Philadelphia ranks near bottom of safety poll
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Fewer than half of Americans see Philadelphia as a safe city, per a new Gallup poll.
Why it matters: The perception tracks with a wave of gun violence that has swept Philadelphia, which has topped 500 homicides each of the past two years.
Yes, but: Overall violent crime was down in the first half of 2023, possibly signaling it has peaked.
- Law enforcement officials say the decline coincides with a boost in officer presence in four of the city's most violent police districts that account for about 40% of the city's crime.
By the numbers: Philadelphia was among nearly a half-dozen of 16 big cities where fewer than half of Americans viewed the city as safe, per the Gallup poll conducted in July.
- Dallas and Boston topped the list of safe cities while Chicago and Detroit were at the bottom of the pack.
Zoom in: Philadelphia's reputation has declined since 2006, when 53% of Americans agreed it was safe to live in and visit, per the poll.
- Chicago and San Francisco also saw stark decreases of 20% and 18%, respectively. In 2006, 70% of Americans viewed San Francisco as safe.
Unsurprisingly, there's a large partisan divide in how Philadelphia is viewed by the political parties.
- 65% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents believe Philly is safe while less than a third from across the aisle agree.
What they're saying: That's a marker of the times, as the pollsters said partisanship didn't influence how cities were viewed in 2006.
- High-profile incidents such as the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and a heavy focus on crime in Chicago also contributes to how those cities are viewed.