Salt Lake City Crime Rates and Statistics (2024)

With a crime rate of 76 per one thousand residents, Salt Lake City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 13. Within Utah, more than 100% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Salt Lake City. In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Salt Lake City to be one of the top 100 most dangerous cities in the U.S.A.

Separately, it is always interesting and important to compare a city's crime rate with those of similarly sized communities - a fair comparison as larger cities tend to have more crime. NeighborhoodScout has done just that. With a population of 204,657, Salt Lake City has a combined rate of violent and property crime that is very high compared to other places of similar population size. Regardless of whether Salt Lake City does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly. Few other communities of this size have a crime rate as high as Salt Lake City.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Salt Lake City does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Salt Lake City.

For Salt Lake City, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Salt Lake City is one in 102.

In addition, NeighborhoodScout found that a lot of the crime that takes place in Salt Lake City is property crime. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In Salt Lake City, your chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 15, which is a rate of 66 per one thousand population.

Importantly, we found that Salt Lake City has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in Salt Lake City is one in 117.

Salt Lake City CrimeData

FAQ on NeighborhoodScout's Crime Data

NeighborhoodScout® provides exclusive crime risk analytics for every neighborhood in America with up to 98% predictive accuracy. Crime risk indices are nationally comparable on a 1 – 100 scale, where 100 means safer than 100% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Crime risk data are updated annually. Raw crime incidents are sourced from all 18,000+ local law enforcement agencies – municipal, county, transit, park, port, university, tribal and more, assigned to localities, then built into NeighborhoodScout’s proprietary predictive models to provide a comprehensive crime risk profile for every neighborhood and address-vicinity in the U.S.

Crime Data FAQs

More about NeighborhoodScout’s crime data methodology

total Crime Index

(100 is safest)

Salt Lake City Annual Crimes

ViolentPropertyTotal

Number of Crimes

2,004

13,573

15,577

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

9.79

66.32

76.11

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20151050

9.79

2.42

National Median: 4

    Salt Lake City

    Utah

Chances of Becoming a Victim of aViolentCrime

1 in102

inSalt Lake City

1 in414

inUtah

Salt Lake City Violent Crimes

Population:204,657
MurderRapeRobberyAssault
Report Total133904181,183
Rate per 1,0000.061.912.045.78

United States Violent Crimes

Population:333,287,557
MurderRapeRobberyAssault
Report Total21,156133,294220,450893,980
Rate per 1,0000.060.400.662.68

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

1007550250

66.32

18.95

National Median: 20

    Salt Lake City

    Utah

Chances of Becoming a Victim of aPropertyCrime

1 in15

inSalt Lake City

1 in53

inUtah

Property Crimes

Population:204,657
burglarytheftmotor vehicle theft
Report Total1,34710,4701,756
Rate per 1,0006.5851.168.58

United States Property Crimes

Population:333,287,557
burglarytheftmotor vehicle theft
Report Total899,2934,672,363942,173
Rate per 1,0002.7014.022.83

Salt Lake City Crimes Per Square Mile

200150100500

139

31

National Median: 27.0

    Salt Lake City

    Utah

Salt Lake City Crime Rates and Statistics (2024)

FAQs

Salt Lake City Crime Rates and Statistics? ›

With a crime rate of 76 per one thousand residents, Salt Lake City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 13.

Is Salt Lake City a good place to live safe? ›

The crime rate in Salt Lake City is among the highest in the country, with an average of 80 crimes per thousand residents. Your chances of being a victim to either violent or property crime are approximately 1 in 12.

Is Salt Lake City safer than Denver? ›

Compared to Denver, Salt Lake City has a violent crime rate higher than Denver and almost twice the average across the country. Property crime is twice as high as it is in Denver and almost three times the national average.

What is the number one crime in Utah? ›

Theft: 40,807 instances in 2022. It's no surprise that theft is the most common crime in Utah because it is also the most common crime in the United States. Like drug violations, there are a lot of different ways to commit theft, from shoplifting to motor vehicle theft.

What's the safest state in America? ›

WalletHub released a 2023 report listing the safest states in the US. States were ranked based on 52 safety indicators, including work safety and emergency preparedness. Vermont scored the highest, followed by Maine.

Is Salt Lake City safe to walk at night? ›

Crime rates rating. Salt Lake has some sketchy areas, especially in the more urban areas of town at night, but it generally feels safe. During the day, I feel confident and comfortable in most places alone, but at night there are a few places I would avoid (Liberty Park, Gateway, Downtown SLC.)

What is the violent crime rate in Salt Lake City Utah? ›

Citywide, violent crimes spiked and have decreased, but are still up compared to 2019 — going from an average of 113 violent crimes per month in 2019 to a peak average of about 145 violent crimes per month in 2021. This year, there was an average of about 130 violent crimes per month between January and September.

Is Salt Lake City Downtown safe? ›

Is downtown Salt Lake City safe? A crime occurs every 15 minutes in downtown Salt Lake City. People who live in the city consider the southeast part of the city to be the safest.

What is Utah notorious for? ›

Utah is known for: The Great Salt Lake, the largest waltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Skiing. National parks.

What city has the worst crime rate in us? ›

1- Detroit, Michigan

The city has a high violent crime rate, which includes homicides, robberies, and aggravated assaults. In 2018, Detroit reported a violent crime rate of 2,007.8 incidents per 100,000 people, which is significantly higher than the national average.

What state is number 1 in crime? ›

While murders surged during COVID-19, there was a 6.1% year-over-year decline in murders and non-negligent manslaughter in 2022. New Mexico, the most dangerous state, has more than six times the rate of violent crime per 1,000 people than New Hampshire, the least dangerous state.

What is the 1 safest city in America? ›

WalletHub released a 2023 report listing the safest cities in the US. Cities were ranked based on 41 indicators of safety, including rates of crime and natural disasters. Nashua, New Hampshire, scored the highest, followed by Columbia, Maryland.

What is the most peaceful state in the United States? ›

Maine is the most peaceful state in the U.S. for the 11th year in a row, Louisiana is the least peaceful. The Northeast continues to be the most peaceful region with three of the five most peaceful states. The South is once again the least peaceful region in America, with four of the five least peaceful states.

What state is the safest and cheapest to live in? ›

Of the 30 safest and most affordable places to live in the U.S., eight are located in Texas, with four ranking in the top 10. Florida, Kansas and Virginia are also generally safe and affordable states, with two places from each state making the list.

What are the pros and cons of living in Salt Lake City? ›

Let's get started!
  • Pro: Access to parks, canyons, and endless ways to enjoy the great outdoors. ...
  • Con: A lot of snow. ...
  • Pro: Incredible winter sports. ...
  • Con: Lots of tourists vying for a spot on the slopes. ...
  • Pro: More sunshine and less rain. ...
  • Pro: A thriving job market and booming tech scene. ...
  • Con: More competition for jobs.
Dec 14, 2022

Is Salt Lake City safe downtown? ›

Salt Lake City's District 4, which includes most of downtown, accounted for more than 1/4 of the city's violent crime since 2019.

What's the safest place to live in Utah? ›

Utah's Safest Cities of 2024
  • Lone Peak.
  • Kaysville.
  • Saratoga Springs.
  • Syracuse.
  • Herriman.
  • North Ogden.
  • Payson.
  • Pleasant Grove.
Mar 18, 2024

Are people friendly in Salt Lake City? ›

5. You'll Have No Trouble Making Friends—Salt Lake Citians Love Out-Of-Towners. Salt Lake City locals are known for their friendliness and hospitality. It's not unusual for small talk at the grocery store to turn into an invite to that person's backyard barbeque.

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