Rankings

Safest places to live in the UK 2026

Q: What is the safest place to live in the UK?

Based on recorded crime rates, the safest place to live in the UK is Shetland Islands with 180 crimes per 10,000 people, compared to the national average of around 765.

Q: How are crime rates calculated?

Crime rates are based on police recorded crime data, expressed as the number of crimes per 10,000 population. This allows fair comparison between areas of different sizes. Data comes from the Home Office (England & Wales) and the Scottish Government (Scotland).

Q: Why are some areas missing from the crime rankings?

Areas are excluded if their crime data is unreliable or unavailable. Currently, Kent's local authorities are excluded because over 40% of the county's recorded crimes aren't attributed to specific areas in the Home Office data. Some multi-authority areas also couldn't be mapped to individual local authorities.

Q: Are recorded crime statistics accurate?

Recorded crime statistics only reflect crimes reported to and recorded by police - they don't capture unreported crime. Recording practices also vary between police forces, which can affect comparisons. They're the best available official measure, but should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.

The safest place to live in the UK is Shetland Islands with just 180 recorded crimes per 10,000 people. At the other end, City of London has the highest crime rate at 5,728 per 10,000. The average across all 303 ranked areas is around 765 per 10,000.

Data last updated: 17 May 2026

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

Key findings

Shetland Islands has the lowest recorded crime rate in the UK at just 180 crimes per 10,000 people.
6 of the 10 lowest-crime areas are in Scotland.
The ranking includes 303 areas where police recorded crime data is published at local-authority level.
City of London has the highest recorded crime rate at 5,728 per 10,000 - around 32x the rate of Shetland Islands.

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. Lower numbers mean fewer recorded crimes per person.

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

Frequently asked questions about the safest places to live

What is the safest place to live in the UK?

How are crime rates calculated?

Why are some areas missing from the crime rankings?

Are recorded crime statistics accurate?

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

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.