Is Jenkintown, PA Safe?

Overview

Jenkintown is, by virtually every measurable standard, extraordinarily safe. Not just "pretty safe for the area" safe. Not "safe enough" safe. We're talking crime rates that make other communities genuinely envious. The data is unambiguous: this is one of the safest places you can live in the entire Philadelphia region, and it isn't particularly close.

The overall crime rate sits at 7.87 per 1,000 residents. The national average is 33.37. That's not a minor edge — Jenkintown is operating at less than a quarter of the national crime rate. If safety were a sport, Jenkintown would be embarrassing the competition.

Violent crime? Essentially a statistical curiosity here. The kind of thing that happens so infrequently it makes the local news precisely because it is so unusual. In 0.59 square miles of quiet residential streets, walkable downtown blocks, and neighbors who have lived next to each other for decades, serious crime simply has very little room to operate.

For anyone considering a move to the area — or anyone who already lives here and wants confirmation that their instincts are correct — the numbers are about as reassuring as numbers get.

Crime Statistics (They're Incredible)

The borough publishes its own annual crime statistics at jenkintownboro.com/crime-statistics/, sourced from Jenkintown Police Department reporting. The national comparisons on this page draw from NeighborhoodScout, CrimeGrade.org, and aggregated FBI Uniform Crime Report data. Figures reflect recent multi-year averages and should be verified against current borough reporting for the most precise numbers.

What Crime Does Occur (Mostly Minor, Mostly Preventable)

Property Crime

Fine, yes — property crime exists in Jenkintown. Specifically: someone might try your car door handle. They might lift a package off a porch. This is the full extent of the criminal enterprise operating within borough limits. The dominant threat to Jenkintown residents is the unlocked car door and the unattended Amazon box. We are not talking about organized criminal activity. We are talking about crimes of opportunity that can be largely neutralized by locking things.

The 1-in-101 annual property crime rate sounds like a lot until you remember that the national property crime rate is substantially higher — and that "property crime" in Jenkintown means your Ring camera catches someone walking off with a DoorDash order, not anything more alarming than that.

Violent Crime

A 1-in-790 annual chance of being a victim of violent crime. Read that again. In any given year, 789 out of 790 Jenkintown residents will experience zero violent crime whatsoever. The borough's violent crime profile is not just low — it is vanishingly small. Serious violent incidents here are genuinely unusual events, the kind that prompt prolonged community discussion precisely because they are so out of character for the place.

The Big Picture

Jenkintown's crime profile is what it looks like when a stable, walkable, community-oriented borough does everything right for 150 years. Neighbors know each other. The police know the neighborhood. There's a downtown with foot traffic and eyes on the street. The result is a place where the worst thing that's likely to happen to you is a missing package — and even that you can prevent with a $40 lockbox.

Jenkintown Police Department

Jenkintown has its own dedicated police department. Not a township arrangement where your borough is one of eight communities sharing resources. Not a contract with the county. A real, locally focused, borough-specific police force assigned exclusively to 0.59 square miles of street.

Think about what that means for response times. In a borough you can walk across in about ten minutes, a patrol car can reach virtually any address in the community in under two minutes. Officers who work here know the streets, know the regulars, know when something is out of place. That level of familiarity is not something you can replicate with a township PD stretched across a dozen neighborhoods.

The result is a police presence that is both genuinely effective and genuinely community-oriented — the kind of department that makes the low crime statistics feel sustainable rather than accidental.

Non-emergency: (215) 885-0700. Emergency: 911.

Safety Tips (Honestly, the Bar Is Low)

Given everything above, the safety tips for Jenkintown residents are almost comically straightforward. The threat model here is not sophisticated. Addressing it requires almost no effort:

• Lock your car every time, even in your driveway. The majority of vehicle break-ins involve unlocked cars.
• Remove valuables from view. Don't leave bags, electronics, or anything visible on seats. Even an empty bag can attract a break-in.
• Porch package security. Use a package lockbox, require signature on delivery, or have packages delivered to a workplace or pickup locker if you won't be home.
• Exterior lighting. Motion-activated lights at entry points are a low-cost deterrent.
• Know your neighbors. In a community as small as Jenkintown, a neighbor who knows your normal patterns is genuinely useful for flagging anything unusual.
• Report suspicious activity. Call the non-emergency line — (215) 885-0700 — rather than waiting for something to escalate.

Compared to Surrounding Areas

Jenkintown sits ten miles from Center City Philadelphia. Ten miles. And yet the crime rate is less than a quarter of the national average, comparing favorably even against other well-regarded Montgomery County suburbs. The fact that this borough maintains safety statistics this strong while functioning as a commuter suburb on the edge of a major urban center is, frankly, impressive. It is not an accident — it reflects 150 years of community investment, stable owner-occupied housing, and a small-town social fabric that resists the anonymity that crime requires.

*Overall crime rates per 1,000 residents. Township-level figures are approximate ranges from public reporting; verify against current municipal data before drawing conclusions.

The comparison to Philadelphia is almost unfair to include — the two places are operating in entirely different leagues. More meaningfully, Jenkintown holds its own against Abington and Cheltenham, which are widely considered among the more desirable residential communities in Montgomery County. Jenkintown belongs in that conversation and the safety data confirms it.

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