Rankings

Highest crime rate areas in the UK 2026

Q: Which area has the highest crime rate in the UK?

The area with the highest recorded crime rate is City of London with 5,728 crimes per 10,000 people. However, this should be interpreted with caution - areas with large daytime populations relative to residents (like city centres and business districts) often show higher per-capita rates.

Q: Which city has the highest crime rate in the UK?

Major cities tend to have higher crime rates than rural areas due to population density, tourism, and nightlife. See the full rankings table above for a city-by-city breakdown - the top of the list is dominated by inner-London boroughs and a handful of large city centres.

Q: Why do some areas have very high crime rates?

Several factors can inflate an area's crime rate per 10,000 residents. Areas like the City of London and Westminster have tiny resident populations but huge numbers of workers, tourists, and visitors - crimes committed there are measured against the small resident base. University towns, tourist destinations, and areas with busy nighttime economies also tend to show higher rates.

Q: Are high crime rate areas dangerous to live in?

Not necessarily. A high overall crime rate doesn't mean an area is unsafe for residents. Much of the recorded crime in high-rate areas may be shoplifting, public order offences, or crimes affecting businesses rather than households. The breakdown by crime type on each area profile page gives a more nuanced picture.

The area with the highest recorded crime rate in the UK is City of London with 5,728 crimes per 10,000 people, compared to the national average of around 765. The lowest crime rate is in Shetland Islands at just 180 per 10,000.

Data last updated: 17 May 2026

All areas with police-recorded crime data ranked from highest to lowest crime rate per 10,000 residents. You can search for a specific area, filter by region, or click any column header to sort by rent or earnings instead. Click any area name to see its full profile, including a breakdown by crime type.

High crime rates per capita do not always mean an area is unsafe for residents. The City of London, for example, has a tiny resident population but millions of daily workers and visitors, which inflates its per-capita rate dramatically. Urban centres with busy nightlife, tourism, or large transient populations often show higher rates for similar reasons.

#	Area	Region	Crime rate (per 10k)	Total crimes	Avg. rent (£/mo)	Avg. earnings (£/yr)
1	City of London	London	5,728 /10k	8,656	N/A	N/A
2	Westminster	London	3,799 /10k	79,769	£3,122	£45,172
3	Camden	London	1,796 /10k	38,954	£2,654	£44,088
4	Kensington and Chelsea	London	1,497 /10k	21,632	£3,599	£46,690
5	Blackpool	North West	1,487 /10k	21,437	£696	£27,979
6	Middlesbrough	North East	1,465 /10k	22,878	£709	£30,253
7	Manchester	North West	1,432 /10k	84,423	£1,347	£30,067
8	Islington	London	1,337 /10k	29,815	£2,763	£47,411
9	Hartlepool	North East	1,323 /10k	12,988	£570	£28,830
10	Bristol	South West	1,303 /10k	64,435	£1,888	£34,051
11	Liverpool	North West	1,235 /10k	62,853	£893	£30,947
12	Nottingham	East Midlands	1,222 /10k	40,457	£1,008	£26,512
13	Southwark	London	1,215 /10k	38,239	£2,388	£43,006
14	Southampton	South East	1,203 /10k	31,199	£1,246	£32,907
15	Hull	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,201 /10k	33,077	£684	£27,309
16	Bradford	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,196 /10k	67,415	£737	£28,424
17	North East Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,181 /10k	18,882	£614	£28,898
18	Hackney	London	1,176 /10k	31,363	£2,598	£40,237
19	Lincoln	East Midlands	1,176 /10k	12,363	£946	£29,824
20	Doncaster	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,165 /10k	37,245	£684	£31,119
21	Leeds	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,161 /10k	98,167	£1,130	£31,679
22	Blaenau Gwent	Wales	1,146 /10k	7,779	£668	£30,734
23	Birmingham	West Midlands	1,141 /10k	135,021	£1,086	£30,180
24	Lambeth	London	1,136 /10k	35,995	£2,525	£43,666
25	Portsmouth	South East	1,129 /10k	24,189	£1,357	£30,962
26	Crawley	South East	1,115 /10k	13,822	£1,475	£34,225
27	Eastbourne	South East	1,097 /10k	11,439	£1,160	£31,199
28	Derby	East Midlands	1,093 /10k	29,974	£847	£30,467
29	Newport	Wales	1,093 /10k	18,344	£953	£31,495
30	Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	1,092 /10k	35,019	£1,206	£30,144
31	Norwich	East of England	1,092 /10k	16,071	£1,146	£30,421
32	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	1,089 /10k	20,547	£2,724	£42,811
33	Gloucester	South West	1,088 /10k	15,086	£1,099	£30,455
34	Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	1,088 /10k	29,413	£708	£29,041
35	Wakefield	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,084 /10k	39,854	£787	£29,954
36	Hastings	South East	1,078 /10k	9,834	£1,008	£29,323
37	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	1,075 /10k	14,972	£640	£28,630
38	Haringey	London	1,070 /10k	28,241	£2,209	£37,563
39	Oldham	North West	1,067 /10k	26,849	£910	£29,124
40	Calderdale	Yorkshire and The Humber	1,064 /10k	22,453	£741	£31,708
41	Tower Hamlets	London	1,064 /10k	35,311	£2,396	£45,183
42	Salford	North West	1,059 /10k	31,162	£1,161	£30,495
43	Rochdale	North West	1,055 /10k	24,843	£824	£29,535
44	Peterborough	East of England	1,047 /10k	23,416	£976	£29,828
45	Newham	London	1,037 /10k	38,836	£1,912	£36,080
46	Burnley	North West	1,032 /10k	10,244	£624	£29,680
47	Brighton and Hove	South East	1,018 /10k	28,886	£1,826	£33,506
48	Torfaen	Wales	1,018 /10k	9,580	£853	£33,201
49	Leicester	East Midlands	1,006 /10k	39,068	£1,026	£27,858
50	Stockton-on-Tees	North East	997 /10k	20,614	£732	£29,877
51	Chesterfield	East Midlands	986 /10k	10,459	£735	£30,621
52	Bolton	North West	984 /10k	30,504	£878	£29,409
53	South Tyneside	North East	984 /10k	14,893	£720	£28,784
54	Oxford	South East	977 /10k	16,224	£1,952	£36,517
55	Sheffield	Yorkshire and The Humber	974 /10k	56,748	£920	£31,816
56	Great Yarmouth	East of England	970 /10k	9,747	£816	£28,808
57	Cardiff	Wales	968 /10k	37,145	£1,157	£32,756
58	Preston	North West	966 /10k	15,734	£778	£30,038
59	Exeter	South West	959 /10k	13,279	£1,312	£29,531
60	Denbighshire	Wales	958 /10k	9,408	£701	£26,812
61	Reading	South East	957 /10k	17,510	£1,579	£35,454
62	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	956 /10k	17,717	£1,278	£33,594
63	Tameside	North West	954 /10k	22,851	£917	£29,877
64	Sandwell	West Midlands	952 /10k	33,671	£938	£27,652
65	Barnsley	Yorkshire and The Humber	949 /10k	23,881	£670	£31,359
66	Sunderland	North East	946 /10k	27,299	£695	£27,989
67	Lewisham	London	939 /10k	28,273	£1,810	£39,505
68	Hyndburn	North West	934 /10k	8,034	£638	£29,647
69	Torbay	South West	934 /10k	13,084	£899	£28,963
70	Cambridge	East of England	926 /10k	13,828	£1,795	£38,711
71	Wigan	North West	922 /10k	31,818	£732	£31,615
72	Mansfield	East Midlands	919 /10k	10,393	£770	£28,170
73	Plymouth	South West	919 /10k	24,998	£985	£28,992
74	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	919 /10k	25,834	£928	£31,308
75	Bury	North West	917 /10k	18,239	£965	£31,687
76	Harlow	East of England	917 /10k	9,010	£1,513	£30,654
77	Hillingdon	London	917 /10k	30,172	£1,549	£36,429
78	Darlington	North East	909 /10k	10,226	£666	£30,100
79	Rotherham	Yorkshire and The Humber	909 /10k	25,129	£678	£29,664
80	Stevenage	East of England	906 /10k	8,318	£1,417	£35,747
81	Walsall	West Midlands	905 /10k	26,760	£904	£29,112
82	Greenwich	London	904 /10k	27,088	£1,944	£39,984
83	Brent	London	900 /10k	31,762	£1,969	£34,871
84	Gateshead	North East	899 /10k	18,227	£785	£29,494
85	County Durham	North East	894 /10k	48,106	£632	£29,718
86	Kirklees	Yorkshire and The Humber	892 /10k	39,930	£759	£30,238
87	Coventry	West Midlands	883 /10k	32,590	£1,021	£33,063
88	Ipswich	East of England	882 /10k	12,369	£985	£30,928
89	Milton Keynes	South East	873 /10k	26,700	£1,329	£36,061
90	Watford	East of England	871 /10k	9,336	£1,813	£37,172
91	Hounslow	London	869 /10k	26,032	£1,907	£35,301
92	St. Helens	North West	868 /10k	16,399	£774	£31,443
93	Boston	East Midlands	867 /10k	6,163	£793	£27,729
94	Slough	South East	863 /10k	14,449	£1,567	£35,521
95	Enfield	London	856 /10k	28,034	£1,770	£34,962
96	Halton	North West	856 /10k	11,266	£732	£29,819
97	Basildon	East of England	853 /10k	16,522	£1,396	£34,133
98	Caerphilly	Wales	849 /10k	15,020	£736	£30,854
99	Wrexham	Wales	849 /10k	11,734	£759	£29,752
100	Thurrock	East of England	845 /10k	15,298	£1,344	£36,407
101	Barking and Dagenham	London	842 /10k	19,599	£1,687	£32,911
102	Blackburn with Darwen	North West	842 /10k	13,688	£707	£27,502
103	Conwy	Wales	836 /10k	9,601	£776	£28,113
104	Somerset	South West	831 /10k	48,862	£980	£29,908
105	Luton	East of England	829 /10k	19,810	£1,211	£28,741
106	Glasgow	Scotland	829 /10k	52,406	£1,276	£32,121
107	North Somerset	South West	825 /10k	18,531	£1,194	£32,996
108	North Tyneside	North East	822 /10k	17,681	£830	£31,106
109	Knowsley	North West	815 /10k	13,249	£805	£32,542
110	Ealing	London	811 /10k	31,320	£2,051	£35,665
111	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	811 /10k	11,483	£914	£32,402
112	Waltham Forest	London	811 /10k	22,682	£1,753	£37,971
113	Worthing	South East	808 /10k	9,198	£1,310	£32,823
114	Croydon	London	806 /10k	32,999	£1,560	£38,080
115	Colchester	East of England	805 /10k	16,111	£1,216	£31,589
116	Ashfield	East Midlands	800 /10k	10,363	£777	£27,797
117	Cheltenham	South West	792 /10k	9,638	£1,233	£36,014
118	Welwyn Hatfield	East of England	792 /10k	9,731	£1,468	£37,805
119	Tendring	East of England	790 /10k	12,379	£1,048	£29,545
120	Bassetlaw	East Midlands	789 /10k	9,854	£716	£28,314
121	Solihull	West Midlands	789 /10k	17,463	£1,258	£36,672
122	Bath and North East Somerset	South West	787 /10k	15,748	£1,876	£32,481
123	Dundee	Scotland	783 /10k	11,771	£834	£30,523
124	Bedford	East of England	777 /10k	15,155	£1,163	£35,987
125	Havant	South East	767 /10k	9,742	£1,127	£30,819
126	Wandsworth	London	766 /10k	25,853	£2,593	£49,310
127	Swansea	Wales	764 /10k	19,192	£833	£32,091
128	North Lincolnshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	762 /10k	13,051	£631	£30,012
129	Spelthorne	South East	760 /10k	8,142	£1,633	£37,918
130	Fenland	East of England	759 /10k	7,959	£830	£30,125
131	Sefton	North West	759 /10k	21,725	£919	£29,335
132	Isle of Wight	South East	757 /10k	10,724	£940	£26,740
133	Hertsmere	East of England	755 /10k	8,321	£1,787	£36,159
134	Stockport	North West	750 /10k	22,803	£1,091	£33,565
135	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	749 /10k	14,685	£850	£31,459
136	Dudley	West Midlands	748 /10k	24,818	£846	£30,822
137	Gosport	South East	744 /10k	6,166	£1,150	£34,256
138	Trafford	North West	739 /10k	17,814	£1,358	£35,593
139	Redbridge	London	738 /10k	23,708	£1,720	£37,190
140	Lancaster	North West	732 /10k	10,609	£802	£29,651
141	Edinburgh	Scotland	728 /10k	38,116	£1,432	£37,380
142	South Gloucestershire	South West	724 /10k	22,165	£1,445	£35,002
143	Pembrokeshire	Wales	724 /10k	9,099	£687	£27,243
144	Guildford	South East	721 /10k	10,907	£1,698	£39,985
145	Cannock Chase	West Midlands	720 /10k	7,493	£841	£30,178
146	Erewash	East Midlands	720 /10k	8,227	£831	£31,673
147	Arun	South East	718 /10k	12,217	£1,217	£29,809
148	Northumberland	North East	714 /10k	23,666	£664	£30,456
149	Runnymede	South East	708 /10k	6,526	£1,567	£42,203
150	Bridgend	Wales	707 /10k	10,430	£736	£31,475
151	Broxbourne	East of England	702 /10k	7,151	£1,649	£37,283
152	Bromley	London	699 /10k	23,436	£1,670	£43,981
153	Wirral	North West	699 /10k	22,990	£830	£32,959
154	Gwynedd	Wales	696 /10k	8,413	£685	£25,179
155	East Lindsey	East Midlands	695 /10k	10,087	£678	£26,705
156	Tamworth	West Midlands	693 /10k	5,624	£966	£33,167
157	Chelmsford	East of England	692 /10k	13,063	£1,442	£35,791
158	Pendle	North West	692 /10k	6,908	£645	£26,742
159	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	692 /10k	9,917	£668	£30,709
160	Dacorum	East of England	689 /10k	11,117	£1,577	£36,473
161	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	689 /10k	8,800	£824	£31,205
162	Swindon	South West	688 /10k	16,788	£1,082	£33,135
163	Warrington	North West	688 /10k	14,824	£880	£34,144
164	Havering	London	682 /10k	18,831	£1,566	£40,726
165	Charnwood	East Midlands	679 /10k	12,799	£949	£33,550
166	Newark and Sherwood	East Midlands	679 /10k	8,686	£787	£29,806
167	Kingston upon Thames	London	670 /10k	11,568	£1,796	£41,833
168	York	Yorkshire and The Humber	669 /10k	13,993	£1,173	£32,961
169	Barnet	London	668 /10k	27,068	£1,928	£39,239
170	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	667 /10k	24,771	£959	£32,391
171	Amber Valley	East Midlands	665 /10k	8,671	£784	£30,823
172	Epsom and Ewell	South East	665 /10k	5,537	£1,682	£43,006
173	Bolsover	East Midlands	664 /10k	5,563	£692	£29,674
174	Carmarthenshire	Wales	662 /10k	12,635	£668	£30,774
175	West Dunbartonshire	Scotland	657 /10k	5,832	£934	£31,962
176	Rossendale	North West	642 /10k	4,687	£810	£30,487
177	St Albans	East of England	642 /10k	9,693	£1,912	£45,543
178	Monmouthshire	Wales	642 /10k	6,090	£987	£35,020
179	Epping Forest	East of England	641 /10k	8,814	£1,826	£38,171
180	Brentwood	East of England	640 /10k	5,075	£1,605	£39,864
181	East Staffordshire	West Midlands	640 /10k	8,295	£833	£31,517
182	Flintshire	Wales	638 /10k	9,938	£778	£32,675
183	Cherwell	South East	636 /10k	10,842	£1,289	£36,568
184	Woking	South East	633 /10k	6,688	£1,615	£38,172
185	Aberdeen	Scotland	629 /10k	14,319	£860	£32,399
186	Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	628 /10k	8,531	£982	£31,410
187	Cornwall	South West	622 /10k	36,297	£1,004	£28,210
188	Chichester	South East	619 /10k	7,977	£1,319	£28,585
189	Stafford	West Midlands	618 /10k	8,752	£882	£33,872
190	North Warwickshire	West Midlands	616 /10k	4,136	£972	£35,067
191	Bexley	London	611 /10k	15,678	£1,531	£36,883
192	West Lindsey	East Midlands	609 /10k	6,045	£711	£30,741
193	Merton	London	605 /10k	13,224	£2,083	£43,507
194	Melton	East Midlands	603 /10k	3,257	£790	£26,633
195	Reigate and Banstead	South East	603 /10k	9,595	£1,628	£40,014
196	South Holland	East Midlands	602 /10k	5,975	£759	£30,196
197	Sutton	London	599 /10k	12,858	£1,545	£38,359
198	Cheshire East	North West	597 /10k	25,170	£972	£33,221
199	Blaby	East Midlands	595 /10k	6,434	£977	£31,950
200	Wyre	North West	588 /10k	6,979	£717	£29,814
201	Adur	South East	587 /10k	3,812	£1,379	£30,217
202	Harrow	London	587 /10k	15,891	£1,754	£36,000
203	Rother	South East	587 /10k	5,645	£1,162	£30,790
204	Windsor and Maidenhead	South East	582 /10k	9,249	£1,809	£37,653
205	Richmond upon Thames	London	575 /10k	11,300	£2,302	£46,594
206	High Peak	East Midlands	573 /10k	5,272	£900	£32,258
207	Huntingdonshire	East of England	572 /10k	10,896	£1,045	£33,375
208	North Ayrshire	Scotland	569 /10k	7,598	£663	£34,689
209	Chorley	North West	568 /10k	6,861	£773	£33,337
210	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	567 /10k	19,384	£812	£34,105
211	Ceredigion	Wales	566 /10k	4,106	£710	£29,326
212	Powys	Wales	560 /10k	7,569	£621	£30,275
213	Mole Valley	South East	559 /10k	4,963	£1,545	£35,341
214	Isle of Anglesey	Wales	559 /10k	3,865	£710	£29,944
215	West Berkshire	South East	558 /10k	9,208	£1,273	£38,513
216	South Ribble	North West	557 /10k	6,465	£787	£32,740
217	Staffordshire Moorlands	West Midlands	556 /10k	5,370	£718	£31,065
218	Winchester	South East	555 /10k	7,531	£1,498	£38,352
219	Lewes	South East	553 /10k	5,658	£1,320	£33,088
220	Lichfield	West Midlands	552 /10k	6,176	£1,091	£33,763
221	Tandridge	South East	552 /10k	4,999	£1,596	£33,316
222	Rugby	West Midlands	550 /10k	6,735	£1,028	£41,814
223	Eastleigh	South East	547 /10k	7,813	£1,205	£34,474
224	Oadby and Wigston	East Midlands	546 /10k	3,369	£1,020	£28,368
225	West Lothian	Scotland	546 /10k	10,036	£911	£33,302
226	New Forest	South East	545 /10k	9,592	£1,234	£31,344
227	North West Leicestershire	East Midlands	544 /10k	6,090	£899	£32,252
228	Fylde	North West	542 /10k	4,635	£848	£36,020
229	Hinckley and Bosworth	East Midlands	537 /10k	6,264	£920	£31,591
230	Braintree	East of England	536 /10k	8,804	£1,227	£34,546
231	Dumfries and Galloway	Scotland	534 /10k	7,774	£554	£29,649
232	East Ayrshire	Scotland	533 /10k	6,434	£663	£33,117
233	Bracknell Forest	South East	530 /10k	6,927	£1,501	£36,067
234	Surrey Heath	South East	525 /10k	4,957	£1,493	£37,793
235	Test Valley	South East	524 /10k	7,086	£1,203	£35,314
236	North East Derbyshire	East Midlands	522 /10k	5,571	£775	£30,931
237	South Derbyshire	East Midlands	522 /10k	6,131	£871	£35,452
238	South Kesteven	East Midlands	522 /10k	7,682	£835	£29,071
239	Three Rivers	East of England	521 /10k	4,996	£1,807	£39,615
240	Uttlesford	East of England	518 /10k	4,925	£1,285	£41,006
241	Renfrewshire	Scotland	518 /10k	9,667	£826	£32,832
242	Castle Point	East of England	517 /10k	4,687	£1,231	£35,975
243	East Hertfordshire	East of England	517 /10k	8,115	£1,504	£44,154
244	Inverclyde	Scotland	515 /10k	4,032	£826	£29,020
245	Fareham	South East	514 /10k	5,931	£1,206	£38,851
246	Elmbridge	South East	512 /10k	7,261	£1,832	£42,607
247	Clackmannanshire	Scotland	509 /10k	2,645	£900	£31,992
248	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	508 /10k	18,065	£709	£31,881
249	Dorset	South West	507 /10k	19,781	£1,037	£31,444
250	Herefordshire	West Midlands	506 /10k	9,676	£815	£29,361
251	Falkirk	Scotland	506 /10k	8,032	£900	£32,330
252	Fife	Scotland	506 /10k	18,901	£812	£32,445
253	South Staffordshire	West Midlands	505 /10k	5,783	£942	£31,766
254	Midlothian	Scotland	504 /10k	4,953	£1,432	£31,856
255	North Hertfordshire	East of England	501 /10k	6,879	£1,408	£42,703
256	Breckland	East of England	497 /10k	7,291	£909	£28,930
257	Stroud	South West	497 /10k	6,247	£1,036	£33,495
258	Wiltshire	South West	489 /10k	25,593	£1,056	£31,873
259	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	489 /10k	16,150	£884	£34,293
260	Central Bedfordshire	East of England	487 /10k	15,385	£1,238	£36,622
261	West Lancashire	North West	484 /10k	5,905	£794	£31,884
262	Forest of Dean	South West	483 /10k	4,336	£820	£36,589
263	Shropshire	West Midlands	482 /10k	16,028	£803	£29,603
264	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	474 /10k	30,131	£831	£30,683
265	Tewkesbury	South West	467 /10k	4,759	£983	£31,603
266	Vale of White Horse	South East	463 /10k	6,921	£1,332	£38,859
267	South Ayrshire	Scotland	462 /10k	5,167	£663	£33,986
268	Mid Sussex	South East	458 /10k	7,413	£1,405	£37,705
269	South Cambridgeshire	East of England	458 /10k	7,901	£1,399	£42,690
270	Horsham	South East	454 /10k	6,882	£1,444	£36,448
271	Derbyshire Dales	East Midlands	453 /10k	3,251	£797	£33,700
272	East Cambridgeshire	East of England	453 /10k	4,212	£1,016	£34,311
273	Cotswold	South West	449 /10k	4,116	£1,263	£32,927
274	Harborough	East Midlands	444 /10k	4,650	£960	£34,321
275	West Oxfordshire	South East	437 /10k	5,284	£1,270	£35,388
276	East Hampshire	South East	436 /10k	5,663	£1,252	£39,682
277	Maldon	East of England	435 /10k	3,010	£1,151	£32,599
278	Rochford	East of England	435 /10k	3,911	£1,285	£38,107
279	Highland	Scotland	434 /10k	10,256	£723	£31,416
280	South Norfolk	East of England	418 /10k	6,208	£969	£32,934
281	East Lothian	Scotland	418 /10k	4,757	£1,432	£33,737
282	Moray	Scotland	418 /10k	3,955	£860	£26,943
283	Rutland	East Midlands	417 /10k	1,727	£968	£39,559
284	North Norfolk	East of England	416 /10k	4,290	£856	£28,421
285	Wealden	South East	412 /10k	6,876	£1,259	£33,376
286	Angus	Scotland	408 /10k	4,688	£834	£30,681
287	South Oxfordshire	South East	405 /10k	6,343	£1,377	£43,026
288	Wokingham	South East	404 /10k	7,571	£1,479	£43,538
289	Stirling	Scotland	399 /10k	3,732	£900	£33,832
290	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	398 /10k	6,069	£753	£31,851
291	Argyll and Bute	Scotland	395 /10k	3,469	£851	£30,436
292	Scottish Borders	Scotland	390 /10k	4,554	£707	£28,796
293	North Kesteven	East Midlands	383 /10k	4,693	£857	£30,585
294	Ribble Valley	North West	375 /10k	2,470	£803	£34,077
295	Waverley	South East	370 /10k	4,973	£1,431	£42,326
296	Broadland	East of England	352 /10k	4,870	£934	£30,920
297	Isles of Scilly	South West	321 /10k	76	N/A	N/A
298	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	290 /10k	7,670	£860	£33,799
299	East Renfrewshire	Scotland	264 /10k	2,602	£826	£39,965
300	East Dunbartonshire	Scotland	242 /10k	2,641	£1,159	£38,000
301	Orkney Islands	Scotland	234 /10k	515	£723	£31,737
302	Na h-Eileanan Siar	Scotland	220 /10k	572	£723	£28,746
303	Shetland Islands	Scotland	180 /10k	414	£723	£35,716

A closer look at the top 10

The City of London sits at the top of the table at 5,728 crimes per 10,000 residents, which is genuinely a statistical anomaly rather than a description of how dangerous the Square Mile is. It has around 8,600 recorded crimes across roughly 15,000 residents, but half a million people work there every weekday. The denominator is the tiny resident population; the crimes are committed by and against a much larger daytime population that never shows up in the rate.

Westminster is next at 3,799 per 10,000, again a place where the resident base is dwarfed by daily footfall. Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, and Islington complete the London contingent in the top 10, and the same pattern applies to each of them: high-footfall central boroughs with visitor-heavy retail, hospitality and night-time economies.

The non-London entries are the more revealing part of the ranking. Blackpool (1,487), Middlesbrough (1,465), Manchester (1,432), Hartlepool (1,323) and Bristol (1,303) all sit in the top 10 and none of them have the daytime-population distortion that inflates the London rates. These are big urban areas where the recorded rate genuinely reflects a higher density of crime per resident, driven by a mix of city-centre activity, deprivation clusters, and known drug and alcohol pressures.

A high headline rate does not necessarily mean a bad place to live. Much of the recorded crime in these top-ranked areas is retail theft, public order and drug offences concentrated in specific streets rather than crimes against residents in their own homes. The area profile for each place breaks down the numbers by crime type, which is a better read on how much any of it would affect day-to-day life than the single rate on this page.

Key findings

City of London has the highest recorded crime rate in the UK at 5,728 crimes per 10,000 people.
5 of the 10 highest-crime areas are in London.
The ranking includes 303 areas where police recorded crime data is published at local-authority level.
Many top-ranked areas are city centres or business districts where the recorded-crime denominator is the small resident population - daytime workers and visitors aren't counted.

Methodology

Crime rates are based on police recorded crime data from the Home Office (England & Wales, year ending December 2025) and the Scottish Government (2024-25). Rates are calculated per 10,000 population. The ranking covers 303 local authorities where data is published at LA level - Northern Ireland and a small number of English areas where breakdowns are unreliable are excluded. Recording practices vary between police forces, so comparisons should be treated with some caution. A high rate doesn't necessarily mean an area is unsafe for residents - see the breakdown by crime type on each area's profile for context.

Read more about our data sources and approach on the About page.

Frequently asked questions about high crime rate areas

Which area has the highest crime rate in the UK?

Which city has the highest crime rate in the UK?

Why do some areas have very high crime rates?

Are high crime rate areas dangerous to live in?

Crime rates in popular areas

Manchester 1,432 /10k #297 of 303 Birmingham 1,141 /10k #281 of 303 Liverpool 1,235 /10k #293 of 303 Leeds 1,161 /10k #283 of 303 Bristol 1,303 /10k #294 of 303 Edinburgh 728 /10k #163 of 303 Glasgow 829 /10k #199 of 303 Sheffield 974 /10k #249 of 303 Nottingham 1,222 /10k #292 of 303 Cardiff 968 /10k #247 of 303 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,092 /10k #274 of 303

Use this research

Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to cite and share this analysis. Please include a follow link back to this page when referencing our data. For bespoke analysis, expert comment, or high-resolution graphics, get in touch via our press office.

Data on this page is sourced from: ONS Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), Scottish Government Private Sector Rent Statistics, ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS / HM Land Registry House Price Statistics, and MHCLG / Scottish Government / Welsh Government council tax data. All data is published under the Open Government Licence.