Police-reported crime in rural and urban areas in the Canadian provinces, 2024

In Canada, most crimes occur in urban areas (Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023). Urban areas also have the highest levels of fear of crime (Ceccato, 2022; Cotter, 2025; David, 2023; Little et al., 2005; Perreault, 2019). However, crime levels have a modest impact on fear of crime, which is more a reflection of wide-ranging anxiety influenced by factors such as signs of social disorder, the presence of strangers or marginalized people, or unfamiliar places (Farrall et al., 2009; Fitzgerald, 2008; Lupton, 1999; Scott, 2003). Overall, residents of urban areas are more exposed to many factors known to undermine a sense of safety. For example, persons living in central neighbourhoods of metropolitan areas are more likely to observe signs of social disorder (Cotter, 2016) and to encounter strangers or unfamiliar places (Lupton, 1999) and marginalized people (Krausz et al., 2019).

Persons living in rural areas^Note  can also face certain factors that contribute to feeling unsafe, such as isolation or a low police presence (Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020; Marshall & Johnson, 2005). Generally speaking, rural areas are well perceived, including by their residents, as quiet, peaceful and community-centred places (Bell, 2006; David, 2023; Donnermeyer & DeKeseredy, 2008; Lockie & Bourke, 2001), although their residents are slightly less likely to be satisfied with the work of the police, particularly in terms of responding quickly to calls or ensuring the safety of citizens (Ruddell & O’Connor, 2022).

A growing body of literature has highlighted factors that could contribute to crime in rural areas, such as remoteness or isolation; limited access to services, education and jobs; and gun culture, drug addiction and limited police resources (Ceccato, 2025; Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020). Recent studies based on police data have also shown that, overall, crime is higher in rural areas than in urban areas in Canada, particularly in the northern parts of the provinces (Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023; Perreault, 2019; Savage et al., 2025). As a result, many initiatives have been implemented in recent years to combat crime in rural areas (Public Safety Canada, 2025a).

As in urban areas, crime can have significant impacts in rural areas. However, certain factors that are either specific to rural areas or are more pronounced may exacerbate some of these impacts, such as limited access to victim services and health care, stigmatization, the breakdown of social and family ties, and the reputation of communities (Ceccato, 2025; Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020). Crime in rural areas also differs in several ways from crime in urban areas, including in terms of relationship between victims and offenders, the prevalence of certain types of crime or the presence of firearms^Note  (Ceccato, 2025; Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023; Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020; Savage et al. 2025).

Therefore, monitoring crime trends in rural areas is warranted, as these trends are otherwise overshadowed by urban trends in national statistics. This article, which is based on data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and the Homicide Survey, presents key trends in crime rates and the Crime Severity Index (CSI) for police-reported crime in rural areas of the Canadian provinces. This is an update of the Juristat article entitled “Police-reported crime in rural and urban areas in the Canadian provinces, 2021” (Perreault, 2023).

This Juristat article was produced with funding support from Public Safety Canada.

Start of text box 1

End of text box 1

Nearly one in five crimes occurred in rural areas in 2024

In 2024, nearly 440,000 Criminal Code (excluding traffic) offences were reported by police services serving a predominantly rural population. This represented close to one in five (19%) police-reported incidents in the provinces in 2024. This proportion was also higher than the proportion of the population living in these areas (14%).

Although the majority of police-reported crimes in 2024 occurred in urban areas, when factoring in population size, the crime rate in rural areas was 42% higher than the rate in urban areas. In rural areas, the crime rate stood at 7,421 incidents per 100,000 population, compared with 5,235 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas (Table 1).

When all Criminal Code and other federal statute offences—i.e., traffic violations, drug offences, and violations to federal statutes such as the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or the Customs Act—are considered, the gap between rural and urban areas widens further. In 2024, rural police services reported 8,277 Criminal code or other federal statute violations per 100,000 population. This was 47% higher than the rate in urban areas (5,616 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1).

The crime rate in rural areas has risen for a fourth consecutive year

In 2024, the crime rate—which includes Criminal Code (excluding traffic) offences—in rural areas was slightly higher than in 2023. Although the increase was modest, with the rate rising from 7,386 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023 to 7,421 incidents per 100,000 population in 2024, it was a fourth consecutive annual increase. In contrast, the crime rate in urban areas fell from 5,474 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023 to 5,235 incidents per 100,000 population in 2024 (Chart 1).

Chart 1 start

Chart 1 end

In both rural and urban areas, crime rates were on the rise until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the rate declined in both rural and urban areas, with a stronger decrease in urban areas. Because of the lockdowns, business closures and the increase in telework during the pandemic, property crimes in Canada fell sharply. Specifically, the decrease in the number of shoplifting incidents and thefts of $5,000 or under contributed significantly to pulling in the crime rate downward in 2020 (Moreau, 2021). However, these crimes are much more common in urban areas.

Although crime rates in both rural and urban areas subsequently resumed an upward trend, crime rates in urban areas in 2024 remained below their pre-pandemic levels of 2019. In rural areas, the rate returned to its pre-pandemic level in 2021 (Chart 1).

The Crime Severity Index is also higher in rural areas

In Canada, two official measures of crime are typically used: the crime rate and the CSI. The crime rate measures the volume of crime (all Criminal Code violations, except traffic and other federal statute violations) relative to the population size, whereas the CSI measures the volume and severity of crime and includes all Criminal Code and other federal statute violations. CSI values are available back to 1998 (see Text box 1).

In 2024, the CSI in rural areas was 100.6, or 38% higher than the urban CSI the same year (72.7). This was up slightly from the rural CSI observed in 2023 (100.3) and marks the highest level since comparable data began being compiled in 2009. ^Note  This also represented a 33% increase since 2014, when the CSI was at its lowest level on record (Chart 2).

Since comparable data began being compiled in 2009, the gap between the rural CSI and the urban CSI has widened. In 2009, the CSI was slightly higher in rural areas (89.6) than in urban areas (86.7).

Chart 2 start

Chart 2 end

In 2009, the violent Crime Severity Index was lower in rural areas than in urban areas, but the opposite was true in 2024

In 2024, the violent crime rate was 73% higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Police services serving predominantly rural populations reported 130,019 violent crimes in 2024, representing 2,197 incidents per 100,000 population, compared with 1,273 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas. Thus, while rural areas account for 14% of the population in the provinces, they accounted for 22% of police-reported violent crimes in 2024 (Table 1, Chart 3).

Chart 3 start

Chart 3 end

In addition, the gap between rural and urban violent crime rates has widened in recent years. Both rural and urban areas have seen a considerable increase in violent crime rates since 2014. This is also the crime category that saw the sharpest increase during this period. However, the increase was more pronounced in rural areas (+46%) than in urban areas (+36%) (Table 1).

The violent CSI, which measures the volume and severity of violent crimes, showed a similar trend. Since reaching a low in 2014 (77.9), the violent CSI has risen steadily each year, peaking at 134.8 in 2024. However, the reported increase compared with 2023 (+0.3%) was the lowest annual increase since 2014. Although the violent CSI in urban areas has also increased since 2014, the annual increases have generally been smaller than those in rural areas. There were also two years of decline (2020 and 2024), during which the violent CSI in rural areas continued to rise (Chart 2).

As with violent crime rates, the gap between rural and urban CSIs has widened over time. In 2009, the violent CSI in rural areas (84.5) was 11% lower than the rate in urban areas (95.3). The reverse was true 15 years later when the violent CSI was 46% higher in rural areas (134.8) than in urban areas (92.5) (Chart 2).

The biggest rural–urban differences in Criminal Code offences are observed in traffic violations

Offences under the Criminal Code can be grouped into four broad categories: violent crimes (or crimes against the person), property crimes, traffic violations and other offences under the Criminal Code.

Among these categories, traffic violations showed the largest difference in rates between rural and urban areas in 2024. In rural areas, police services reported 31,408 traffic violations, including impaired driving, dangerous driving and failure to stop. This corresponds to 531 incidents per 100,000 population, more than double the rate recorded in urban areas (247 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1, Chart 3).

This difference in traffic violations between rural and urban areas was to be expected. According to the literature, the farther one is from city centres, the fewer alternatives there are to cars, and the greater the reliance on car use and distance travelled (Affordability Action Council, 2024; Laviolette, 2020; Turcotte, 2008).

Since 2014, traffic violations have decreased in both rural (-8%) and urban (-23%) areas. This decline is largely attributable to the decrease in alcohol-impaired driving incidents (Table 1).

The second-largest difference is observed in other Criminal Code offences

The category “other Criminal Code offences” includes all offences that do not fall into one of the other three categories. These include offences such as disturbing the peace, offences against the administration of justice (e.g., failure to appear in court, breach of probation), offences related to child sexual abuse and exploitation material (a term that has replaced “child pornography”),^Note  possession of weapons, and terrorism offences (e.g., participating in the activities of a terrorist group, harbouring or concealing a terrorist, inciting fear of terrorist activities).

The second-largest difference between rural and urban rates was found in this category of “other Criminal Code offences.” In 2024, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported 90,532 such incidents, representing 1,530 incidents per 100,000 population. This rate was 74% higher than that in urban areas, which was 877 incidents per 100,000 population. This difference was largely attributable to high rates of offences against the administration of justice, disturbing the peace and non-violent weapons offences (e.g., possession of weapons, unsafe storage of firearms, and firearm documentation and administration offences) in rural areas compared with urban areas (Table 1, Chart 3).

Considerably higher rates in rural areas were also noted for certain less frequent types of offences, such as threats to property or animals (37 incidents per 100,000 population in rural areas compared with 9.7 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas) and trespassing at night (20 incidents per 100,000 population compared with 7.2 incidents per 100,000 population).

Rural police services reported approximately one in six property crimes

Property crimes are the most common crimes in the provinces. In 2024, these accounted for 57% of incidents comprising the crime rate and 53% of all offences under the Criminal Code and other federal statutes.

In 2024, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported 218,603 property crimes, accounting for approximately one in six property crimes reported in the provinces that year. Compared with other crime categories, this is the category for which the proportion of crimes reported in rural areas (17%) most closely aligns with the proportion of the population living in these areas (14%) (Table 1, Chart 3).

The rate of property crime was nevertheless slightly higher in rural areas (3,694 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (3,085 incidents per 100,000 population). Furthermore, since 2014, the rate of property crimes has increased more in rural areas (+13%) than in urban areas (+2%) (Table 1).

Start of text box 2

End of text box 2

In nearly every province, crime is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

When police-reported data were disaggregated by rural and urban areas for the first time in 2017, rural crime was primarily an issue in the Prairie provinces and, to a lesser extent, in Newfoundland and Labrador. In all other provinces, the crime rate in rural areas was either roughly equal to or lower than that in urban areas (Perreault, 2019).

The situation today is very different. While rural areas in the Prairie provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador continue to show the largest gaps in crime rates compared with urban areas, crime is now higher in rural areas in nearly every province. In 2024, only the rural areas in Prince Edward Island and Ontario still had crime rates lower than those in urban areas (Table 2).

From 2014 to 2024, crime rates have increased more in rural than in urban areas in almost every province. Only Ontario and Manitoba recorded a higher increase in crime rates in urban areas during this period. The rural areas of New Brunswick (+72%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+64%), and Prince Edward Island (+49%) recorded the highest growth in crime rates since 2014 (Table 2).

Violent crime rates also increased more in rural areas than in urban areas in most provinces during the same period. Rural areas in New Brunswick (+92%) Quebec (+90%) and Prince Edward Island (+83%) recorded a considerable increase in the violent crime rate (Table 2, Table 3).

In 2024, Saskatchewan (18,896 incidents per 100,000 population), Manitoba (14,164 incidents per 100,000 population) and Alberta (10,830 incidents per 100,000 population) had the highest rates of police-reported crime in rural areas among the provinces. In contrast, rural areas in Quebec (3,907 incidents per 100,000 population) and Ontario (4,212 incidents per 100,000 population) had the lowest rates (Table 2).

Chart 5 start

Chart 5 end

When the seriousness of crimes is taken into account, the trends are broadly similar to those shown by crime rates. In most provinces, however, the gap between rural and urban areas is narrower, suggesting that certain low-severity crimes contribute more to the rural crime rate than the urban rate. In Ontario, however, the opposite is true. While the crime rate is lower in rural areas, the rural CSI is roughly equal to the urban CSI (Chart 5, Table 4).

Start of text box 3

End of text box 3

Those living in rural areas are more likely to live in an area with either a very high or very low crime rate

Rural areas are not uniform; rather, they are diverse and complex, with differences across a wide range of socioeconomic indicators (DeKeseredy, 2020; Gallent & Gkartzios, 2019; Halfacree, 2006). Some communities are particularly remote, while others are near large population centres and have access to a wider range of services. Some communities have economies that are primarily focused on agriculture, while others have economies based on natural resources or tourism and vacation resorts. Some communities are experiencing economic or population decline, while others are attracting large numbers of retirees or dealing with the effects of an economic or population boom.

This heterogeneity can also be observed in crime rates. Compared with the urban population, those living in rural areas are more likely to live in communities with crime rates at either end of the spectrum, i.e., very low or very high. For example, 6.4% of the rural population lived in communities with a crime rate of less than 2,000 crimes per 100,000 population, compared with 2.0% of the urban population. In contrast, 11% of the rural population lived in communities with crime rates above 12,000 crimes per 100,000 population, compared with 2.0% of the urban population (Chart 7).

Chart 7 start

Chart 7 end

Although urban areas are highly diverse, with significant differences in size and population density, they are much more homogeneous than rural areas in terms of crime. Nearly 6 in 10 people living in urban areas (57%) lived in a community with a crime rate between 3,500 and 6,500 incidents per 100,000 population. By comparison, slightly less than one-third (32%) of those living in rural areas lived where the crime rate fell within this range (Chart 7).

These results suggest that an analysis based solely on a dichotomous comparison, where all rural areas are compared with all urban areas, would not capture the very diverse realities of different areas, especially rural ones. These specific characteristics can only be partially explored in an article such as this, which focuses primarily on major trends at the national level. In the next section, this issue is examined further by breaking down the data for urban and rural areas according to whether they are in the southern or northern parts of the provinces.

Crime rates are higher in the Provincial North than in the southern parts of the provinces

According to the definition agreed on by the Northern Development Ministers Forum and used by the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for the North, the Provincial North comprises Labrador and the northern regions of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia (Map 1). For more information on this definition, see Statistics Canada (2022) and Allen & Perreault (2015).

In 2024, just over 5% of the population of the provinces lived in the North. However, they accounted for a larger proportion of the rural population (16%) than of the urban population (3.7%).

Map start

Map 1 end

Communities in the Provincial North have a very different socioeconomic and demographic profile from those in the southern parts of the provinces, and this is even more true for rural areas. Specifically, certain socioeconomic issues are more significant in the Provincial North than in the southern parts of the provinces, such as higher unemployment and poverty rates, lower school enrolment rates, residential instability, inadequate or insufficient infrastructure, and substance abuse, all of which are known to influence crime (Ceccato & Abraham, 2022; Kitchen 2006; Sapp, 2023; Savage et al., 2025; Ukert et al., 2018).

Additionally, there are also higher proportions of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit in the Provincial North, many of whose communities face high rates of crime or criminal victimization (Allen, 2020; Boyce, 2016; Perreault, 2022). This reality is inextricably linked to the historical and ongoing effects of colonial and assimilation policies that have been detrimental to Indigenous Peoples, contributing to their economic marginalization and causing significant intergenerational trauma, in which violence takes roots (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015; Bombay et al., 2014; Comack, 2018; Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015, Department of Justice Canada, 2025). On the other hand, Indigenous communities may be better able to offer culturally relevant services and support, as well as access to culture and traditions; while services in urban settings are more likely to offer mainstream, colonial infrastructures, with few Indigenous-specific supports, which can be a barrier for accessing services (Murdock, 2024).

Recently, a study of a cohort of persons accused of crime also revealed a particularly high rate of reoffending in the rural North (Savage, 2025). Specifically, 28% of persons accused of a crime in rural areas of the Provincial North in 2014 had further contact with the police—that is, they were identified as persons accused of a crime—in at least 10 other incidents over the following nine years. By comparison, this proportion was 13% in urban areas in the southern parts of the provinces (Chart 8). In other words, a small number of people are responsible for a disproportionate share of crime, particularly in rural areas in the Provincial North.^Note 

Chart 8 start

Chart 8 end

Thus, several studies have shown that crime rates are relatively high in the Provincial North, both in rural and urban areas (Allen & Perreault, 2015; Cotter 2025; Perreault, 2019; Perreault, 2023; Savage et al., 2025).

The police-reported data for 2024 confirm the previous observations. Overall, the crime rate reported by police services in the rural North (17,766 incidents per 100,000 population) was more than triple than that reported in the rural South (5,468 incidents per 100,000 population) and the urban South (5,106 incidents per 100,000 population). It was also more than double the rate reported in the urban North (8,603 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 9).

Thus, the high crime rate in rural areas of the Provincial North largely explains the difference between rural and urban areas overall. In the southern parts of the provinces, there was little difference overall between rural areas (5,468 incidents per 100,000 population) and urban areas (5,106 incidents per 100,000 population). The crime rate in rural South (5,468 incidents per 100,000 population) was even lower than that in the urban North (8,603 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 9).

Furthermore, the gap between rural areas in the Provincial North and other areas has widened in recent years. Compared with 2014, the crime rate increased by 24%^Note  in rural areas in the Provincial North. By comparison, the increase was 17% in the rural South, 15% in the urban Provincial North and 10% in the urban South.

Chart 9 start

Chart 9 end

Rural areas in northern Saskatchewan show the greatest gap compared with the southern parts of the province. In 2024, the Saskatchewan rural North crime rate (85,559 incidents per 100,000 population) was nearly nine times higher than that in urban areas in the southern parts of the province (9,869 incidents per 100,000 population) and seven times higher than that in the rural South (11,597 incidents per 100,000 population). The gap was also particularly wide in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Manitoba (Chart 9).

In several provinces, however, crime rates were as high in the urban North as in the rural North, and sometimes even higher. For example, rural areas in northern Manitoba had one of the highest crime rates (36,649 incidents per 100,000 population), but this rate was lower than that in urban areas in the same region (65,475 incidents per 100,000 population). In northern British Columbia, crime rates were also higher in urban than rural areas (Chart 9).

Start of text box 4

End of text box 4

Violent crime

Overall, the rate of police-reported violent crime was higher in rural areas than in urban areas (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). However, considerable differences lie beneath this overall picture: certain violent crimes are much more likely to occur in rural areas, while others are far more frequent in urban areas.

Homicide rates are rising in rural areas, but falling in urban areas

Homicide is one of the least common violent crimes in Canada. However, it is the most serious crime that carries the most severe sanctions. Compared with most other crimes, homicides are more likely to be brought to the attention of the police. Therefore, homicide data are unlikely to vary based on the rate of reporting these incidents to the police or policing practices, and as a result, reliable comparisons across regions of Canada are possible, despite providing only a very partial picture of overall violent crime.

Previous studies have noted higher homicide rates in rural areas (Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023; Sutton, 2023). Specifically, rates of gender-based or intimate partner homicide are disproportionately higher than those in urban areas (Cotter, 2025; Sutton, 2023). The same is true for homicides involving Indigenous victims, with rates of homicides of Indigenous people being higher in rural areas than in urban areas (Cotter, 2025). In 2024, Indigenous people represented 62% of homicide victims in rural areas in the provinces, 91% of which were First Nations, 1.9% were Inuit, 3.8% were Métis, and 2.9% were from an unknown Indigenous group. In comparison, Indigenous people represented 19% of victims in urban areas. Moreover, homicide victims in rural areas were more likely than those in urban areas to be reported missing at the time the homicide came to the attention of the police (Cotter, 2025).

In 2024, police reported 173 homicides in rural areas, for a rate of 2.92 homicides per 100,000 population. By comparison, police reported 605 homicides in urban areas, a rate of 1.72 homicides per 100,000 population (Table 1).

The homicide rate in rural areas has shown an upward trend in recent years. It rose from 1.86 homicides per 100,000 population in 2014 to 2.92 homicides per 100,000 population, an increase of 57%.^Note  The increase was more pronounced among women than men. From 2014 to 2024, the homicide rate for women in rural areas increased by 68% (from 1.16 to 1.96 incidents per 100,000 women) compared with 50% for men (from 2.55 to 3.83 incidents per 100,000 men) (Chart 11). In 2024, women accounted for 57 of the 173 homicide victims^Note  in rural areas, a record since comparable data were first collected in 2009.^Note 

Chart 11 start

Chart 11 end

Overall, the increase in the homicide rate from 2014 to 2024 was similar in the rural South (+60%) and the rural North (+56%). However, in 2024, the homicide rate was considerably higher in the rural North (7.66 homicides per 100,000 population) than in the rural South (2.03 homicides per 100,000 population) (Chart 12).

The rise in the homicide rate in rural areas is partly the result of the growing number of homicides attributable to organized crime or gangs. In 2014, eight homicides (8.0% of homicides) in rural areas were linked to organized crime or gangs. In 2024, this number rose to 23 (13.3%). However, homicides are still less likely to be linked to organized crime or gangs in rural areas than in urban areas, where 21% of homicides were attributable to organized crime or gangs in 2024.

Chart 12 start

Chart 12 end

In urban areas, the homicide rate has also been on the rise since 2014, but to a lesser extent (+24%). However, compared with 2023, the homicide rate declined in urban areas (-5.5%), while it increased in rural areas (+4.0%).

Among the provinces, rural areas of Manitoba had the highest police-reported homicide rate from 2014 to 2024.^Note  The average annual rate recorded by these areas during this period was 6.05 homicides per 100,000 population, followed by rural areas of Saskatchewan (5.79 homicides per 100,000 population). These provinces also have the highest rates of homicides in urban areas. Alberta recorded the largest gap between the average annual rates in rural (3.94 incidents per 100,000 population) and urban (2.30 incidents per 100,000 population) areas. However, from 2014 to 2024, some rural areas had a lower average annual homicide rate than urban areas, namely in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia (Chart 13).

Chart 13 start

Chart 13 end

Although overall homicide rates are considerably higher in rural areas than in urban areas, this pattern does not hold for attempted murders. In 2024, police recorded 115 attempted murders in the rural areas of the provinces, a rate of 1.94 attempted murders per 100,000 population. This rate was slightly higher than that recorded in urban areas (1.81 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1).

Access to health care can be more difficult in rural areas (Wilson et al., 2020). Specifically, preventable mortality—premature deaths that should not occur with timely and effective health care—is higher in remote areas (Subedi et al., 2019). As a result, compared to victims in rural areas, victims of attempted murder in urban areas may be more likely to receive timely care.

It should also be noted that the rate of aggravated assault (level 3), which includes assaults in which the victim’s life was endangered, is significantly higher in rural areas than in urban areas (Table 1).

Rates of aggravated assault and uttering threats are approximately twice as high in rural areas

Assault is the most frequently reported violent crime by police in both rural and urban areas (Chart 14). Assault includes applying force to another person, threatening^Note  to do so, or accosting or impeding another person while openly carrying a weapon. Assault is classified into three levels based on certain circumstances. Aggravated assault (level 3) includes incidents in which a victim is wounded, maimed or disfigured, or their life is endangered. Level 2 assault includes incidents that cause bodily harm, involve choking or strangulation, or in which the accused person carries, uses or threatens to use a weapon. Most other assaults are classified as common assault (level 1).^Note  Common assaults are by far the most common. They also carry the lowest weight in calculating the CSI (i.e., their severity)—nearly 20 times lower than that of level 3 assaults.

Chart 14 start

Chart 14 end

Overall, police-reported rates of assault across all levels were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In 2024, for common assault (level 1), police services in rural areas reported 835 incidents per 100,000 population, compared with 452 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas. The largest gap was observed for level 3 assaults, with rates approximately 2.6 times higher in rural areas (21 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (8.2 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 14, Table 1).

Among the provinces, Saskatchewan (1,839 incidents per 100,000 population) had the highest rate of common assault in rural areas in 2024. However, rural areas of Manitoba had the highest rates of level 2 (854 incidents per 100,000 population) and level 3 (90 incidents per 100,000 population) assaults. These two provinces also had the largest gaps between rural and urban areas, although rural areas in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island had level 3 assault rates twice as high as those in urban areas (Table 6, Table 7).

Uttering threats ranked second among the most common violent offences in 2024. The rate of uttering threats was nearly double in rural areas (393 incidents per 100,000 population) compared with urban areas (203 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 14, Table 1). As with assaults, Saskatchewan and Manitoba had the highest rates and the largest gaps relative to urban areas (Table 6, Table 7).

Sexual assaults are more common in rural areas

Sexual assault is a gendered crime, meaning that most victims are women and most accused persons are men (Burczycka, 2021; Burczycka, 2020; Conroy, 2024; Cotter & Burczycka, 2026; Cotter & Savage, 2019; Perreault 2020; Rotenberg & Cotter, 2018). In 2024, police-reported sexual assaults were relatively common, with this crime being the most common after assault and uttering threats, in rural (124 incidents per 100,000 population) and in urban (82 incidents per 100,000 population) areas. However, these figures underestimate the actual number of sexual assaults. According to a recent Statistics Canada study, fewer than 1 in 10 victims of sexual assault in 2024 reported the most serious assault to the police (Cotter & Burczycka, 2026).

In Canada, sexual assaults are classified into three levels according to the same criteria used for assault. Sexual assault, however, is a more serious crime. For example, the weight assigned to level 1 sexual assault in the CSI calculation is approximately 10 times higher than that of common assault (level 1) and 3 times higher than that of level 2 assault. Thus, although there are fewer police-reported sexual assaults than assaults, sexual assaults contribute the most to the violent CSI in rural areas.

Furthermore, police-reported sexual assaults show a clear upward trend. From 2014 to 2024, the rate of sexual assault increased by 56% in rural areas (from 79 to 124 incidents per 100,000 population) and by 55% in urban areas (from 53 to 82 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 15).

At the national level, the rate of sexual assault rose considerably starting in 2017, possibly fuelled by high-profile campaigns such as #MeToo, which encouraged victims to come forward (Rotenberg & Cotter, 2018). Indeed, self-reported victimization surveys did show an increase from 2018 to 2024 in the proportion of sexual assaults being reported to police (Cotter & Burczycka, 2026). In addition, the definition of a founded incident was changed in 2018, which may have also slightly contributed to an increase in sexual assaults reported by police (Moreau, 2019). In rural areas, a sharp increase in the rate of sexual assaults from 2018 to 2024 was also recorded. While the rate of sexual assault stabilized at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it began to rise again in 2021, reaching a plateau that has remained steady since (Chart 15).

Chart 15 start

Chart 15 end

As with assault, police-reported rates of sexual assault were highest in rural areas of Saskatchewan (153 incidents per 100,000 population) and Manitoba (145 incidents per 100,000 population) in 2024, followed by rural areas in Quebec (135 incidents per 100,000 population) and Ontario (132 incidents per 100,000 population). In terms of sexual assault rates, Ontario had the largest differences between rural and urban areas (Table 6, Table 7).

Like sexual assault, criminal harassment is a gendered crime, meaning that most victims are women^Note  and most accused persons are men (Milligan, 2011). Overall, criminal harassment was the most common violent crime after sexual assault in 2024. However, in rural areas, incidents of indecent or harassing communications (128 incidents per 100,000 population) were slightly more common than incidents of criminal harassment (118 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 14). Both criminal harassment (+71%) and indecent or harassing communications (+106%) have increased significantly since 2014 in rural areas (Table 1).

The rate of intimate partner violence is nearly twice as high in rural areas than in urban areas

In general, crimes in urban areas are more likely to be committed by a stranger than crimes in rural areas. In contrast, crimes in rural areas are more likely to be committed by someone known to the victim, including an intimate partner (Cotter, 2025). Previous studies have found higher rates of intimate partner violence in rural areas (Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023; Savage et al., 2025), particularly in remote communities (Burczycka, 2022).

In 2024, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported 573 incidents of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population, nearly double the rate recorded in urban areas (310 incidents per 100,000 population), and this gap is widening. Since 2014, the rate of intimate partner violence has increased more in rural areas (+34%) than in urban areas (+20%) (Chart 16). Furthermore, the rate of intimate partner homicides in rural areas (0.41 incidents per 100,000 population) was nearly double that in urban areas (0.21 incidents per 100,000 population) in 2024.^Note  These rates were relatively similar to those recorded on average over the previous 10 years (0.45 and 0.20 incidents per 100,000 population, respectively).

Chart 16 start

Chart 16 end

These data are based only on acts of violence reported to the police. However, most acts of violence committed by an intimate partner go unreported (Conroy, 2021; Cotter, 2021). The decision to report an incident is often personal and complex. According to the results of the 2019 General Social Survey – Canadians’ Safety (Victimization), many victims who did not report the violence they experienced to the police cited the private or personal nature of the matter, which was resolved informally (68%) (Conroy, 2021). Moreover, a previous study found higher rates of reporting to the police among victims of intimate partner violence in remote areas (Burczycka, 2022).

Although intimate partner violence is a problem in both urban and rural areas, it may manifest differently in rural areas, particularly because of isolation, the influence of social norms and a culture of silence; limited access to support services or shelters; housing and financial issues; gun culture; and caregiving responsibilities for children and animals (Ceccato, 2025; Letourneau et al., 2023; Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020; Wood et al., 2025; Youngson et al., 2021). Lastly, in some rural communities, victims, accused persons and police officers may all know each other, and this can influence the likelihood that an incident will be reported and how it will be handled by the authorities (Hale et al., 2023).

Robbery is one of the few violent crimes that is more common in urban areas than in rural areas

Robbery is a relatively serious crime. The weight assigned to robbery in the calculation of the CSI is similar to that assigned to aggravated assault (level 3). However, robbery is much more common than aggravated assault, at least in urban areas. In 2024, police services serving predominantly urban populations reported 22,655 incidents of robbery, representing a rate of 64 incidents per 100,000 population (Chart 14, Table 1). Robbery was thus the main factor contributing to the violent CSI in urban areas in 2024.

The robbery rate was also about three times higher in urban areas (64 incidents per 100,000 population) than in rural areas (21 incidents per 100,000 population). It is one of the few violent crimes that is more prevalent in urban areas than in rural areas. The police-reported rate of robbery in 2024 was higher in urban areas than in rural areas in all provinces (Table 6, Table 7). However, the gap has narrowed in recent years, as the rate of robbery in urban areas has declined by 4% since 2014, while it has increased by 30% in rural areas (Table 1).

There are several reasons why robberies are more common in urban areas. Compared with most other violent crimes, robberies are more likely to be committed by strangers, whereas crimes in rural areas are more often perpetrated by someone known to the victim (Perreault, 2023). Similarly, robberies are often committed in stores, on the street or in other public places, while violent crimes in rural areas are more likely to occur in private dwellings (Cotter, 2025).

In addition to robbery, offences in relation to sexual services (2.5 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas and 1.0 incident per 100,000 population in rural areas) and extortion (32 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas and 30 incidents per 100,000 population in rural areas) are the only other violent crimes for which rates were higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

Extortion is a crime that, in some respects, may resemble robbery. Both offences may include obtaining something by means of threats. Although both crimes are serious, in some ways, robbery can be considered an aggravated form of extortion, as it generally involves the use of violence, the threat of violence or the use of a weapon. Unlike robbery, extortion often takes place online. In 2024, the police reported 6,042 cyber-related extortion incidents^Note  across the country (Statistics Canada, 2026). This online component could explain why, unlike robbery, extortion rates in rural areas are similar to those recorded in urban areas. Furthermore, the rate of extortion has more than quadrupled since 2014 in both rural and urban areas. It is the violent crime that has seen, by far, the biggest increase during this period (Table 1).

Start of text box 5

End of text box 5

Property crime

Property crimes were the main type of offence reported by police in both rural and urban areas. Several property crimes have been identified as important issues in rural areas, such as breaking and entering, theft, motor vehicle theft, and what could be described as “farm crime”, which may include crimes such as livestock theft, vandalism of agricultural machinery, illegal hunting or dumping waste on agricultural land (Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020).

However, the difference between property crime rates in rural areas and in urban areas was smaller than for other crime categories, although the property crime rate has remained virtually unchanged in urban areas since 2014, meanwhile increasing 13% in rural areas (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3).

Overall, in 2024, the police-reported property crime rate was 20% higher in rural areas (3,694 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (3,085 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). However, like violent crimes, the nature of the property crimes differed notably between urban and rural areas.

Mischief accounts for nearly one-quarter of Criminal Code offences in rural areas

Mischief is, by far, the offence most often reported by police in rural areas. In 2024, just over 96,000 incidents of mischief were reported by rural police services, representing 44% of all police-reported property crimes in rural areas, and 22% of Criminal Code (excluding traffic) offences. In urban areas, the police reported approximately twice as many incidents of mischief, but the urban population is approximately six times larger than the rural population. Thus, when considering population size, the rate of mischief in rural areas (1,627 incidents per 100,000 population) was approximately three times higher than that in urban areas (567 incidents per 100,000 population) in 2024 (Chart 18, Table 1).

Chart 18 start

Chart 18 end

Although mischief can be a serious crime, some acts are less serious and can sometimes be dealt with through municipal by-laws rather than under the Criminal Code. In fact, only 6% of mischief incidents in the provinces in 2024 resulted in charges being laid or recommended. In cases where charges were laid, penalties were generally lenient, as reflected in the weight assigned to these offences in the calculation of the CSI, which is among the lowest of all offences.

Furthermore, mischief rates varied considerably across the country’s rural areas. For example, the highest rate, reported in rural Saskatchewan (5,863 incidents per 100,000 population), was 19 times higher than that reported in rural Quebec (304 incidents per 100,000 population) and 13 times higher than that reported in rural Ontario (450 incidents per 100,000 population), the two provinces with by far the lowest rates of mischief in rural areas (Table 6). As previously mentioned, differences in law enforcement practices may partly explain these gaps.

Breaking and entering is more common in rural areas

Breaking and entering is among the crimes that most negatively affect victims’ sense of safety (Perreault, 2017). It is also the most serious property crime.^Note  Under the Criminal Code, breaking and entering is punishable by life imprisonment when the offence is committed in a dwelling house. Furthermore, breaking and entering is more common in private residences in rural areas (65% of breaking and entering incidents in 2024) than in urban areas (54%).

Overall, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported nearly 24,000 breaking and entering incidents in 2024, corresponding to 403 incidents per 100,000 population. This rate was nearly 50% higher than that reported in urban areas (272 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 18, Table 1). In rural areas in the Provincial North, the rate was 790 incidents per 100,000 population.

Among the provinces, rural areas of Saskatchewan (879 incidents per 100,000 population) and Alberta (783 incidents per 100,000 population) had the highest rates of breaking and entering (Table 6), and Alberta had the widest gap between rural and urban areas (Table 6, Table 7).

Breaking and entering rates are trending downward in both rural and urban areas. Compared with 10 years earlier, the rate of police-reported breaking and entering in 2024 was down 24% in rural areas and 33% in urban areas (Table 1).

Criminals may perceive some characteristics of rural areas, including remoteness, long police response times or unoccupied dwellings (e.g., farm buildings or cottages) as opportunities. Residents of rural areas are also more likely to become the target of a break-in the days following another break-in within their neighbourhood (Chainey, 2021).

Fraud and identity theft are the fastest growing property crimes

With nearly 26,000 incidents reported by police in 2024, fraud was the third most common property crime in the rural areas of the provinces and is also the property crime that has seen the second-highest growth since 2014, after identity theft. The increase in the fraud rate was more pronounced in rural areas (+132%) than in urban areas (+85%), although cases of fraud also rose sharply in urban areas (Table 1). As for identify theft, the rate rose by 204% in rural areas and by 117% in urban areas from 2014 to 2024 (Table 1).

Following these increases, the fraud rate in rural areas (438 incidents per 100,000 population) reached a rate similar to that in urban areas (442 incidents per 100,000 population) in 2024 (Chart 18, Table 1). Like extortion, many types of fraud can occur online, which may explain why there is virtually no difference between rural and urban areas. In 2024, police services reported 46,301 cybercrime-related frauds nationwide (Statistics Canada, 2026). This is also the property crime for which there was the least variation across provinces. The lowest rate of fraud in rural areas was recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador (324 per 100,000 population), while the highest rate (551 incidents per 100,000 population) was recorded in Alberta (Table 6).

Decline in motor vehicle theft in 2024

The rise in motor vehicle theft in recent years has received considerable attention in both rural and urban areas (House of Commons, 2024; Public Safety Canada, 2024).

For a long time, the rate of motor vehicle theft was higher in rural areas than in urban areas, before the trend reversed in 2022 and 2023. The recent increase in motor vehicle theft has been more pronounced in urban areas, where the rate rose by 45% from 2020 to 2023. During this period, the rate of motor vehicle theft increased by 14% in rural areas (Chart 19).

The National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft, which aimed to dismantle and prosecute criminal groups involved in vehicle theft (Public Safety Canada, 2025b), was launched in May 2024. That year, motor vehicle theft declined considerably, with rates falling by 19% in urban areas and 5.3% in rural areas, compared with 2023. As a result, the rate of motor vehicle theft in urban areas has fallen back below the level observed in rural areas. In 2024, there were 255 police-reported motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 population in rural areas, compared with 236 per 100,000 population in urban areas (Chart 19, Table 1).

Chart 19 start

Chart 19 end

At the provincial level, rural areas of Saskatchewan (561 incidents per 100,000 population) and Alberta (546 incidents per 100,000 population) recorded the highest rates of motor vehicle theft (Table 6).

Theft is twice as likely to occur in urban areas as in rural areas

Theft is a source of concern in rural areas (Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, 2020). However, these are more common in urban areas than in rural areas. Overall, urban police services reported more than 500,000 thefts, other than motor vehicle thefts, in 2024. This corresponds to a rate of 1,441 incidents per 100,000 population, nearly double the rate recorded in rural areas (784 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1).

As with breaking and entering, thefts targeting commercial establishments are more likely to occur in urban areas. For example, the police-reported rate of shoplifting of $5,000 or under was 495 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas, accounting for about one-third of all thefts in urban areas.^Note  By comparison, this rate was four times lower in rural areas: 120 incidents per 100,000 population, or 15% of thefts in rural areas (Table 1).

In addition, theft in rural areas was more likely to result in high-value losses. In both rural and urban areas, most of the stolen goods were valued at $5,000 or under. However, the rate of theft over $5,000 was 33% higher in rural areas (77 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (58 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1).

Other Criminal Code offences

The “other Criminal Code offences” category includes all Criminal Code offences, excluding traffic violations, that are neither violent crimes nor property crimes. These offences include many serious crimes,^Note  such as terrorism offences,^Note  weapons trafficking, and child sexual abuse and exploitation material (child pornography), as well as less serious violations, such as disturbing the peace and failure to appear in court. Although traffic violations (e.g., impaired driving) are not included in the calculation of the traditional crime rate or in the standard “other Criminal Code offences” category, they are still Criminal Code offences and will be analyzed in more detail in this section. Like the rates of violent crime, the rates for these crimes are notably higher in rural areas. However, important differences and variations were observed, based on the crime and the province.

Offences against the administration of justice account for approximately 1 in 10 Criminal Code offences

Offences against the administration of justice encompasses a group of criminal offences related to compliance with procedures and conditions imposed on an accused person by the justice system. Among other things, it includes offences such as failure to appear in court, escape from lawful custody, being unlawfully at large, failure to comply with a court order or breach of probation. These crimes most commonly involve someone coming into contact again with police after a prior offence, as they are generally committed when an individual does not follow a pre-trial condition or sentence imposed for another offence (Burczycka & Munch, 2015).

In 2024, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported nearly 43,000 offences against the administration of justice, a rate of 725 incidents per 100,000 population. This rate was nearly 40% higher than that recorded in urban areas (519 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 20, Table 1). In both rural and urban areas, this represented approximately 1 in 10 Criminal Code (excluding traffic) offences.

Chart 20 start

Chart 20 end

In the southern parts of the provinces in 2024, rates of offences against the administration of justice were relatively similar in rural areas (504 incidents per 100,000 population) and urban areas (501 incidents per 100,000 population). In the Provincial North, these rates stood at 987 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas and 1,899 incidents per 100,000 population in rural areas. Considerable differences were seen across the provinces. For example, police services in rural areas of Prince Edward Island reported 297 offences against the administration of justice per 100,000 population, while those serving rural areas of Saskatchewan reported 2,717 offences per 100,000 population (Table 6).

Differences between rural and urban areas could be partly because of certain characteristics of rural areas, especially in the most remote areas or those in the Provincial North. For instance, access to various elements of the justice system may be limited, and it may be more difficult to comply with conditions such as prohibitions on a range of travel or no-contact orders, particularly in smaller or more isolated communities (Senate of Canada, 2016). Geographic isolation and lack of reliable transportation can also make it more difficult to attend court or participate in court-ordered programs (Aylwin & Moore, 2015). Indigenous people, who account for a greater share of the population in rural and northern regions of the provinces, are also overrepresented among those accused of offences against the administration of justice, partly for the reasons outlined above (Khorrami & Paquin-Marseille, 2025).

The rate of incidents of disturbing the peace is nearly 10 times higher in the rural North than in the urban South

Disturbing the peace is a common offence, but its severity is relatively low. The weight assigned to this offence in calculating the CSI is the lowest of all Criminal Code offences. Like mischief offences, most of these incidents do not lead to charges. In 2024, 0.9% of incidents of disturbing the peace in rural areas led to charges, compared with 1.6% in urban areas.

In 2024, police services in rural areas reported 31,570 incidents of disturbing the peace, a rate of 533 incidents per 100,000 population. This was more than twice the rate in urban areas (191 incidents per 100,000 population) (Chart 20, Table 1).

The rate of incidents of disturbing the peace was particularly high in the Provincial North, and more specifically in the rural North. In these areas, there were 1,613 incidents of disturbing the peace per 100,000 population in 2024, or nearly 10 times the rate in the urban South (176 incidents per 100,000 population).

Disturbing the peace is also one of the offences for which the greatest differences between the provinces were observed. For example, police services in rural areas of Manitoba reported a rate of 1,766 incidents per 100,000 population, which was 162 times higher than the rate in rural areas of Quebec (11 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 6).

As with mischief, some incidents involving disturbing the peace may be dealt with through municipal by-laws rather than under the Criminal Code, especially in urban areas where such by-laws are in force and where they can be enforced by municipal by-law officers. For this reason, differences may be partly attributable to varying enforcement practices.

Non-violent weapons offences are more prevalent in rural areas

Analyses have shown that the rates and proportion of firearm-related violent crimes are higher in rural areas, particularly in the Provincial North (Conroy, 2025; Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2026). However, not all firearm-related offences are violent in nature. Some are more administrative in nature, such as the unsafe storage of weapons or inadequate documentation. Weapons possession also falls under the category of non-violent weapons offences.

As with firearm-related violent crimes, rates of non-violent weapons offences are higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Overall, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported nearly 5,000 non-violent weapons offences in 2024, corresponding to 84 incidents per 100,000 population. In urban areas, this rate was 51 incidents per 100,000 population (Chart 20, Table 1).

As with several other offences, the highest rates of non-violent weapons offences were recorded in rural areas of Saskatchewan (262 incidents per 100,000 population) and Manitoba (226 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 6). Similarly, in the Provincial North, this rate reached 221 incidents per 100,000 population in rural areas, compared with 85 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas. In the southern parts of the provinces, the rate was 58 incidents per 100,000 population in rural areas and 50 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas.

Impaired driving incidents are three times more common in rural areas than in urban areas.

Previous studies have revealed higher rates of impaired driving in rural areas or outside CMAs (Cotter, 2025; Perreault, 2023; Perreault, 2021). These differences persisted in 2024. Overall, police services serving predominantly rural populations reported 21,320 impaired driving incidents in 2024 (360 incidents per 100,000 population). By comparison, urban police services reported approximately twice as many incidents, but for a population size six times larger (44,226 incidents, or 126 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 1).

When the most serious offences are taken into account, the difference between impaired driving rates in urban and rural areas is even more pronounced. In 2024, impaired driving causing bodily injury or death in rural areas occurred at nearly five times the rate in urban areas.

Among the provinces, Saskatchewan had the highest rate of impaired driving in rural areas (773 incidents per 100,000 population), followed by Manitoba (683) and Newfoundland and Labrador (524). The lowest rate was recorded in Ontario (207), followed by Quebec (236) (Table 6).

Impaired driving rates were also higher in rural areas in the Provincial North (678 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban North (230 incidents per 100,000 population), the rural South (300 incidents per 100,000 population) and urban South (122 incidents per 100,000 population). Overall, the rate of impaired driving in rural areas has declined since 2014 (-9%), particularly because of substantial decreases in rural Alberta (-47%) and Saskatchewan (-23%). However, during the same period, the rate of impaired driving increased considerably in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador (+203%), Manitoba (+60%), Prince Edward Island (+40%), and New Brunswick (+29%).

Urban and rural areas differ greatly in terms of travel. In general, the further one is from city centres, the fewer alternatives there are to cars, and the greater the reliance on car use and distances travelled (Affordability Action Council, 2024; Laviolette, 2020; Robertson et al., 2016; Turcotte, 2008). Data from the 2019 General Social Survey – Canadians’ Safety also reveal differences in alcohol consumption habits. Residents of rural areas were slightly more likely than those in urban areas to report at least one episode of heavy drinking—defined as five or more drinks on a single occasion—in the month preceding the survey.

Start of text box 6

End of text box 6

Summary

In recent years, numerous studies have revealed higher crime rates in rural areas (areas outside CMAs or CAs) than in urban areas (CMAs or CAs) in Canada. In 2024, the rate of police-reported crime in all rural areas of the provinces (7,421 incidents per 100,000 population) was 42% higher than that in urban areas (5,235 incidents per 100,000 population). In addition, the gap between rural and urban areas has widened in recent years. Since 2014, the crime rate has increased by 21% in rural areas, while it has grown by 10% in urban areas.

However, rural areas are highly diverse—socioeconomically, demographically and geographically. Some rural areas do actually record very low crime rates. In 2024, proportionally three times more residents of rural areas (6.4%) than urban areas (2.0%) lived in an area with a very low crime rate (fewer than 2,000 incidents per 100,000 population). In contrast, they were also almost six times more likely (11%) than urban residents (2.0%) to live in an area with a very high crime rate (12,000 or more incidents per 100,000 population).

In rural areas (outside CMAs or CAs), crime rates were generally higher in small population centres (i.e., villages and small towns) (11,063 incidents per 100,000 population) than in the most rural areas (i.e., outside population centres) (6,522 incidents per 100,000 population). In urban areas (CMAs or CAs), crime rates were lower in rural fringes (i.e., outside urban cores and population centres).

Higher crime rates in rural areas largely reflect higher rates in the Provincial North, which is home to a larger proportion of the rural population than the urban population. Both rural areas (17,766 incidents per 100,000 population) and urban areas (8,603 incidents per 100,000 population) in the Provincial North recorded high crime rates. In the southern parts of the provinces, the crime rate recorded in rural areas (5,468 incidents per 100,000 population) was closer to that recorded in urban areas (5,106 incidents per 100,000 population).

Similarly, a larger proportion of the rural population lives in the Prairie provinces, where crime rates are generally higher than those in other provinces. Nevertheless, in all provinces except Prince Edward Island and Ontario, the rate of police-reported crime in 2024 was higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

Several analyses and studies have highlighted the issues of crime and violence resulting from colonization, marginalization and systemic discrimination against Indigenous people in Canada. Thus, these issues may be more likely to impact rural crime numbers, especially in the North, where they account for a larger share of the population. On the other hand, Indigenous communities are also more likely to provide culturally appropriate supports, which in turn may help to prevent crime. While the overall higher rates of violence and victimization among indigenous people may partly explain some of the differences observed between rural and urban areas, Indigenous police services (police services managed by an Indigenous community) serving rural areas also reported an overall crime rate approximately twice that of Indigenous police services serving predominantly urban populations.

Overall, the differences between rural and urban areas were more pronounced for certain crimes. For example, while rural areas accounted for 14% of the total population in the provinces in 2024, they accounted for 22% of violent crimes. The difference was particularly pronounced for aggravated sexual assaults or those causing bodily harm (levels 2 and 3), aggravated assaults (level 3), firearm-specific offences, uttering threats, and harassing or indecent communications. In 2024, there were 173 police-reported homicides in rural areas (2.92 homicides per 100,000 population), which is 70% higher than the rate in urban areas (605 homicides, or 1.72 homicides per 100,000 population).

The gap between rural and urban areas was much less pronounced for property crimes, 17% of which were recorded in rural areas. Rural areas saw a disproportionate number of mischief incidents, with 1,627 incidents per 100,000 population, compared with 567 incidents per 100,000 population in urban areas. These offences, which are often minor in nature, rarely lead to charges, and some can sometimes be dealt with outside the criminal justice system (e.g., by municipal by-law enforcement officers). In contrast, police services in urban areas reported much higher rates of theft of $5,000 or under and shoplifting. The rates of theft over $5,000 and breaking and entering were nevertheless higher in rural areas.

Incidents involving disturbing the peace, non-violent weapons offences (e.g., possession of a weapon, unsafe storage or documentation offences), and impaired driving were also among the offences with considerably higher rates in rural areas than in urban areas.

Detailed data tables

Table 1 Police-reported crimes, selected offences, urban and rural areas, provinces, 2024

Table 2 Police-reported rates of Criminal Code (excluding traffic) offences, violent crime and property crime, urban and rural areas, by province, 2014 to 2024

Table 3 Police-reported crime rates by offence category and province, urban and rural areas, 2024

Table 4 Crime Severity Index by province, urban and rural areas, 2024

Table 5 Police-reported crime rates, capitals and non-capital communities, territories, 2024

Table 6 Police-reported crimes, selected offences, rural areas, by province, 2024

Table 7 Police-reported crimes, selected offences, urban areas, by province, 2024

Survey description

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey was established in 1962 with the co-operation and assistance of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The UCR Survey measures criminal incidents that have been reported to federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal police services in Canada.

One incident can involve multiple offences. To ensure comparability, counts presented in this article are based on the most serious offence in the incident as determined by a standard classification rule used by all police services. Counts based on all violations are available upon request.

Data from the UCR are used to calculate both the traditional crime rate and the Crime Severity Index (CSI). The traditional crime rate and the CSI are based on the aggregate count of criminal incidents. A criminal incident involves one or more related offences that are committed during a single criminal event and have been reported to police. Where there are multiple victims within a single criminal event, a separate aggregate incident is counted for each victim. For example, a single incident involving an assault on three victims at the same time and location is counted in the aggregate statistics as three incidents of assault. For an incident to be counted in the crime statistics, it must be recorded as “founded” as opposed to “unfounded.” An incident is “founded” if, after police investigation, it has been determined that the reported offence did occur or was attempted or there is no credible evidence to confirm that the reported incident did not take place. This includes third-party reports that fit these criteria.

Homicide Survey

The Homicide Survey collects police-reported data on the characteristics of all homicide victims, accused persons and incidents in Canada. The Homicide Survey began collecting information on all homicides in 1961.

Whenever a homicide becomes known to police, the investigating police service completes the survey questionnaires, which are then sent to Statistics Canada. There are cases where homicides become known to police months or years after they occurred. These incidents are counted in the year in which they become known to police. Information on persons accused of homicide are only available for solved incidents (i.e., where at least one accused has been identified).

References

Affordability Action Council. (2024). Rural Recognition: Affordable and Safe Transportation Options for Remote Communities. Policy brief.

Aguiar, W. & Halseth, R. (2015). Aboriginal peoples and historic trauma: The processes of intergenerational transmission. National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.

Allen, M. (2020). Crime reported by police serving areas where the majority of the population is Indigenous, 2018. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Allen, M. & Perreault, S. (2015). Police-reported crime in Canada’s Provincial North and Territories, 2013. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Assembly of First Nations. (2025). Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. Study on Indigenous Policing and Public Safety. October 2025.

Assembly of First Nations. (2023). Assembly of First Nations Supports Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario Federal Court Motion. Press release, June 12, 2023.

Aylwin, N. & Moore, L. (2015). Rural and remote access to justice: A literature review. Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, 51.

Behrend, R. (2025). Overview of First Nations and Inuit police funding and spending. Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Bell, D. (2006). Variation on the rural idyll. In P. Cloke, T. Marsden et P. Mooney, Handbook of Rural Studies (149‐160). Sage.

Bombay, A., Matheson, K. & Anisman, H. (2014). The intergenerational effects of Indian Residential Schools: implications for the concept of historical trauma. Transcult Psychiatry, 51(3), 320-338.

Boyce, J. (2016). Victimization of Aboriginal people in Canada, 2014. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Burczycka, M. (2022). Women’s experiences of victimization in Canada’s remote communities. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Burczycka, M. (2021). Workers’ experiences of inappropriate sexualized behaviours, sexual assault and gender-based discrimination in the Canadian provinces, 2020. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Burczycka, M. (2020). Students’ experiences of unwanted sexualized behaviours and sexual assault at postsecondary schools in the Canadian provinces, 2019. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Burczycka, M. & Munch, C. (2015). Trends in offences against the administration of justice. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention. (2020). Rural Crime Prevention. Topic Summary.

Ceccato, V. (2025). Rural Criminology: Unveiling Its Importance and the Path Forward. Annual Review of Criminology, 8(1), 377-401.

Ceccato, V. (2022). Rurality, crime and fear of crime. Rural Victims of Crime, 38-48.

Ceccato, V. & Abraham, J. (2022). Crime and safety in the rural: Lessons from research. Springer.

Chainey, S. P. (2021). A comparison of burglary near repeat victimization between rural and urban areas using a target-based assessment of criminal opportunity. International criminal justice review, 31(4), 405-419.

Comack, E. (2018). Corporate colonialism and the “crimes of the powerful” committed against the Indigenous peoples of Canada. Critical Criminology, 26(4), 455-471.

Conroy, S. (2025). Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2023. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Conroy, S. (2024). Recent trends in police-reported clearance status of sexual assault and other violent crime in Canada, 2017 to 2022. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Conroy, S. (2021). Spousal violence in Canada, 2019. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Cotter, A. (2025). Characteristics of police-reported crime in rural areas in the Canadian provinces, 2023. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Cotter, A. (2021). Intimate partner violence in Canada: An overview. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Cotter, A. (2016). Canadians’ perceptions of neighbourhood disorder, 2014. Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-652-X.

Cotter, A. & Burczycka, M. (2026). Gender differences in experiences of violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2025. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Cotter, A. & Savage, L. (2019). Gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

David, J. D. (2023). Rethinking perceptions of crime and safety in rural and remote communities. The British Journal of Criminology, 63(2), 511-528.

DeKeseredy, W. S. (2020). Woman abuse in rural places. Routledge.

Department of Justice Canada. (2025). Understanding the Overrepresentation of Indigenous People - State of the Criminal Justice System Dashboard.

Donnermeyer, J. F. & DeKeseredy, W. S. (2008). Toward a rural critical criminology. Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 23(2), 2.

Farrall, S.D., Jackson, J., & Gray, E. (2009). Social order and the fear of crime in contemporary times. Oxford University Press.

Fitzgerald, R. (2008). Fear of Crime and the Neighbourhood Context in Canadian Cities. Crime and Justice Research Paper Series, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-561.

Gallent, N. & Gkartzios, M. (2019). Defining rurality and the scope of rural planning, 17-27. London: Routledge.

Hale, R., Harkness, A., & Mulrooney, K.J.D. (2023). Measuring and researching rural victimization. Dans R. Hale & A. Harkness (dirs.), Rural Victims of Crime: Representations, Realities and Responses. New York. Routledge.

Halfacree, K. (2006). Rural space: constructing a three-fold architecture. Handbook of rural studies, 44, 62.

House of Commons Canada. (2024). Fighting the phenomenon of vehicle thefts in Canada: Report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

House of Commons Canada. (2019). Study on crime in rural areas in Canada: Report of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Peacekeepers. (2025). Indigenous Policing:Canada’s Untapped National Security Asset. Brief submitted to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. Study on Indigenous Policing and Public Safety. October 2025.

Khorrami, M. & Paquin-Marseille. (2025). Disparities in decision and sentencing outcomes between Indigenous accused and White accused in adult criminal court, 2016/2017 to 2020/2021. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Kitchen, P. (2006). Exploring the Link between Crime and Socio-Economic Status in Ottawa and Saskatoon: A Small-Area Geographical Analysis. Department of Justice Canada, Research and Statistics Division.

Kowalski, M. (2002). Home Invasions. Bulletin - Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85F0027-X.

Krausz, M., Strehlau, V., Choi, F., Bhugra, D., Ventriglio, A. & Castaldelli-Maia, J. M. (2019). Urbanization and marginalization.Urban mental health, 96.

Laviolette, J. (2020). L’état de l’automobile au Québec : constats, tendances et conséquences. Rapport final de recherche – partie 1. David Suzuki Foundation.

Letourneau, N., McBride, D.L., Barton, S.S., & Griggs, K. (2023). Service providers’ perspectives: Reducing intimate partner violence in rural and northern regions of Canada. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 55(2), 165-175.

Lithopoulos, S. (2016). Lifecycle of First Nation Administered Police Services in Canada. Public Safety Canada.

Little, J., Panelli, R. & Kraack, A. (2005). Women's fear of crime: A rural perspective. Journal of Rural Studies, 21(2), 151-163.

Lockie, S. & Bourke, L. (2001). Rurality Bites: The social and environmental transformation of rural Australia. Pluto.

Lupton, D. (1999). Dangerous places and the unpredictable stranger: Constructions of fear of crime. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 32(1), 1-15.

Marshall, B., & Johnson, S. (2005). Crime in rural areas: A review of the literature for the rural evidence research centre. Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, University College, London.

Milligan, S. (2011). Criminal harassment in Canada, 2009. Juristat Bulletin. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-005-X.

Moreau, G. (2021). Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2021. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Moreau, G. (2019). Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2018. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Murdock, L. (2024). The health of Indigenous people residing in urban centres. National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health.

Nishnawbe Aski Police Service. (2025). About - Nishnawbe Aski Police Service. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Nunavik Police Service. (2025). About Us - Nunavik Police Service. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Office of the Auditor General of Canada. (2024). Report 3—First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. Reports of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada. Independent Auditor’s Report.

Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan. (2025). Sous-financement des services policiers autochtones : le Canada débouté devant la Cour d’appel fédérale (in French only). Press release. February 6, 2025.

Perreault, S. (2026). Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2024. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2023). Police-reported crime in rural and urban areas in the Canadian provinces, 2021. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2022). Victimization of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit in Canada. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2021). Impaired driving in Canada, 2019. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2020). Gender-based violence: Sexual and physical assault in Canada’s territories, 2018. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2019). Police-reported crime in rural and urban areas in the Canadian provinces, 2017. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Perreault, S. (2017). Canadians’ perceptions of personal safety and crime, 2014. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Public Safety Canada. (2025a). Rural Crime.  Parliamentary Committee Notes. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Public Safety Canada. (2025b). National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Public Safety Canada. (2024). Government of Canada hosts National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft - Canada.ca. Press release, February 8, 2024.

Public Safety Canada. (2022). First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Robertson, R. D., Wicklund, C., Holmes, E. & Biderman, P. (2016). Impaired driving in rural jurisdictions: Problems and solutions. Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

Rotenberg, C. & Cotter, A. (2018). Police-reported sexual assaults in Canada before and after #MeToo, 2016 and 2017. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (2025). First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. Accessed on December 7, 2025.

Ruddell, R., & Lithopoulos, S. (2013). Aboriginal policing in rural Canada: Establishing a research agenda. International Journal of Rural Criminology, 2(1), 101-125.

Ruddell, R. & O’Connor, C. (2022). What do the rural folks think? Perceptions of police performance. Policing: a journal of policy and practice, 16(1), 107-121.

Sapp, K. (2023). Exploring the Offending Puzzle: Unveiling the Characteristics of the Offending Populations. In Understanding Offending Populations and the Power of Correctional Psychotherapy: Unlocking Insights, 17-27. Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Savage, L. (2025). Patterns of re-offending among accused persons living in rural areas of the Canadian provinces, 2014 to 2023. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Savage, L., Maxwell, A., Burczycka, M., Heidinger, L. & Mansour, M. (2025). Characteristics of police-reported crime in rural areas, 2023: Provincial fact sheets. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Scott, H. (2003). Stranger Danger: Explaining Women's Fear of Crime. Western criminology review, 4(3)

Senate of Canada. (2016). Delaying justice is denying justice. An urgent need to address lengthy court delays in Canada. Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

Supreme Court of Canada. (2024). Quebec (Attorney General) v. Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan. Supreme Court Judgments. November 27, 2024.

Statistics Canada. (2026). Police-reported cybercrime, by cyber-related violation, Canada (selected police services). Data table 35-10-0001-01.

Statistics Canada. (2025). Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2024. The Daily, July 22, 2025.

Statistics Canada. (2022). Definitions, Data Sources and Methods — Statistical Classifications: North and South — Variant of Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021.

Subedi, R., Greenberg, T. L. & Roshanafshar, S. (2019). Does geography matter in mortality? An analysis of potentially avoidable mortality by remoteness index in Canada. Health Reports. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-003-X

Sutton, D. (2023). Gender-related homicide of women and girls in Canada. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future: summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Turcotte, M. (2008). Dependence on cars in urban neighbourhoods. Canadian Social Trends. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-008-X.

Ukert, B., Wiebe, D. J. et Humphreys, D. K. (2018). Regional differences in the impact of the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida. Preventive Medicine, 115, 68-75.

Wilson, C. R., Rourke, J., Oandasan, I. F. &t Bosco, C. (2020). Progress made on access to rural health care in Canada. Canadian Family Physician, 66(1), 31-36.

Wood, K., Giesbrecht, C. J., Brooks, C. & Arisman, K. (2025). “I couldn’t leave the farm”: rural women's experiences of intimate partner violence and coercive control. Violence Against Women, 31(12-13), 3330-3354.

Youngson, N., Saxton, M., Jaffe, P.G., Chiodo, D., Dawson, M., & Straatman, A.-L. (2021). Challenges in risk assessment with rural domestic violence victims: Implications for practice. Journal of Family Violence, 36(5), 537-550.