CrimeMetric

Crime in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania

Updated ·Vorp Labs

The model puts major crime in Cheltenham at 3.2 times the U.S. rate per resident: 26% lower for persons crimes and 3.7 times for property crimes. Expected major crimes are down 50.7% from a year earlier.

Where these numbers come from

The estimates start from what police agencies report to the FBI, modeled across Cheltenham's 27 census block groups for 38,684 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

Why other sites show different numbers for Cheltenham:
  • 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 Cheltenham.
  • 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.
Major crime
54.8
per 1,000 residents a year
Index 319: 3.2 times the U.S. rate
3.8 times the Pennsylvania rate
down 50.7% in a year
Persons crimes
2.3
per 1,000 residents a year
Index 74: 26% below the U.S. rate
within 15% of the Pennsylvania rate
down 35.7% in a year
Property crimes
52.5
per 1,000 residents a year
Index 374: 3.7 times the U.S. rate
4.3 times the Pennsylvania rate
down 51.2% in a year
Social disorder
112.1
per 1,000 residents a year
Index 484: 4.8 times the U.S. rate
5.5 times the Pennsylvania rate
down 22.7% in a year

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 Cheltenham

Half of residents live where the major-crime index is between 125 and 304.

Map of Cheltenham, with its census block groups shaded by major-crime index band
Pale gray: under 100 residents. Tap one to compare.
  • 0–500.0%
  • 50–1000.0%
  • 100–20048.4%
  • 200–40033.7%
  • 400+17.9%

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Crime by type

Drugs and alcohol stands out most, at 8.4 times the U.S. rate

Citywide indexWhere the middle half of residents live

IndexPer year

Persons crimes

Robbery22537
Murder781
Rape / sexual assault699
Aggravated assault4742

Property crimes

Motor vehicle theft811500
Shoplifting626770
Other larceny246475
Theft from vehicle229235
Burglary8252

Social disorder

Drugs and alcohol8451,624
Disorderly conduct585268
Trespassing585528
Vandalism484768
Weapons violations344132
Simple assault275778
Intimidation271237
When it happens

Highest on weeknights

100 is the U.S. rate, same hours.

Monday to Friday, 6am to 6pm303
Sunday to Thursday nights, 6pm to 6am346
Saturday and Sunday, 6am to 6pm333
Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm to 6am292
Trend and outlook

Expected major crime fell 50.7% in a year; across Pennsylvania it fell 8.6%

Past yearBy 2031
Major crime-50.7%PA -8.6%-10.4%PA -14.0%
Persons crimes-35.7%PA -5.4%-10.2%PA -6.0%
Property crimes-51.2%PA -9.2%-10.4%PA -15.4%
Social disorder-22.7%PA -6.1%-8.4%PA -8.5%

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.

Similar-size places

Cheltenham against U.S. places with 25,000 to 50,000 residents

3 of the 1,120 other places of this size have a major-crime index at least 15% above Cheltenham's, and 15 are within 15% of it; the middle of the group is 73. The 9 nearest in population:

Cheltenham, PA38,684319
Kingman, AZ38,696186
Duncanville, TX38,719107
Trumbull, CT38,63695
Oak Creek, WI38,63070
Hilton Head Island, SC38,77367
Anna, TX38,62146
Kennesaw, GA38,69244
Quincy, IL38,58833
Crown Point, IN38,67325

U.S. = 100. Residents in gray.

Nearby places

Cheltenham's major-crime index is higher than 7 and within 15% of 1 of its 8 nearest neighbors

The closest, Elkins Park (under 1 mi), is 49% below Cheltenham's rate.

Cheltenham319
Philadelphia5 mi281
Elkins Parkunder 1 mi164
Willow Grove5 mi130
Upper Moreland6 mi129
Jenkintown1 mi75
Fort Washington6 mi69
Lower Moreland6 mi65
Upper Dublin6 mi41

U.S. = 100. Miles between population centers.

Questions about crime in Cheltenham

Is Cheltenham safe?

Cheltenham's major-crime index is 319, 3.2 times the U.S. rate per resident and higher than 99% of the 478 other Pennsylvania places on CrimeMetric: violent crimes against people are 26% below the U.S. rate, and property crimes 3.7 times the U.S. rate.

What is the crime rate in Cheltenham?

The model expects about 2,121 major crimes a year in Cheltenham, about 54.8 per 1,000 residents, 3.2 times the U.S. rate.

Is crime going up or down in Cheltenham?

Expected major crimes in Cheltenham are down 50.7% from a year earlier; across Pennsylvania they're down 8.6%.

What are the most common crimes in Cheltenham?

By the model's expected count, the most common crimes against people and property are shoplifting (about 770 a year), motor vehicle theft (about 500 a year) and other larceny (about 475 a year).

Are car break-ins common in Cheltenham?

The model expects about 235 thefts from vehicles a year in Cheltenham, 2.3 times the U.S. rate per resident.

Are car thefts common in Cheltenham?

The model expects about 500 motor vehicle thefts a year in Cheltenham, 8.1 times the U.S. rate per resident.

Is Cheltenham safe at night?

The model's major-crime index is 346 on Sunday to Thursday nights from 6pm to 6am, against 333 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 Cheltenham higher than the Pennsylvania average?

Cheltenham's major-crime index is 319, 3.8 times the Pennsylvania rate per resident. Pennsylvania as a whole is 84, where 100 is the U.S. rate.

How does crime in Cheltenham compare with Elkins Park?

Elkins Park, under a mile away, has a major-crime index of 164, 49% below Cheltenham's rate per resident. Cheltenham's is 319.

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. Cheltenham's figures add up its 27 block groups. The index compares crimes per resident with the U.S. rate.

  • Cheltenham 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: 38,684. Model updated Nov 10, 2026. Release 2026-11-10

Full method and validation·Data sources

Cite this page

CrimeMetric. "Crime in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania." Vorp Labs, updated November 9, 2026 (model Nov 10, 2026). https://crimemetric.com/pa/cheltenham

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Major-crime index, U.S. = 100