Pennsylvania Sex Offender Statistics (2026)
As of August 2026, we index about 25,400 sex-offender registry records in Pennsylvania — the 12th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions, at 2.0 per 1,000 residents. These are counts of the records in our continuously updated index, rounded and dated — not Pennsylvania’s official figures.
Pennsylvania against the national average
Registrants we index, with the rate per 1,000 residents (2020 Census population). Neighboring jurisdictions are listed for scale; each links to its own statistics page.
| Jurisdiction | Registrants indexed (approx.) | Per 1,000 residents | Rank by count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | ≈ 25,400 | 2.0 | 12th |
| United States (all 58 registries) | ≈ 1,560,000 | 4.7 | — |
| Delaware | ≈ 4,030 | 4.1 | 39th |
| Maryland | ≈ 7,490 | 1.2 | 28th |
| New Jersey | ≈ 4,540 | 0.5 | 36th |
| New York | ≈ 28,300 | 1.4 | 9th |
| Ohio | ≈ 21,700 | 1.8 | 13th |
| West Virginia | ≈ 5,450 | 3.0 | 34th |
Cite this: ≈25,400 sex-offender registry records indexed in Pennsylvania (2.0 per 1,000 residents) — Offendersearch, Pennsylvania Sex Offender Statistics (August 2026). https://offendersearch.app/sex-offender-statistics/pennsylvania#headline
Pennsylvania at a glance
- About 25,400 registry records indexed, the 12th-largest count of the 56 US jurisdictions.
- That is about 2% of the registrants we index nationwide.
- 2.0 per 1,000 residents, about 58% below the national average of 4.7.
- 36th by rate per resident among jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records.
- Largest local count among the cities we publish pages for: Philadelphia, about 4,269.
- Largest county count among the counties we publish pages for: Philadelphia County, about 3,967.
Against its neighbors
- Pennsylvania is about 52% below Delaware (2.0 vs 4.1 per 1,000).
- Pennsylvania is about 61% above Maryland (2.0 vs 1.2 per 1,000).
- Pennsylvania is about 300% above New Jersey (2.0 vs 0.5 per 1,000).
- Pennsylvania is about 39% above New York (2.0 vs 1.4 per 1,000).
- Pennsylvania is about 6% above Ohio (2.0 vs 1.8 per 1,000).
- Pennsylvania is about 36% below West Virginia (2.0 vs 3.0 per 1,000).
Where Pennsylvania ranks
Pennsylvania holds the 12th-largest count of registrants we index among the 56 US jurisdictions — just behind Wisconsin (≈27,400) and ahead of Ohio (≈21,700). Pennsylvania's rate of 2.0 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 36th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. Pennsylvania's rate is higher than 4 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 2. Absolute size and per-capita rate order the states very differently — the full rankings are on the count ranking and the per-capita ranking.
Housing status (national estimate). No per-state housing figure is published here, because our housing data is a national sample estimate: across 6,668 sampled records nationwide, 5.7% of registrants with a known housing status were homeless or had no fixed address as of August 2026. That figure describes the country, not Pennsylvania — the breakdown is on the national statistics page.
Where Pennsylvania’s registrants live
The largest local counts among the Pennsylvania cities and counties we publish pages for, with the rate per 10,000 residents so places of different size compare fairly.
| City | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | ≈ 4,269 | 26.6 |
| Pittsburgh | ≈ 1,324 | 43.7 |
| Erie | ≈ 580 | 61.2 |
| Reading | ≈ 473 | 49.7 |
| Allentown | ≈ 318 | 25.3 |
| County | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County | ≈ 3,967 | 24.7 |
| Allegheny County | ≈ 2,114 | 16.9 |
| Montgomery County | ≈ 1,453 | 17 |
| York County | ≈ 1,055 | 23.1 |
| Lancaster County | ≈ 961 | 17.4 |
| Delaware County | ≈ 932 | 16.2 |
| Erie County | ≈ 823 | 30.4 |
| Berks County | ≈ 776 | 18.1 |
What these Pennsylvania numbers measure
Every figure on this page is a count of the registry records in our continuously updated index that carry a Pennsylvania address, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Rates divide that rounded count by the 2020 Census population, so they describe scale, not precision to the last person. Local counts cover the cities and counties we publish pages for, not every town in the state.
Registry sizes are not a direct measure of risk. States set their own rules on who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown to the public, so two states with similar populations can carry very different counts. Use the comparison for context, and a search for any question about a specific person or address.
Pennsylvania's registry publishes a birth year rather than a full date, so two people with the same name born the same year can look alike. Confirm a match with the photograph and the offense details before relying on it.
How to search Pennsylvania’s registry
Pennsylvania’s own public search is Pennsylvania Megan's Law (PSP), which covers Pennsylvania only. A search here covers Pennsylvania and every other US registry in one pass, returns photographs and the official record link for each result, and can be narrowed to a city, county or ZIP — or run outward from a street address.
Pennsylvania registry search guide · Search by address · Alerts when someone moves in
Pennsylvania city figures
Cities where we publish a local count, largest first:
Pennsylvania statistics, answered
How many registered sex offenders live in Pennsylvania?
As of August 2026, we index about 25,400 sex-offender registry records in Pennsylvania — the 12th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions. That is a count of the records in our continuously updated index, not Pennsylvania's official figure: registries add, remove and amend records all the time, so the live answer for a specific person comes from a search, not a table.
How many sex offenders does Pennsylvania have per capita?
About 2.0 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents, using the 2020 Census population as the denominator. Pennsylvania's rate of 2.0 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 36th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. A rate describes the size of a registry relative to population — jurisdictions differ in who must register, for how long, and which registrants they publish, so it is a scale comparison rather than a safety measure.
Which Pennsylvania city has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Pennsylvania cities we publish local pages for, Philadelphia has the most registrants we index, at about 4,269, followed by Pittsburgh (about 1,324). Big cities lead on raw counts because they have more people; the per-10,000 column is the fairer comparison.
Which Pennsylvania county has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the Pennsylvania counties we publish pages for, Philadelphia County has the most registrants we index, at about 3,967. Each county page breaks that figure down by city.
How does Pennsylvania compare with neighboring states?
Pennsylvania's rate is higher than 4 of its 6 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 2. Rates differ partly because states set different rules for who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown publicly, so a neighbor comparison describes registry size relative to population rather than relative risk.
Where can I search Pennsylvania's sex offender registry?
Pennsylvania's own public search is Pennsylvania Megan's Law (PSP), which covers Pennsylvania only. A search here covers Pennsylvania and every other US registry at once, with photographs and links to each official record, and can be narrowed to a Pennsylvania city, county or ZIP.
Are these Pennsylvania's official registry numbers?
No — they are approximate counts of the registrants we index for Pennsylvania, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Jurisdictions count different things (people, registrations, addresses) and publish on their own terms, so no single official national table exists. For a legal or research purpose that requires Pennsylvania's official figure, request it from the state registry authority.
Registry data is not a consumer report, and decisions made on it are regulated in that use.
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