Rural crime fact sheets, 2023: Nova Scotia

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Demographic and household characteristics

In 2021, there were 999,908 people living in Nova Scotia,^Note  with slightly more than three in ten (31%) individuals living in rural areas of the province.^Note 

According to the most recent Census of Population, people living in rural areas of the province were generally older than those in urban areas in 2021 (Table 1). Almost three in ten (28%) people living in rural areas were aged 65 and older, compared with the two in ten (20%) in urban areas. About two in five (19%) people living in rural areas were aged 15 to 34, a smaller proportion than in urban areas (26%).

A similar proportion of people living in rural (7%) and urban (5%) areas of the province were First Nations, Métis and Inuit (Indigenous). Urban areas (9%) had almost double the proportion of immigrants than rural areas (5%) of the province. Similarly, the proportion of people belonging to a racialized group living in urban areas (13%) was slightly more than four times the proportion in rural areas (3%).

The largest differences in educational attainment, among people aged 25 to 64 living in the province, were noted at the highest and lowest education levels. A larger proportion of people living in urban areas (34%) held a bachelor’s degree or higher than the proportion in rural areas (19%). In contrast, the proportion of people living in rural areas with less than a high school diploma (14%) was almost double that of people living in urban areas (8%).

Less than one in five (17%) households in rural areas reported an after-tax household income that was $100,000 and over compared with one-quarter (25%) of households in urban areas. The proportion of households reporting an after-tax household income less than $50,000 was higher in rural (43%) than urban (35%) areas. A larger proportion of households in rural areas (17%) met the Low-income threshold^Note  than households in urban areas (13%).

Slightly more than half (54%) of people living in rural areas were in the labour force in 2021, less than the over three in five (62%) people living in urban areas of the province. Among people in the labour force, equal proportions were employed in both rural (87%) and urban (87%) areas.

It is important to note that the nature and extent of crime is influenced by various demographic, social and economic characteristics. For more information, see Characteristics of police-reported crime in rural areas, 2023: Provincial fact sheets.

Characteristics of police-reported crime

In 2023, 31% of people living in Nova Scotia were served by a police service covering a predominantly rural area.^Note 

According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, police services in rural areas of the province reported 20,342 Criminal Code violations (excluding traffic) in 2023 (Table 2).^Note  The corresponding crime rate in rural areas (6,278 incidents per 100,000 population) was 9% higher than the rate in urban areas (5,781).

The crime rate in both rural (+1%) and urban (-1%) areas of the province remained relatively unchanged from 2022 to 2023; however, from 2018 to 2023, the crime rate increased by 31% in rural areas. The increase recorded in urban areas during this time was less pronounced (+11%).

Since 2013, the crime rate in Nova Scotia has fluctuated, with somewhat opposing trends noted for rural and urban areas (Chart 1). Between 2014 and 2018, the crime rate in rural areas was generally lower than in urban areas. In subsequent years, the rural crime rate surpassed what was recorded in urban areas.

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As a result, differences between the rural and urban crime rates have varied since 2013. During this time, the rural crime rate has been anywhere from 11% lower than the urban crime rate, in 2017, to 17% higher than the urban crime rate in 2020.

Characteristics of police-reported violent crime

In 2023, about one-quarter of all police-reported crime was violent in nature in both rural (27%) and urban (24%) areas of the province (Table 2).

There were 6,109 police-reported violent crimes in rural areas, corresponding to a rate of 1,885 per 100,000 population. This rate was 26% higher than the rate in urban areas (1,492). Police-reported violent crime rates were driven by high rates of assault and firearm-specific offences,^Note  the most common type of violent crime in both rural (815 per 100,000 population) and urban (757) areas.

The pattern of higher violent crime rates in rural compared with urban areas of the province was consistent for most types of violent crime. For example, the rate of uttering threats was 44% higher in rural areas and the rate of assaults and firearm-specific offences was 8% higher in rural areas compared with urban areas.

In 2023, the rate of sexual offences^Note  in rural areas (161 incidents per 100,000 population) was 25% higher than the urban rate (129), and 47% higher than the corresponding rural rate in 2018. In contrast, the rate of sexual offences decreased (-21%) since 2018 in urban areas.

Robbery was an exception to the general trend; in urban areas, the rate was six times higher (49 incidents per 100,000 population) than the rate in rural areas (8).

Overall, the violent crime rate remained relatively stable in rural areas (+3%) and unchanged in urban areas of the province in 2023 compared with 2022. However, between 2018 and 2023, both rural and urban areas recorded increases in the violent crime rate, with rural areas (+56%) experiencing a sharper increase than urban areas (+15%) during this time.

Characteristics of police-reported non-violent crime

In 2023, there were 10,744 property crime offences reported by rural police services, corresponding to a property crime rate of 3,316 incidents per 100,000 population. Urban areas had a similar property crime rate (3,409 incidents per 100,000 population). Property crime accounted for a smaller proportion of all police-reported crime in rural areas (47%) than urban areas (55%) of the province.

Property crime rates in 2023 were relatively stable compared with those recorded in 2022 (+2% in rural areas and -3% in urban areas). However, compared with 2018, there was a 23% increase in the property crime rate in rural areas in 2023, a larger increase than what was recorded in urban areas (+16%).

Overall, there was variation in the rates of specific property crime offences. Rural areas recorded higher rates of mischief (+62%), breaking and entering (+53%), and motor vehicle theft (+51%), than urban areas. In contrast, rural areas recorded lower rates of theft of $5,000 or under^Note  (-46%) and theft over $5,000^Note  (-7%) than urban areas.

In 2023, there were 3,489 other Criminal Code offences in rural areas of the province. The rate of these offences was 22% higher in rural areas (1,077 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (881). Administration of justice violations accounted for the largest proportion of these offences in rural (47%) and urban (62%) areas. The rate of administration of justice violations was 8% lower in rural (502 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (545).

The rate of drug offences was 58% higher in rural than in urban areas of the province in 2023. Compared with 2022, the rate of drug offences increased in rural areas (+6%) and urban areas (+17%). However, since 2018 there were overall sharp declines in the rate of drug offences in both rural (-51%) and urban (-58%) areas.^Note 

Rates of Criminal Code traffic violations (+89% in rural areas) and other federal statute violations (+98%) were higher in rural areas compared with urban areas in 2023.

Characteristics of victims of police-reported violent crime

In 2023, women and girls represented just over half of victims of police-reported violent crime in both rural (54%) and urban (54%) areas of the province (Table 3).

There were 2,323 women and girl victims of violent crime in rural areas of the province, translating to a rate of 1,418 victims per 100,000 women and girls. This rate was 22% higher than the rate recorded in urban areas (1,158). Similarly, the rate of violent crime for men and boys in rural areas was 24% higher than the rate in urban areas (1,260 and 1,016 victims per 100,000 men and boys, respectively).

Women and girls were overrepresented as victims of police-reported violent crime. In rural areas, the violent crime rate was 12% higher for women and girls (1,418 victims per 100,000 women and girls) than the rate for men and boys (1,260 victims per 100,000 men and boys). Similarly, the violent crime rate was 14% higher for women and girls (1,158) in urban areas of the province than for men and boys (1,016).

In 2023, violent crime rates were higher in rural areas than in urban areas across all victim age groups in the province. The largest difference was noted among 18- to 44-year-olds; the violent crime rate for victims in this age group was 59% higher in rural (2,617 victims per 100,000 population) than in urban (1,643) areas.

In 2023, a larger proportion of police-reported violent crime in rural areas (85%) were committed by an accused person known to the victim compared with the proportion in urban areas (75%). The accused was most commonly someone other than an intimate partner or family member in both rural (39%) and urban (36%) areas.^Note 

In rural areas, almost one in five (19%) victims were victimized by a family member other than a spouse,^Note  more than the 14% recorded in urban areas. An intimate partner^Note  was identified as the accused for about one-quarter of victims in both rural (27%) and urban (25%) areas.

In 2023, three in ten (30%) victims of violent crime in rural areas sustained a physical injury, lower than the almost two in five (38%) victims in urban areas of the province.

Characteristics of police-reported violent crime incidents

In 2023, a similar proportion of violent incidents in both rural (12%) and urban (13%) areas of the province involved the presence of a weapon (Table 4). Rural areas recorded a slightly higher (+9%) rate for these offences (191 incidents per 100,000 population) than urban areas (176).

A private residence was the most common location of police-reported violent crime incidents in both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, seven in ten (70%) incidents occurred in this type of location, higher than the 55% of incidents in urban areas. In contrast, a smaller proportion of incidents in rural areas occurred in another commercial or non-residential location (18%) or on public transportation, streets, roads or open areas (13%)  compared with incidents in urban areas (24% and 22%, respectively).

A police-reported incident can be classified as not cleared,^Note  cleared by charge or “cleared otherwise”.^Note  In 2023, a slightly smaller proportion of violent incidents in rural areas (41%) than in urban areas (45%) were cleared (i.e., cleared by charge or cleared otherwise). Around one-quarter of violent crime incidents in rural areas (26%) and one-third of these incidents in urban areas (34%) resulted in charges being laid or recommended by police. A similar proportion of incidents were cleared otherwise in rural (15%) and urban (12%) areas.

Family and intimate partner violence

In 2023, the rate of police-reported intimate partner violence (IPV) was 29% higher in rural (399 incidents per 100,000 population aged 12 and older) than in urban (310) areas of the province (Table 5).

Women and girls disproportionately experienced higher rates of IPV compared with men and boys. The rate of IPV among women and girls was over three times higher in rural (600 incidents per 100,000 women and girls aged 12 and older) and in urban (487) areas compared with the rates for men and boys (192 and 127 incidents per 100,000 men and boys aged 12 and older, respectively).

Like IPV, the rate of police-reported family violence^Note  was 55% higher in rural (424 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban (274) areas of the province.

The rate of family violence against women and girls in rural areas was 65% higher (527 incidents per 100,000 women and girls) than the rate for men and boys (319 incidents per 100,000 men and boys). Similarly, the rate against women and girls was more than two times higher in urban (369) areas compared with the rate for men and boys (176).

Compared with 2013, the rates of both family violence and IPV increased in rural areas in 2023 (Chart 2). Rural areas recorded a 7% increase in the rate of family violence in 2023 (426 incidents per 100,000 population) compared with 2013 (399). The increase in the rate of IPV was more pronounced, increasing 19% in rural areas in 2023 (399 incidents per 100,000 population aged 12 and older) compared with 2013 (335).

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In contrast, the rates of family violence and IPV in urban areas of the province remained relatively stable in 2023 compared with 2013. More specifically, urban areas saw a 1% increase in the rate of family violence, and a 2% increase in the rate of IPV during this time.

In both urban and rural areas, rates of family violence and IPV were highest among victims aged 18 to 44 (Table 5). This was the case for women and girl victims and men and boy victims across the province.

The proportion of victims of police-reported family violence and IPV that sustained a physical injury in rural areas (35%) was lower than the proportion in urban areas (45%). This was the case among women and girl, and men and boy, victims in the province.

Characteristics of accused persons

In 2023, rates of persons accused of police-reported crime were higher in rural areas than urban areas for all age groups of women and girls accused, and almost all age groups of men and boys accused (Table 6). This was the case for violent and property crime rates; however, rates varied for other Criminal Code violations.

Among accused women and girls in rural areas, rates were highest for those aged 25 to 44 (2,693 persons accused per 100,000 population), followed closely by rates for accused aged 18 to 24 (2,489). In urban areas, however, the highest rate was among accused girls aged 12 to 17 (2,037). The highest rates for men and boys in both rural and urban areas were recorded among accused aged 25 to 44 (7,120 and 4,874 persons accused per 100,000 population, respectively).

Among incidents of police-reported crime where an accused was identified, a larger proportion of incidents had charges laid or recommended in urban than in rural areas of the province (Table 7). This was true for all types of crime and across different accused age groups. In rural areas, over one-third (35%) of incidents involving an accused youth and over half (54%) of incidents involving an accused adult resulted in a charge, while relatively larger proportions of incidents involving an accused youth (55%) or accused adult (75%) resulted in a charge in urban areas.

Tables

Table 1 Demographic and household characteristics, by rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2021

Table 2 Police-reported crime, by selected violation and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 3 Police-reported violent crime, by victim characteristic and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 4 Police-reported violent crime, by incident characteristic and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 5 Police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence, by victim characteristic and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 6 Police-reported crime, by gender and age group of accused persons and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 7 Police-reported crime, by age group of accused, incident clearance status and rural or urban area, Nova Scotia, 2023