EXCLUSIVE: Crime Down In Bucks County, But Trends Vary In Levittown Area

While crime across Pennsylvania and Bucks County trended downward in recent years, law enforcement data shows a more nuanced picture at the local level in the Levittown area.

An analysis by LevittownNow.com of figures in the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) System, which is maintained by state police using voluntarily submitted data from departments, showed that crime totals and clearance rates fluctuated by the municipality between 2024 and 2025.

Typically, violent crimes are more likely to be solved than nonviolent crimes, like a theft from a vehicle.

The UCR website states its primary goal is to generate reliable data for law enforcement management, operations, and administration.

The borough and township totals include only incidents reported by municipal police, excluding cases handled by state police, county detectives, park rangers, or federal authorities. Not all boroughs had data listed.

According to the data:

Bristol Borough: Reported 204 crimes in 2025 with a 22.55 percent clearance rate, compared to 194 crimes and a 21.13 percent clearance rate in 2024.

Bristol Township: Reported 1,129 crimes in 2025 with a 29.32 percent clearance rate, down from 1,185 crimes and a 26.75 percent clearance rate in 2024.

Falls Township: Reported 583 crimes in 2025 with a 38.77 percent clearance rate, down from 693 crimes and a 36.22 percent clearance rate in 2024.

Middletown Township: Reported 406 crimes in 2025 with a 53.45 percent clearance rate, up from 288 crimes and a 60.07 percent clearance rate in 2024.

Penndel Borough: Reported 24 crimes in 2025 with a 91.67 percent clearance rate, up from 14 crimes and an 85.71 percent clearance rate in 2024.

Tullytown Borough: Reported 65 crimes in 2025 and 50 crimes in 2024, but no clearance rate data was available for either year.

The local numbers come amid broader trends showing there has been declining crime in recent years.

In Bucks County, overall crime is down from a decade ago, with the most recent countywide clearance rate sitting at 43.94 percent.

Data from the Bucks County Coroner’s Office shows the homicide rate hitting its lowest level in a decade in 2025, with only four cases reported. The highest number in that period was 15 in 2018.

Last year, the county’s four homicides occurred in Bensalem, Hilltown, Lower Makefield, and Northampton townships.

CrimeGrade.org, which pulls data on crime nationwide and ranks it, lists Bucks County as having an A+ score for safety. It notes the chances of being a victim are lower in the county. For murder, the county’s rate is less than the national and state rate.

According to police data, Bucks County’s current homicide rate is lower than the one averaged from 2000 to 2010 when the population was between 20,000 to 48,000 fewer people.

Statewide, crime has decreased since 2016, with Pennsylvania’s most recent overall clearance rate recorded at 36.85 percent.

State officials stated that Pennsylvania homicides have dropped 34 percent since 2022.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has highlighted the statewide declines and increased investments in law enforcement.

State police reported that 626 cadets have graduated from the academy since 2023. Additionally, state funding distributed through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency has helped local departments recruit and retain nearly 700 officers.

On a broader scale, a Council on Criminal Justice analysis of national data showed that both violent and nonviolent offenses have dropped since 2022, with the exceptions for carjackings, motor vehicle thefts, and shoplifting.

An article released last week by The Pew Charitable Trusts pointed to federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and a law enforcement focus on reducing violent crime as a driver across the nation.

According to the analysis, municipalities largely used the COVID-19 relief funds to hire police officers, social workers, mental health clinicians, and educators.

The report also cited increased focus on technology and community-based violence intervention programs as likely factors in reducing violent crime.