Philadelphia Ranked Third in Nation for Public Health-Centered Violence Prevention Approaches in 2024

The City ranked first among top ten largest U.S. cities most prepared to address gun violence based on an assessment of gun-violence prevention infrastructure

PHILADELPHIA – Today, the City of Philadelphia proudly shared the results of the 2024 Community Justice Violence Prevention Index (VPI) Report , in which the city ranked third among 100 U.S. cities with the highest incidents of gun violence, for its innovative, public health-centered approaches to addressing the issue. Philadelphia was also recognized as one of only eight cities in the U.S. to have established a dedicated local office of violence prevention, an initiative spearheaded by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s vision for public safety.

The Community Justice VPI Report is the only annual report that evaluates the readiness of U.S. cities with the highest incidents of gun violence to respond to gun violence in their communities. VPI is an assessment of the availability of public health-centered approaches to gun violence prevention and intervention that are intended to reform and eliminate the root causes of gun violence, as well as expanding community capacity to address gun violence. After reviewing all of Philadelphia’s relevant programs and initiatives, the city was ranked third of the 100 U.S. cities evaluated.

“Our Administration’s commitment to making Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest City in America is well underway, and this recognition from the Community Justice VPI Report affirms and validates our strategic vision,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “In the last two years since the formal Charter and reorganization of the Office of Public Safety, and in partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and other public safety agencies, we have made tremendous progress in our goal to connect Philadelphians to their government and lead investments in our neighborhoods in order to increase safety in all areas.”

Ranked in the top ten U.S. Cities included in the VPI report, Philadelphia was also #1 for violence prevention infrastructure among the top 10 largest U.S. cities by population. Furthermore, Philadelphia was one of only eight cities to have established a local office of violence prevention work, in Philadelphia known as the Office of Public Safety and led by the Chief Public Safety Director, that performs the following essential tasks:

  1. developing and implementing a violence prevention strategic plan;
  2. pursuing external funding for violence prevention efforts;
  3. funding and helping coordinate the work of community-based violence prevention organizations;
  4. offering technical assistance to these organizations; and
  5. monitoring and evaluating its strategic plan and prevention efforts.

“I am proud to see Philadelphia nationally recognized as one of the United States’ top cities for gun violence prevention preparedness,” said Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer. “This is a great achievement and the result of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s visionary leadership, but the real accomplishment is how these efforts have translated to lowered rates of crime and violence in the city and the enhanced feeling of safety by residents and visitors – and we will continue to invest in this work to augment this positive trend.”

“This national recognition affirms what Philadelphians are feeling on the ground: thoughtful, coordinated, public-health centered strategies are driving violence down,” said Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “Under Mayor Parker’s ‘prevention, intervention, and enforcement’ approach, the Philadelphia Police Department is proud to be one part of a much larger unified effort led by the Office of Public Safety. Our officers see firsthand that when community capacity grows and prevention is taken seriously, enforcement is not working alone; and that is how sustainable safety is built.”

To develop the Community Justice VPI Scorecard, the 100 U.S. cities with the highest incidents of gun violence were invited to submit documentation of their public health-centered approaches to gun violence prevention in their communities. The Community Justice VPI Scorecard ranks cities based on three criteria:

  1. Intervention and Risk Factor Reduction,
  2. Addressing the Root Causes of Violence, and
  3. Local Office of Violence Prevention.

Within those three criteria are various subcategories from “Outreach-Based Violence Prevention Programs” to “School-Based Violence Prevention Programs.”

2025 has proven to be a record year for gun violence prevention in Philadelphia. In 2024, Philadelphia saw 269 homicides, a 34 percent decrease from 2023. This year, as of October 17, 2025, Philadelphia has recorded 180 homicides, down nearly 13 percent from last year, and marking one of the lowest mid-year counts since the 1960s.

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