Canadian cities ranked by the CrimeMaps Severity Score (CMSS) — a severity-weighted crime rate that counts violent offences more heavily than minor ones. Higher CMSS = more and more-severe crimes per 100,000 residents.
Top 20 highest-severity Canadian cities (2026)
| # | City | Province | CMSS | Incidents | Population | Latest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatineau | QC | 535,138 | 19,810 | 291,041 | 2026 |
| 2 | Saskatoon | SK | 122,438 | 6,033 | 266,141 | 2026 |
| 3 | Lethbridge | AB | 103,601 | 2,238 | 98,406 | 2026 |
| 4 | Windsor | ON | 85,360 | 3,987 | 229,660 | 2026 |
| 5 | Victoria | BC | 81,570 | 2,702 | 91,867 | 2026 |
| 6 | Medicine Hat | AB | 42,594 | 1,506 | 63,260 | 2026 |
How we measure city severity
Each incident is weighted by Statistics Canada's published severity weight for its offence category. A single homicide contributes as much to CMSS as ~190 minor thefts — see the full methodology. CMSS is divided by city population × 100,000 for apples-to-apples comparison.
Interpret these rankings carefully
A high CMSS does not mean every resident is unsafe. City-level averages mask neighbourhood-level variation — use our individual city pages to see which specific areas drive the rate. Higher-ranking cities also tend to have richer open-data publishing, which can inflate their reported totals relative to cities that publish less.
Related rankings
Frequently asked questions
What is CMSS?
The CrimeMaps Severity Score — a severity-weighted crime rate per 100,000 population, computed using Statistics Canada UCR2 severity weights.
Why is my city ranked higher than I expected?
Open-data coverage varies. Cities that publish more offence categories often rank higher than cities that publish less. See /methodology for caveats.
Where does the data come from?
Official police and municipal open-data portals for 60+ Canadian cities. Sources: /about.