Safe Cities profile series: Key indicators by census metropolitan area
Lethbridge, Alberta 
Satisfaction with safety
Lethbridge 93%, Alberta 87%*, Canada 88%
proportion of people who reported being satisfied with their personal safety from crime in 2014
* significantly different from Lethbridge census agglomeration (p < 0.05)
Police-reported violent crime rate in 2018
Lethbridge 1,842, Alberta 1,319, Canada 1,143
rate per 100,000 population
Two-year change in police-reported crime rate (2016 to 2018)
Lethbridge +21%, Alberta +4%, Canada +4%
Population and demographics
Lethbridge, Alberta
Lethbridge was home to 124,553 people in 2018, and it had a population density of 42 residents per square kilometre. One in three (33%) residents were aged 24 and younger, similar to in Alberta (31%) but higher than Canada (28%).
About 5.4% of Lethbridge residents were part of the Indigenous population (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) in 2016, lower than Alberta (6.5%) but slightly higher than Canada (4.9%). Immigrants represented one in eight (13%) residents, lower than Alberta (21%) and Canada (22%). Just over one in five (22%) immigrants in Lethbridge were recent immigrants (since 2011), slightly lower than Alberta (25%) but higher than Canada (16%). One in ten (11%) Lethbridge residents identified as a visible minority, notably lower than Alberta (23%) and Canada overall (22%).
Education, employment and income
In 2016, three in five (60%) Lethbridge residents aged 25 to 64 had completed some form of postsecondary education, about three in ten (28%) had completed high school (or equivalent) as their highest level of education, and one in eight (12%) had completed neither.
In 2018, the unemployment rate in Lethbridge (5.4%) was lower than in Alberta (6.6%) but closer to Canada’s provinces (5.8%). Households in Lethbridge earned a median after-tax annual income of $57,400 in 2017, lower than in Alberta ($62,950) but higher than Canada ($52,090). The percentage of families considered low-income in Lethbridge (12%) was similar to Alberta (13%) but lower than Canada (17%).
Housing and families
On average, there were 2.5 persons per household in Lethbridge in 2016, similar to Alberta (2.6) and Canada (2.4). Most (71%) households in Lethbridge owned their homes, on par with Alberta (72%) 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 one in five (21%) Lethbridge households, on par with Alberta (21%) but slightly lower than Canada (24%). A small proportion (5.7%) of occupied private dwellings in Lethbridge were in need of major repairs, similar to Alberta (5.7%) and Canada (6.5%). About one in seven (14%) Lethbridge families were lone-parent families, similar to Alberta (14%) and Canada (16%). In 2018, there were an estimated 233 homeless individuals living in Lethbridge.
Community safety and sense of belonging
- In 2014, about two in five (42%) Lethbridge residents aged 15 and older were very satisfied with their personal safety from crime, which was not significantly different from Alberta residents (35%) or Canadians living in the provinces overall (38%).
- Three in five (60%) Lethbridge residents felt very safe when walking alone after dark, which was not significantly different from the proportion in Alberta (52%) or Canada’s provinces (52%).
- A smaller proportion of women who lived in Lethbridge felt very safe when walking alone after dark compared with men (49%E versus 70%); however, unlike in Alberta and Canada’s provinces, this difference was not significant.
- One in five (19%E) Lethbridge residents thought social disorder was a big or moderate problem in their neighbourhood, not significantly different from Alberta (24%) and Canada’s provinces (22%).
- One in six (16%E) Lethbridge residents said they had a very strong sense of belonging to their community, which was not significantly different from Alberta (21%) but was significantly lower than Canada’s provinces (25%).
- Over a six-year period (2009 to 2014), 15%E of Lethbridge residents experienced discrimination, similar to Alberta (16%) and Canada’s provinces (13%).
- About 12%E of Lethbridge residents said they knew most people in their neighbourhood in 2014, which was not significantly different from Alberta (17%) but was significantly lower than Canada’s provinces (21%).
- The large majority (83%) of Lethbridge residents thought crime levels in their neighbourhood were lower than the rest of Canada, significantly higher than in Alberta (72%) and Canada’s provinces (74%).
- The vast majority (96%) of Lethbridge residents reported having confidence in police in 2014, which was not significantly different from the proportion in Alberta (89%) and Canada’s provinces (91%).
Self-reported experiences of victimization
- In 2018, more than one in four (28%) Lethbridge residents aged 15 and older experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in public, which was not significantly different from Alberta (25%) or Canada’s provinces (23%).
Police-reported crime
- In 2018, Lethbridge police reported an overall crime rate of 11,183 incidents per 100,000 population, 30% higher than in Alberta (8,607) and 104% higher than in Canada (5,488).
- Between 2016 and 2018, police-reported crime increased by 21% in Lethbridge, while a smaller increase was seen in Alberta (+4%) and Canada (+4%).
- The severity of crime in Lethbridge increased by 10% between 2017 and 2018, mostly due to an increase in fraud; sexual assault (level 1); trafficking, production or distribution of other drugs; breaking and entering; and assault (level 1 and 2). Between 2016 and 2018, the severity of crime in Lethbridge increased by 32%, compared with a 6% increase in Alberta and a 4% increase in Canada.
Property crime
- Police-reported: There were 7,422 property crimes per 100,000 population reported by police in Lethbridge in 2018, 37% higher than in Alberta (5,435) and 122% higher than Canada (3,339).
Violent crime
- In 2018, there were 1,842 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 population reported by police in Lethbridge, 40% higher than Alberta (1,319) and 61% higher than Canada overall (1,143).
- In Lethbridge, just over half (52%) of victims of violent crime were female, similar to Alberta (53%) and Canada (53%).
- Between 2016 and 2018:
- The violent crime rate in Lethbridge increased by 55%, far larger than the increase seen in Alberta (+3%) and Canada (+6%).
- The severity of violent crime in Lethbridge increased by 59%, which was notably larger than the increase in Alberta (+5%) and Canada (+7%).
- Violent crime against girls and women in Lethbridge saw a larger increase between 2016 and 2018 than violent crime against boys and men (+47% versus +40%).
Hate crime
- The police-reported hate crime rate—which depends on police services' level of expertise in identifying crimes motivated by hate—was two times lower in Lethbridge (2.4 incidents per 100,000 population) than in Alberta (4.8) and Canada (4.9) in 2018.
- Between 2016 and 2018, the rate of police-reported hate crime in Lethbridge increased by 46%, on par with Alberta (+45%) but larger than the increase in Canada (+24%).
Intimate partner violence
- There were 588 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population aged 15 and older reported by police in Lethbridge in 2018, 47% higher than Alberta (401) and 82% higher than Canada (323).
- The large majority (75%) of victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in Lethbridge were female, slightly lower than in Alberta (78%) and Canada (79%).
- Same-sex partners accounted for 1.8% of police-reported intimate partner violence in Lethbridge between 2016 and 2018, slightly lower than in Alberta (2.4%) and Canada (3.4%).
Homicide
- In 2018, Lethbridge had no homicides. Meanwhile, Alberta and Canada had a homicide rate of 1.88 and 1.76 per 100,000 population, respectively.
- The number of homicides in Lethbridge decreased from 4 victims in 2016 to 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | |
| index | ||||||
| 2016 | 63 | 93 | 77 | 118 | 110 | 70 |
| 2017 | 87 | 99 | 81 | 138 | 117 | 71 |
| 2018 | 100 | 97 | 82 | 150 | 117 | 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 2016 Census of Population, Lethbridge was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2016 are not available for Lethbridge as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Chart 1 end
Chart 2 start
Data table for Chart 2
| Year | Female victims | Male victims | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | |
| rate per 100,000 population | ||||||
| 2016 | 1,171 | 1,192 | 978 | 1,122 | 1,059 | 910 |
| 2017 | 1,343 | 1,201 | 1,019 | 1,257 | 1,071 | 926 |
| 2018 | 1,718 | 1,201 | 1,048 | 1,575 | 1,057 | 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. Following the 2016 Census of Population, Lethbridge was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2016 are not available for Lethbridge as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
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Chart 2 end
Chart 3 start
Data table for Chart 3
| Year | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| rate per 100,000 population | |||
| 2016 | 5,867 | 5,335 | 3,239 |
| 2017 | 7,126 | 5,530 | 3,266 |
| 2018 | 7,422 | 5,435 | 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. Following the 2016 Census of Population, Lethbridge was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2016 are not available for Lethbridge as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Chart 3 end
Table 1 start
| Type of offence | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | Percent difference between Lethbridge and Alberta | Percent difference between Lethbridge and Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rate | |||||
| Total crime (excluding traffic) | 11,183 | 8,607 | 5,488 | 30 | 104 |
| Total violent crime | 1,842 | 1,319 | 1,143 | 40 | 61 |
| Violations causing death and attempted murder | 2 | 3 | 4 | -21 | -43 |
| Sexual assault and sexual violations against childrenTable 1 Note 1 | 145 | 104 | 101 | 39 | 44 |
| AssaultsTable 1 Note 2 | 1,256 | 799 | 649 | 57 | 94 |
| Other violent offences | 439 | 413 | 389 | 6 | 13 |
| Total property crime | 7,422 | 5,435 | 3,339 | 37 | 122 |
| Breaking and entering | 754 | 738 | 431 | 2 | 75 |
| TheftTable 1 Note 3 | 4,532 | 2,785 | 1,720 | 63 | 163 |
| Fraud | 1,101 | 583 | 402 | 89 | 174 |
| MischiefTable 1 Note 4 | 842 | 1,070 | 699 | -21 | 21 |
| Other property crime offences | 193 | 258 | 86 | -25 | 124 |
| Total other Criminal Code offences | 1,918 | 1,853 | 1,006 | 4 | 91 |
| Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 499 | 412 | 339 | 21 | 47 |
| Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 5 | 251 | 268 | 178 | -6 | 42 |
| Total drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 6 | 39 | 19 | 12 | 108 | 226 |
| Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 7 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 659 | 501 |
| Impaired driving (not specified)Table 1 Note 7 | 5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2,228 | 1,818 |
| Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 199 | 125 | 148 | 60 | 35 |
| Total drug offences | 663 | 246 | 225 | 170 | 194 |
| Total other federal statute offences | 32 | 43 | 70 | -27 | -55 |
| Total all offences | 12,376 | 9,308 | 6,123 | 33 | 102 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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Table 1 end
Table 2 start
| Type of offence | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | |
| rate | ||||||
| Total violent crime | 1,718 | 1,575 | 1,201 | 1,057 | 1,048 | 936 |
| Violations causing death and attempted murder | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Homicide | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Other violations causing deathTable 2 Note 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Attempted murder | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Sexual offences | 253 | 33 | 184 | 20 | 170 | 23 |
| Sexual assault | 200 | 23 | 147 | 15 | 134 | 16 |
| Sexual assault – level 3 – aggravated | 2 | 2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Sexual assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Sexual assault – level 1 | 192 | 20 | 143 | 14 | 131 | 16 |
| Sexual violations against childrenTable 2 Note 2 | 53 | 10 | 37 | 6 | 36 | 7 |
| Assaults | 1,199 | 1,236 | 769 | 786 | 613 | 644 |
| Physical assault | 1,193 | 1,127 | 756 | 736 | 599 | 590 |
| Assault – level 3 – aggravated | 3 | 15 | 11 | 22 | 6 | 13 |
| Assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 220 | 336 | 153 | 239 | 111 | 173 |
| Assault – level 1 | 970 | 777 | 592 | 475 | 483 | 404 |
| Assault against a peace officer | 2 | 108 | 9 | 43 | 10 | 48 |
| Other assaults | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 |
| Other violent offences | 262 | 305 | 248 | 246 | 263 | 262 |
| Firearms – use of, discharge, pointing | 0 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Robbery | 27 | 57 | 36 | 91 | 31 | 75 |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 19 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 15 | 3 |
| Trafficking in personsTable 2 Note 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 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 | 8 | 31 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| Criminal harassment | 27 | 7 | 37 | 10 | 53 | 17 |
| Uttering threats | 142 | 202 | 103 | 109 | 114 | 134 |
| Indecent or harassing communications | 21 | 2 | 29 | 10 | 22 | 9 |
| Non-consensual distribution of intimate images | 11 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Commodification of sexual activityTable 2 Note 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Other violent offences | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
| Total traffic offences | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 21 |
| Traffic violations causing death | 0 | 3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Traffic violations causing bodily harm | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Traffic violations – injury unspecified or unknownTable 2 Note 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 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. |
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Table 2 end
Table 3 start
| Type of offence | Lethbridge | Alberta | Canada | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | rate | number | rate | number | rate | |
| Total non-violent crime | 12,992 | 10,534 | 344,085 | 7,989 | 1,845,269 | 4,979 |
| Total property crime | 9,154 | 7,422 | 234,076 | 5,435 | 1,237,324 | 3,339 |
| Breaking and entering | 930 | 754 | 31,807 | 738 | 159,812 | 431 |
| Possess stolen propertyTable 3 Note 1 | 233 | 189 | 9,925 | 230 | 23,898 | 64 |
| Theft of motor vehicle | 410 | 332 | 23,507 | 546 | 86,132 | 232 |
| Theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) | 67 | 54 | 4,008 | 93 | 20,113 | 54 |
| Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle) | 5,112 | 4,145 | 92,448 | 2,146 | 531,312 | 1,434 |
| Fraud | 1,235 | 1,001 | 22,096 | 513 | 129,409 | 349 |
| Identity theft | 33 | 27 | 724 | 17 | 3,745 | 10 |
| Identity fraud | 90 | 73 | 2,281 | 53 | 15,839 | 43 |
| MischiefTable 3 Note 2 | 1,039 | 842 | 46,081 | 1,070 | 259,064 | 699 |
| Arson | 5 | 4 | 1,199 | 28 | 8,000 | 22 |
| Total other offences | 2,366 | 1,918 | 79,822 | 1,853 | 372,834 | 1,006 |
| Weapons violations | 86 | 70 | 2,914 | 68 | 16,610 | 45 |
| Child pornographyTable 3 Note 3 | 30 | 24 | 518 | 12 | 5,843 | 16 |
| ProstitutionTable 3 Note 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.2 | 110 | 0.3 |
| Terrorism | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.3 | 102 | 0.3 |
| Disturb the peace | 174 | 141 | 16,021 | 372 | 94,378 | 255 |
| Administration of justice offences | 1,852 | 1,502 | 55,478 | 1,288 | 226,864 | 612 |
| Other offences | 224 | 182 | 4,869 | 113 | 28,927 | 78 |
| Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 615 | 499 | 17,745 | 412 | 125,544 | 339 |
| Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 5 | 310 | 251 | 11,528 | 268 | 65,820 | 178 |
| Total drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 6 | 48 | 39 | 805 | 19 | 4,429 | 12 |
| Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 7 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 0.5 | 250 | 0.7 |
| Impaired driving (not specified)Table 3 Note 7 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 0.2 | 94 | 0.3 |
| Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 246 | 199 | 5,380 | 125 | 54,951 | 148 |
| Total drug offences | 818 | 663 | 10,580 | 246 | 83,483 | 225 |
| Total other federal statute offences | 39 | 32 | 1,862 | 43 | 26,084 | 70 |
| Human traffickingTable 3 Note 8 | 0 | 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. | 112 | 0.3 |
| Youth Criminal Justice Act | 34 | 28 | 426 | 10 | 4,823 | 13 |
| Other federal statute offences | 5 | 4 | 1,434 | 33 | 21,149 | 57 |
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, Aggregate Database. |
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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 | |
| 2016 | 1,428 | 1,192 | Note ...: not applicable | 7,029 | 5,867 | Note ...: not applicable | 11,107 | 9,271 | Note ...: not applicable |
| 2017 | 1,660 | 1,371 | 15 | 8,630 | 7,126 | 21 | 12,609 | 10,412 | 12 |
| 2018 | 2,272 | 1,842 | 34 | 9,154 | 7,422 | 4 | 13,792 | 11,183 | 7 |
| Percent change from 2016 to 2018 | 59 | 55 | Note ...: not applicable | 30 | 27 | Note ...: not applicable | 24 | 21 | 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. Following the 2016 Census of Population, Lethbridge was reclassified as a census metropolitan area (CMA). As such, data prior to 2016 are not available for Lethbridge as a CMA. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
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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. Figures for community safety and sense of belonging are based on 2014 data when Lethbridge was classified as a census agglomeration and not yet a census metropolitan area. The Lethbridge unemployment rate is based on the Lethbridge census agglomeration.
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