Fraser Institute News Release: Toronto has a 40% higher property crime rate than New York

TORONTO, March 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The rate of property crimes per person in Toronto is 40 per cent higher than New York, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"Ontarians are no doubt aware that the rate of property crimes in the province's biggest cities is on the rise, but they might not know how bad it's become relative to American cities to the south," said Livio Di Matteo, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Comparing Recent Crime Trends in Canada and the US.

The study examines crime rates of large urban areas with 100,000 people or more, known as Census Metropolitan Areas in Canada and Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the U.S.

Using the maximum annual crime rate from 2019 to 2022 (the most recent years of comparable date), Thunder Bay had Ontario's highest rate of property crimes (e.g., burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft) and violent crime.

Toronto, Hamilton, and Windsor all ranked higher for property crime than New York and Detroit, as well as Flint and Ann Arbour, MI.

Among all Canadian cities, Lethbridge, Alberta ranked first (or worst) for property crime. Kelowna ranked 2^nd among Canadian cities.

Winnipeg, Manitoba is Canada's most-violent city with the highest per person rate of violent crimes (murder, robbery, and assault with a weapon) of all Canadian urban areas. Crucially, Winnipeg ranked 18^th out of all 334 urban areas in Canada and the U.S. 

"Crime rates in some of Ontario's largest cities, while still historically low, are on the rise and should be of greater concern for both citizens and policymakers," Di Matteo said.

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute

MEDIA CONTACT: Livio Di Matteo, Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute; To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Media Relations Coordinator, 604-688-0221 ext. 721, [e-mail]