Johnstown, PA Crime Map

Johnstown, PA Safety Overview: What the Data Actually Shows

With a population of 19,381 and an overall crime grade of C+, Johnstown, Pennsylvania presents a more nuanced safety picture than that single letter might suggest. Across all 29 neighborhoods analyzed, the city-wide safety rating reaches a Very Safe designation of A — a distinction driven by the fact that 72.4% of neighborhoods earned an A grade and the remaining 27.6% landed at a B. Not one neighborhood scored a C, D, or F. That means 100% of Johnstown's analyzed neighborhoods fall into the safe range, which is a meaningful finding for anyone evaluating this city from the outside.

Where Johnstown Shines: The Safest Neighborhoods

The strongest performers stand out clearly. Westmont leads with an A+ grade and a median household income of $90,216 — the highest among all neighborhoods — serving a population of over 5,000 residents. Elim and Southmont also earned A+ ratings, with median incomes of $76,527 and $73,154 respectively, reflecting the correlation between economic stability and lower crime rates in this city. Ferndale (A+, $55,718) and Geistown (A+, $64,748) round out a cluster of consistently safe communities. Even smaller neighborhoods like Brownstown (A+, $50,923) and Daisytown (A+, $60,301) — each with populations under 300 — maintain top-tier safety grades, suggesting that community cohesion plays a role beyond just income levels.

Higher-Crime Areas: Context Matters

The neighborhoods with comparatively elevated crime levels in Johnstown are Prospect, Kernville, and Hornerstown, each graded B-, along with Walnut Grove and Coopersdale, both graded B. It is worth emphasizing that a B or B- in this context does not indicate a dangerous neighborhood — it simply means these areas rank lower relative to Johnstown's exceptionally safe baseline. No neighborhood here approaches the C-range or below, which sets Johnstown apart from many similarly sized post-industrial cities in Pennsylvania.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime in Johnstown

Johnstown's economic indicators — a 33.2% poverty rate, 9.5% unemployment, and a median household income of just $29,171 — create conditions that historically correlate more strongly with property crime than violent crime. In cities with this socioeconomic profile, opportunistic offenses such as theft and burglary tend to be more common than stranger-on-stranger violence. The concentration of lower grades in areas like Kernville and Prospect aligns with this pattern, as these neighborhoods tend to have denser foot traffic and older housing stock. Meanwhile, the A+ neighborhoods, many of which have median incomes two to three times the city average, show the kind of stability that suppresses both property and violent crime categories.

How the Crime Map Helps Residents Make Real Decisions

For home buyers weighing Johnstown's median home value of just $36,557, the neighborhood-level crime grades provide critical context that a city-wide average cannot. A buyer comparing Oakland (A+) against a property near Hornerstown (B-) can make a genuinely informed choice rather than relying on general reputation. Renters facing a median rent of $538 — already among the lowest in the state — can use the map to identify whether a lower-priced unit in Coopersdale represents acceptable risk compared to a slightly pricier option in Belmont (A+, $58,194 median income). Commuters traveling through Kernville or Walnut Grove during off-hours can plan routes with awareness of where incident concentrations are higher. The map transforms abstract city-level statistics into block-by-block intelligence that actually changes behavior and decisions.

The Bottom Line on Johnstown Safety

Johnstown's C+ overall crime grade reflects real challenges tied to deep economic pressures, but the neighborhood-level data tells a more encouraging story. When every single one of 29 analyzed neighborhoods earns at least a B, the city's safety floor is higher than the headline grade implies. Westmont, Elim, Ferndale, and their A+ neighbors demonstrate that safe, stable communities exist here — and the interactive crime map is the most direct way to find them.