2 Western Pa. communities named safest places to live in Pennsylvania

Two Western Pennsylvania communities — one in Westmoreland County and the other in Allegheny — are the safest communities in the state, according to a recent study conducted by a home security trade group.

The National Council for Home Security and Safety ranked Penn Township in Westmoreland County as the safest community in the state followed by South Park in Allegheny.

The rankings use data submitted by local law enforcement agencies and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system.

Information used in the report includes the rates of violent and nonviolent crimes, the number of police officers on the force and the number of property crimes.

The study notes that while Penn Township’s crime rate of 1.55 per 1,000 people is “impressive,” other communities had lower rates. What set the township apart is its “near nonexistent level of property crime,” according to the study, which notes that only one property crime was recorded in Penn Township in 2018.

South Park scored so high because there were just three violent crimes in the township in 2018, which translates into a crime rate of 0.23 offenses per 1,000.

In addition to Penn and South Park townships, 13 other municipalities in Western Pennsylvania were ranked among the 50 safest in the state, according to the study.

Here is a look at the top 50 safest communities.