Ranking British Columbia
Safest Cities & Towns in British Columbia
Victoria has the lowest Crime Severity Index among British Columbia's 7 tracked metro areas, at 74.6, while Chilliwack has the highest, at 134.3. British Columbia's overall Crime Severity Index is 92.4. Canada's national average is 75.0.
Data source: Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index — View the official dataset on Statistics Canada
See also our other British Columbia ranking: Largest Cities & Towns in British Columbia.
British Columbia Boundary
The boundary shown below is sourced from OpenStreetMap contributors, not Statistics Canada, and may be incomplete depending on how thoroughly the area has been mapped.
Statistics Canada does not publish the Crime Severity Index for individual cities, towns, or villages the way it does population figures - only for provinces, territories, and Census Metropolitan Areas. The tables below show the 10 safest and 10 highest-crime CMAs on record for this scope, not the full list of tracked metro areas.
Safest Metro Areas
| # | Metro Area | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria | 74.6 | 85.4 | 70.9 | +4.8% | 91,867 |
| 2 | Vancouver | 83.5 | 80.7 | 85.4 | +1.5% | 662,248 |
| 3 | Abbotsford-Mission | 95.5 | 127.5 | 83.6 | -1.1% | — |
| 4 | Kelowna | 103.7 | 101.9 | 105.3 | -3.5% | 144,576 |
| 5 | Nanaimo | 106.0 | 115.4 | 103.2 | -1.4% | 99,863 |
| 6 | Kamloops | 126.2 | 129.0 | 126.2 | -4.5% | 97,902 |
| 7 | Chilliwack | 134.3 | 164.7 | 123.2 | -3.5% | 93,203 |
No places match .
Highest-Crime Metro Areas
| # | Metro Area | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chilliwack | 134.3 | 164.7 | 123.2 | -3.5% | 93,203 |
| 2 | Kamloops | 126.2 | 129.0 | 126.2 | -4.5% | 97,902 |
| 3 | Nanaimo | 106.0 | 115.4 | 103.2 | -1.4% | 99,863 |
| 4 | Kelowna | 103.7 | 101.9 | 105.3 | -3.5% | 144,576 |
| 5 | Abbotsford-Mission | 95.5 | 127.5 | 83.6 | -1.1% | — |
| 6 | Vancouver | 83.5 | 80.7 | 85.4 | +1.5% | 662,248 |
| 7 | Victoria | 74.6 | 85.4 | 70.9 | +4.8% | 91,867 |
No places match .
CSI = Crime Severity Index.
Crime Severity Index Over Time
Crime Severity Index Breakdown
Crime Severity Index vs. Average
Clearance Rates
With a Crime Severity Index of 74.6, Victoria ranks as British Columbia's safest metro area — up 4.8% since 2024, when it stood at 71.2. Victoria's metro population stood at 91,867 in the 2021 Census. Police cleared 26.6% of cases overall — 36.5% of violent cases and 21.8% of non-violent cases, with the non-violent clearance rate down 0.9% from the previous year.
Chilliwack is British Columbia's least safe metro area by Crime Severity Index, with a score of 134.3 — down 3.5% from 139.2 in 2024. The metro area had a population of 93,203 as of the 2021 Census. Police cleared 22.4% of cases overall — 30.3% of violent cases and 18.2% of non-violent cases, with the non-violent clearance rate up 11.0% from the previous year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest metro area in British Columbia?
Victoria has the lowest Crime Severity Index among British Columbia's metro areas, at 74.6, based on Statistics Canada's 2025 data.
What is the least safe metro area in British Columbia?
Chilliwack has the highest Crime Severity Index among British Columbia's metro areas, at 134.3, based on Statistics Canada's 2025 data.
Which metro area in British Columbia has the highest violent crime rate?
Chilliwack has the highest Violent Crime Severity Index among British Columbia's metro areas, at 164.7.
What is the Crime Severity Index?
The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is Statistics Canada's official measure of police-reported crime, weighted by the relative severity of each offence rather than a simple count - a small number of serious crimes moves the index more than a large number of minor ones. A national average of 100 is set for the base year 2006; a CMA scoring below 100 has lower overall crime severity than that baseline, and one scoring above 100 has higher.