Crime by City in North America

Topic Box from the 2009 Ninth Annual Benchmark Report

Detailed crime data are available by province, state and major metropolitan areas.

City by city comparisons show that, consistent with ranks reported above for British Columbia Vancouver has the second-highest combined violent and property crime rate among major Canadian and American cities.

While Vancouver has high property crime rates — the highest theft rate, the fourth-highest break and enter rate, the sixth-highest motor vehicle theft rate and the third-highest overall rate — it ranks better on violent crimes and has rates below those found in all the US cities profiled except Boston.

Vancouver's violent crime rate of 384 incidents per 100,000 population earned it a ninth place rank, behind top ranked Quebec at 172 incidents per 100,000 population and ahead of bottom ranked Detroit with 678.

Vancouver ranked sixth on the homicide rate with 2.4 per 100,000 population, above the national average of 1.8 but less than one-quarter of bottom ranked Detroit.

A similar pattern shows up for aggravated assault and robbery, although the spreads between Vancouver's rate and the bottom ranked cities are not as large.

Crime Rates for Canadian and American Cities, 2008, per 100,000 population