Safe Cities profile series: Key indicators by census metropolitan area
Barrie, Ontario

Satisfaction with safety

Barrie 90%, Ontario 89%, Canada 88%
proportion of people who reported being satisfied with their personal safety from crime in 2014
* significantly different from Barrie (p < 0.05)
Police-reported violent crime rate in 2018

Barrie 764, Ontario 899, Canada 1,143
rate per 100,000 population
Ten-year change in police-reported crime rate (2008 to 2018)

Barrie -28%, Ontario -16%, Canada, -17%
Population and demographics
Barrie, Ontario
Barrie was home to 210,800 people in 2018, and it had a population density of 235 residents per square kilometre. Nearly one in three (31%) residents were aged 24 and younger, close to the distribution in Ontario (29%) and across Canada (28%).
About 3.6% of Barrie residents were part of the Indigenous population (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) in 2016, slightly higher than in Ontario (2.8%) but lower than Canada (4.9%). Immigrants represented just over one in seven (13%) residents, far lower than Ontario (29%) and Canada (22%). Less than one in ten (7.8%) immigrants in Barrie were recent immigrants (since 2011), lower than in Ontario (12.3%) and Canada (16.1%). The proportion of people who identified as a visible minority in Barrie (9.0%) was notably lower than Ontario (29.3%) and Canada overall (22.3%).
Education, employment and income
In 2016, three in five (60%) Barrie residents aged 25 to 64 had completed some form of postsecondary education, three in ten (29%) had completed high school (or equivalent) as their highest level of education, and one in ten (11%) had completed neither.
In 2018, the unemployment rate in Barrie (6.5%) was slightly higher than in Ontario (5.6%) and Canada’s provinces (5.8%). Households in Barrie earned a median after-tax annual income of $56,890 in 2017, higher than in Ontario ($53,850) and Canada ($52,090). The percentage of families considered low-income was slightly lower in Barrie (14%) than in Ontario (17%) and Canada (17%).
Housing and families
On average, there were 2.7 persons per household in Barrie in 2016, similar to Ontario (2.6) and Canada (2.4). Three in four (76%) households in Barrie owned their homes, higher than in Ontario (70%) and Canada (68%). When a household spends 30% or more of its income on shelter costs, it is considered to live in unaffordable housing: this was the case for just over one in four (27%) Barrie households, similar to Ontario (28%) but slightly higher than Canada (24%). A small proportion (4.8%) of occupied private dwellings in Barrie were in need of major repairs, lower than Ontario (6.1%) and Canada (6.5%). Just under one in five (18%) Barrie families were lone-parent families, similar to Ontario (17%) and Canada (16%). In 2018, there were an estimated 260 homeless individuals living in Barrie.
Community safety and sense of belonging
- In 2014, two in five (40%) Barrie residents aged 15 and older were very satisfied with their personal safety from crime, on par with Ontario residents (40%) and Canadians living in the provinces overall (38%).
- Just over half (53%) of Barrie residents felt very safe when walking alone after dark, similar to the proportion in Ontario (51%) and Canada’s provinces (52%).
- There was no significant difference between women and men living in Barrie who reported feeling very safe when walking alone after dark (54%E versus 53%E), whereas women were significantly less likely than men to feel very safe in Ontario and Canada’s provinces.
- Nearly three in ten (28%E) Barrie residents thought social disorder was a big or moderate problem in their neighbourhood, which was not significantly different from Ontario (21%) and Canada’s provinces (22%).
- Just under one in five (18%E) Barrie residents said they had a very strong sense of belonging to their community, not significantly different from Ontario (25%) and Canada’s provinces (25%).
- Over a six-year period (2009 to 2014), 17%E of Barrie residents experienced discrimination, similar to Ontario (15%) and Canada’s provinces (13%).
- About 13%E of Barrie residents said they knew most people in their neighbourhood in 2014, which was not significantly different from Ontario (20%) but was significantly lower than Canada’s provinces (21%).
- The large majority (83%) of Barrie residents thought crime levels in their neighbourhood were lower than the rest of Canada, significantly higher than in Ontario (76%) and Canada’s provinces (74%).
- The vast majority (92%) of Barrie residents reported having confidence in police in 2014, on par with the proportion in Ontario (91%) and Canada’s provinces (91%).
Self-reported experiences of victimization
- In 2018, just under one in four (23%) Barrie residents aged 15 and older experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in public, similar to Ontario (25%) and Canada’s provinces (23%).
Police-reported crime
- In 2018, Barrie police reported an overall crime rate of 3,970 incidents per 100,000 population, 3% lower than in Ontario (4,113) and 28% lower than in Canada (5,488).
- Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), police-reported crime declined by 28% in Barrie, while a smaller decline was seen in Ontario (-16%) and Canada (-17%).
- The severity of crime in Barrie increased by 12% between 2017 and 2018, mostly due to an increase in breaking and entering, and fraud. Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), the severity of crime in Barrie declined by 20%, compared with a 15% decline in Ontario and a 17% decline in Canada.
Property crime
- Police-reported: There were 2,188 property crimes per 100,000 population reported by police in Barrie in 2018, 17% lower than in Ontario (2,621) and 34% lower than Canada (3,339).
Violent crime
- In 2018, there were 764 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 population reported by police in Barrie, 15% lower than Ontario (899) and 33% lower than Canada overall (1,143).
- In Barrie, just over half (51%) of victims of violent crime were female, similar to Ontario (53%) and Canada (53%).
- Between 2008 and 2018:
- The violent crime rate in Barrie declined by 17%, a slightly larger decline than in Ontario (-14%) and Canada (-14%).
- The severity of violent crime in Barrie was largely unchanged (an increase of less than 1%), compared with an 11% decline in Ontario and a 13% decline in Canada.
- Violent crime against girls and women in Barrie saw a larger decline between 2009 and 2018 than violent crime against boys and men (-11% versus -7%).
Hate crime
- The police-reported hate crime rate—which depends on police services' level of expertise in identifying crimes motivated by hate—was far lower in Barrie (0.9 incidents per 100,000 population) than in Ontario (5.3) and Canada (4.9) in 2018.
- Between 2014 and 2018, the rate of police-reported hate crime in Barrie increased by 84%, while the rate increased by 10% in Ontario and 33% in Canada.
Intimate partner violence
- There were 243 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population aged 15 and older reported by police in Barrie in 2018, on par with Ontario (243) but 25% lower than Canada (323).
- The large majority (83%) of victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in Barrie were female, slightly higher than in Ontario (81%) and Canada (79%).
- Same-sex partners accounted for 6.6% of police-reported intimate partner violence in Barrie between 2009 and 2018, higher than in Ontario (4.2%) and Canada (3.4%).
Homicide
- In 2018, Barrie had no homicides. Ontario had a homicide rate of 1.86 per 100,000 population, and Canada had a rate of 1.76.
- There was no change in the number of homicide victims in Barrie as there were no victims in 2008 and no victims in 2018.
Charts and tables
Chart 1 start
Data table for Chart 1
Year | Violent Crime Severity Index | Non-violent Crime Severity Index | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barrie | Ontario | Canada | Barrie | Ontario | Canada | |
index | ||||||
2006 | 77 | 87 | 100 | 78 | 75 | 100 |
2007 | 59 | 86 | 98 | 71 | 70 | 94 |
2008 | 52 | 82 | 95 | 68 | 67 | 89 |
2009 | 54 | 82 | 94 | 68 | 64 | 85 |
2010 | 50 | 78 | 89 | 63 | 61 | 81 |
2011 | 45 | 73 | 86 | 56 | 57 | 75 |
2012 | 44 | 70 | 82 | 51 | 55 | 73 |
2013 | 38 | 62 | 74 | 44 | 49 | 67 |
2014 | 42 | 58 | 71 | 43 | 47 | 65 |
2015 | 43 | 60 | 75 | 43 | 48 | 68 |
2016 | 46 | 65 | 77 | 44 | 49 | 70 |
2017 | 54 | 70 | 81 | 42 | 51 | 71 |
2018 | 53 | 73 | 82 | 49 | 55 | 72 |
Note: Crime Severity Indexes are based on Criminal Code incidents, including traffic offences, as well as other federal statute violations. The base index was set at 100 for 2006 for Canada. Data on the Crime Severity Indexes are available as of 1998. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Following the 2006 Census of Population, Barrie was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2006 are not available for Barrie as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Chart 1 end
Chart 2 start
Data table for Chart 2
Year | Female victims | Male victims | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barrie | Ontario | Canada | Barrie | Ontario | Canada | |
rate per 100,000 population | ||||||
2009 | 917 | 937 | 1,206 | 865 | 940 | 1,202 |
2010 | 911 | 917 | 1,209 | 877 | 913 | 1,162 |
2011 | 707 | 872 | 1,124 | 743 | 859 | 1,087 |
2012 | 717 | 824 | 1,079 | 724 | 809 | 1,048 |
2013 | 727 | 771 | 1,004 | 608 | 726 | 947 |
2014 | 764 | 721 | 952 | 730 | 675 | 898 |
2015 | 694 | 729 | 970 | 674 | 687 | 914 |
2016 | 778 | 741 | 978 | 706 | 708 | 910 |
2017 | 813 | 790 | 1,019 | 687 | 739 | 926 |
2018 | 812 | 834 | 1,048 | 805 | 766 | 936 |
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Excludes victims where the sex was reported as unknown. Victims refer to those aged 89 and younger. Victims aged 90 and older are excluded due to possible instances of miscoding of unknown age within this age category. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
Chart 2 end
Chart 3 start
Data table for Chart 3
Year | Barrie | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
rate per 100,000 population | |||
2009 | 3,692 | 3,193 | 4,122 |
2010 | 3,486 | 2,968 | 3,838 |
2011 | 3,069 | 2,760 | 3,536 |
2012 | 2,750 | 2,648 | 3,438 |
2013 | 2,283 | 2,365 | 3,154 |
2014 | 2,241 | 2,281 | 3,100 |
2015 | 2,157 | 2,290 | 3,231 |
2016 | 2,060 | 2,315 | 3,239 |
2017 | 1,895 | 2,428 | 3,266 |
2018 | 2,188 | 2,621 | 3,339 |
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. For a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Chart 3 end
Table 1 start
Type of offence | Barrie | Ontario | Canada | Percent difference between Barrie and Ontario | Percent difference between Barrie and Canada |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
rate | |||||
Total crime (excluding traffic) | 3,970 | 4,113 | 5,488 | -3 | -28 |
Total violent crime | 764 | 899 | 1,143 | -15 | -33 |
Violations causing death and attempted murder | 2 | 5 | 4 | -63 | -59 |
Sexual assault and sexual violations against childrenTable 1 Note 1 | 81 | 91 | 101 | -10 | -19 |
AssaultsTable 1 Note 2 | 444 | 500 | 649 | -11 | -32 |
Other violent offences | 237 | 303 | 389 | -22 | -39 |
Total property crime | 2,188 | 2,621 | 3,339 | -17 | -34 |
Breaking and entering | 241 | 319 | 431 | -25 | -44 |
TheftTable 1 Note 3 | 1,235 | 1,506 | 1,720 | -18 | -28 |
Fraud | 340 | 381 | 402 | -11 | -15 |
MischiefTable 1 Note 4 | 339 | 372 | 699 | -9 | -52 |
Other property crime offences | 33 | 43 | 86 | -24 | -61 |
Total other Criminal Code offences | 1,018 | 593 | 1,006 | 72 | 1 |
Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 203 | 199 | 339 | 2 | -40 |
Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 5 | 131 | 92 | 178 | 42 | -26 |
Total drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 6 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 33 | -30 |
Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 7 | 2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 292 | 224 |
Impaired driving (not specified)Table 1 Note 7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 14 | 72 |
Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 60 | 99 | 148 | -39 | -59 |
Total drug offences | 132 | 146 | 225 | -10 | -41 |
Total other federal statute offences | 18 | 29 | 70 | -39 | -75 |
Total all offences | 4,322 | 4,487 | 6,123 | -4 | -29 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 1 end
Table 2 start
Type of offence | Barrie | Ontario | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | |
rate | ||||||
Total violent crime | 812 | 805 | 834 | 766 | 1,048 | 936 |
Violations causing death and attempted murder | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
Homicide | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.9 | 3 |
Other violations causing deathTable 2 Note 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Attempted murder | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Sexual offences | 168 | 23 | 152 | 22 | 170 | 23 |
Sexual assault | 142 | 22 | 130 | 17 | 134 | 16 |
Sexual assault – level 3 – aggravated | 1 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
Sexual assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
Sexual assault – level 1 | 140 | 19 | 128 | 17 | 131 | 16 |
Sexual violations against childrenTable 2 Note 2 | 25 | 1 | 22 | 5 | 36 | 7 |
Assaults | 469 | 596 | 467 | 510 | 613 | 644 |
Physical assault | 458 | 508 | 456 | 463 | 599 | 590 |
Assault – level 3 – aggravated | 5 | 15 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
Assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 77 | 139 | 83 | 126 | 111 | 173 |
Assault – level 1 | 376 | 354 | 369 | 327 | 483 | 404 |
Assault against a peace officer | 11 | 81 | 7 | 37 | 10 | 48 |
Other assaults | 0 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
Other violent offences | 174 | 182 | 213 | 227 | 263 | 262 |
Firearms – use of, discharge, pointing | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
Robbery | 13 | 72 | 27 | 83 | 31 | 75 |
Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 13 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
Trafficking in personsTable 2 Note 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. |
Extortion | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
Criminal harassment | 49 | 12 | 52 | 16 | 53 | 17 |
Uttering threats | 64 | 84 | 85 | 102 | 114 | 134 |
Indecent or harassing communications | 8 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 9 |
Non-consensual distribution of intimate images | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0.8 | 7 | 1 |
Commodification of sexual activityTable 2 Note 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.6 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0.1 |
Other violent offences | 12 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
Total traffic offences | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 21 |
Traffic violations causing death | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
Traffic violations causing bodily harm | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
Traffic violations – injury unspecified or unknownTable 2 Note 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
0s value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
Table 2 end
Table 3 start
Type of offence | Barrie | Ontario | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | rate | number | rate | number | rate | |
Total non-violent crime | 8,134 | 3,558 | 513,941 | 3,588 | 1,845,269 | 4,979 |
Total property crime | 5,001 | 2,188 | 375,402 | 2,621 | 1,237,324 | 3,339 |
Breaking and entering | 551 | 241 | 45,736 | 319 | 159,812 | 431 |
Possess stolen propertyTable 3 Note 1 | 72 | 31 | 4,854 | 34 | 23,898 | 64 |
Theft of motor vehicle | 228 | 100 | 23,952 | 167 | 86,132 | 232 |
Theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) | 117 | 51 | 5,887 | 41 | 20,113 | 54 |
Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle) | 2,478 | 1,084 | 185,837 | 1,297 | 531,312 | 1,434 |
Fraud | 767 | 336 | 49,193 | 343 | 129,409 | 349 |
Identity theft | 0 | 0 | 426 | 3 | 3,745 | 10 |
Identity fraud | 10 | 4 | 4,907 | 34 | 15,839 | 43 |
MischiefTable 3 Note 2 | 774 | 339 | 53,236 | 372 | 259,064 | 699 |
Arson | 4 | 2 | 1,374 | 10 | 8,000 | 22 |
Total other offences | 2,327 | 1,018 | 84,959 | 593 | 372,834 | 1,006 |
Weapons violations | 98 | 43 | 4,415 | 31 | 16,610 | 45 |
Child pornographyTable 3 Note 3 | 13 | 6 | 1,669 | 12 | 5,843 | 16 |
ProstitutionTable 3 Note 4 | 15 | 7 | 29 | 0.2 | 110 | 0.3 |
Terrorism | 0 | 0 | 58 | 0.4 | 102 | 0.3 |
Disturb the peace | 300 | 131 | 5,075 | 35 | 94,378 | 255 |
Administration of justice offences | 1,765 | 772 | 66,876 | 467 | 226,864 | 612 |
Other offences | 136 | 59 | 6,837 | 48 | 28,927 | 78 |
Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 463 | 203 | 28,446 | 199 | 125,544 | 339 |
Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 5 | 300 | 131 | 13,216 | 92 | 65,820 | 178 |
Total drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 6 | 19 | 8 | 894 | 6 | 4,429 | 12 |
Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 7 | 5 | 2 | 80 | 0.6 | 250 | 0.7 |
Impaired driving (not specified)Table 3 Note 7 | 1 | 0.4 | 55 | 0.4 | 94 | 0.3 |
Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 138 | 60 | 14,201 | 99 | 54,951 | 148 |
Total drug offences | 302 | 132 | 20,937 | 146 | 83,483 | 225 |
Total other federal statute offences | 41 | 18 | 4,197 | 29 | 26,084 | 70 |
Human traffickingTable 3 Note 8 | 7 | 3 | 94 | 0.7 | 112 | 0.3 |
Youth Criminal Justice Act | 20 | 9 | 1,076 | 8 | 4,823 | 13 |
Other federal statute offences | 14 | 6 | 3,027 | 21 | 21,149 | 57 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 3 end
Table 4 start
Year | Violent crime | Property crime | Total crime | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | |
2008 | 1,794 | 916 | -4 | 6,874 | 3,511 | -6 | 10,750 | 5,490 | -6 |
2009 | 1,856 | 938 | 2 | 7,303 | 3,692 | 5 | 10,908 | 5,515 | 0.5 |
2010 | 1,854 | 925 | -1 | 6,986 | 3,486 | -6 | 10,478 | 5,228 | -5 |
2011 | 1,632 | 803 | -13 | 6,237 | 3,069 | -12 | 9,575 | 4,711 | -10 |
2012 | 1,634 | 791 | -1 | 5,682 | 2,750 | -10 | 8,934 | 4,324 | -8 |
2013 | 1,467 | 696 | -12 | 4,808 | 2,283 | -17 | 7,736 | 3,673 | -15 |
2014 | 1,609 | 753 | 8 | 4,785 | 2,241 | -2 | 7,935 | 3,716 | 1 |
2015 | 1,543 | 713 | -5 | 4,666 | 2,157 | -4 | 7,680 | 3,550 | -4 |
2016 | 1,619 | 734 | 3 | 4,540 | 2,060 | -5 | 7,749 | 3,515 | -1 |
2017 | 1,705 | 762 | 4 | 4,240 | 1,895 | -8 | 7,795 | 3,483 | -0.9 |
2018 | 1,747 | 764 | 0.3 | 5,001 | 2,188 | 15 | 9,075 | 3,970 | 14 |
Percent change from 2008 to 2018 | -3 | -17 | Note ...: not applicable | -27 | -38 | Note ...: not applicable | -16 | -28 | Note ...: not applicable |
... not applicable Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Percent changes are based on unrounded rates. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2 and for a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Total crime includes violent, property and other types of crimes. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 4 end
E use with caution
Note: This fact sheet contains data that come from multiple sources across multiple reference years. Some figures may be presented differently than in other Statistics Canada publications due to rounding. For detailed information on data definitions and sources, please refer to the Safe Cities profile series: Definitions and data sources document.
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