Three counties in southeastern Pennsylvania were among the top five highest percentages of new protection-from-abuse orders filed in 2024.
Delaware County had about 5% of the 41,980 new orders filed last year, according to data released by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Montgomery County had about 4.4% of the state total during that time, and Berks County had about 4.2%.
Court officials said the number of new protection-from-abuse orders filed statewide in 2024 increased by less than 1% from 41,736 in 2023.
A protection-from-abuse order is a civil court order to help protect victims of domestic violence, providing relief from abuse by an intimate partner, family or household member.
Pennsylvania 2024 protection-from-abuse data (Courtesy of Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts)
The top 10 counties in the state:
• Philadelphia: 8,057 orders, 19% of state total
• Allegheny: 3,922, 9%
• Delaware: 2,279, 5%
• Montgomery: 1,855, 4.4%
• Berks: 1,800, 4.2%
• York: 1,750, 4.1%
• Luzerne: 1,673, 3.9%
• Lehigh: 1,635, 3.8%
• Northampton: 1,190, 2.8%
• Lackawanna: 1,122, 2.6%
Forest County had the fewest number of new orders filed during 2024 with four.
A breakdown for counties in the region:
• Delaware: 2,279 orders, 5% of state total
• Montgomery: 1,855, 4.4%
• Berks: 1,800, 4.2%
• Chester: 682, 1.6%
Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts officials said additional information about protection-from-abuse orders, including how to file for one and recognizing signs of abuse, is available at pacourts.us/learn/protection-orders.
Reach out
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, contact the 24-hour Safe Berks hotline at 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.