Five Canadian Cities Top North America Safety Rankings

Canadian cities have taken the top five places in a new North American safety ranking, with communities in Ontario and Quebec leading the list.

According to Numbeo’s North America-specific city safety index, Quebec City ranked as the safest city in North America. Burlington, Ottawa, Montreal and Guelph followed, giving Canada a clean sweep of the top five.

Canada also performed strongly across the full top 10. Six of the 10 safest cities in North America were Canadian, with Calgary placing ninth.

Canadian Cities Lead the List

The top-ranked city was Quebec City, followed by Burlington in second place and Ottawa in third. Montreal ranked fourth, while Guelph came fifth.

The remaining top 10 included Salt Lake City, Utah; Madison, Wisconsin; Irvine, California; Calgary, Alberta; and Boise, Idaho.

All Canadian cities in the North American top 10 were listed as having a “High” safety index. Under Numbeo’s system, a high safety score ranges from 60.01 to 80 out of 100. These cities also fall into the “Low” crime index category.

Beyond the top 10, Canada had a large presence in the wider ranking. Numbeo included 79 North American cities in total, and 33 of them were in Canada.

Safest Cities in Canada

Quebec City also led the Canadian list with a safety index of 77.7 and a crime index of 22.3.

Burlington ranked second in Canada with a safety index of 71.4, followed by Ottawa at 69.3. Montreal scored 67.1, and Guelph posted a score of 66.2.

Calgary ranked sixth in Canada and ninth in North America, with a safety index of 62.1. Halifax, Victoria and Kingston each recorded a safety index of 60.4. Vancouver rounded out Canada’s top 10 with a safety index of 57.2 and a crime index of 42.8.

Vancouver was the only city in Canada’s top 10 to fall outside the “Low” crime index range. It was placed in the “Moderate” category, which covers scores from 40.01 to 60.

Ontario Has Strong Showing

Ontario had the most cities in Canada’s top 10, with Burlington, Ottawa, Guelph and Kingston all listed.

Quebec and British Columbia each had two cities in the national top 10. Alberta and Nova Scotia had one city each, with Calgary and Halifax making the list.

The North American top five, however, was split only between Ontario and Quebec.

How the Ranking Works

Numbeo’s safety index is based on crowdsourced survey data. It reflects how residents view crime and safety in their daily lives.

The index is updated continuously and uses data collected over the previous five years. Cities must meet a minimum number of user contributions before they are included.

The ranking considers several factors, including how safe people feel during the day and at night. It also looks at concerns about mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks, public harassment and bias-motivated incidents.

Property crime, such as burglary, theft and vandalism, is also included. Violent crime, including assault, homicide and sexual offences, is part of the score as well.

Numbeo’s safety index works as the opposite of its crime index. A higher safety score means a lower crime score.