totals and neighborhood characteristics.
- Rates are per resident, so places where many people work or visit but few live, such as downtowns, airports and stadiums, can read high.
- Disorderly conduct and trespassing are modeled, because the FBI records them only through arrests.
- Residents: 27,008. Model updated Nov 10, 2026. Release 2026-11-10
Full method and validation·Data sources
CrimeMetric. "Crime in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania." Vorp Labs, updated November 9, 2026 (model Nov 10, 2026). https://crimemetric.com/pa/bethlehem-township
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Major-crime index, U.S. = 100
- Middletown1 mi104
- Palmer Heights3 mi39
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- Bethlehem4 mi91
- Wilson4 mi91
- Hellertown5 mi54
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- Lower Saucon5 mi30