Crime data for Waterloo, Ontario.
Moderate
Ranked #28 out of 56 communities
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Waterloo is situated about 94 km (58 mi) west-southwest of Toronto, but it is not considered to be part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Due to the close proximity of the city of Kitchener to Waterloo, the two together are often referred to as "Kitchener–Waterloo", "K-W", or "The Twin Cities". Nearby Cambridge, Ontario is also sometimes grouped in, creating KWC or "Tri-cities".
National Baseline = 100
Annual historical averages
15 locations
Crime data sourced from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey via Statistics Canada. Last updated for the most recent available reference year.
Rank #28 of 56 areas
CSI: 72.7 (lower = safer)
Crime Severity Index — lower is safer
Percentage of reported crimes cleared by charge or otherwise. Higher rates indicate better police case resolution.
Hate crime data shown for Ontario (provincial level)
Police-reported hate crime incidents in Ontario
Hate Crime Trend (2014–2024)
Click on chart to view sub-categories for that year
By Motivation
In 2024, Ontario recorded 2,575 police-reported hate crimes, an increase of 3.0% from 2023. The most common motivation was Race or ethnicity (1,190 incidents, 46% of total), with Jewish being the most targeted group (580 incidents). Religion-motivated crimes totalled 846 (33%).
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0066-01 — Police-reported hate crime
Homicide data shown for Canada (national level)
Homicide victims in Canada
(1.91 per 100k)Homicide Trend (1961–2024)
Click on chart to view methods breakdown for that year
By Method
In 2024, Canada recorded 788 homicide victims, a decrease of 1.0% from 2023. The most common method was Shooting (286 victims, 36.3% of total), followed by Stabbing (250 victims, 31.7%). The homicide rate was 1.91 per 100,000 population.
Source: Statistics Canada, Homicide Survey — Tables 35-10-0068-01, 35-10-0069-01, 35-10-0071-01
Impaired driving incidents in Waterloo
(54.5 per 100k)Impaired Driving Trend (1998–2024)
Click on chart to view breakdown for that year
By Type
1,068
Total Charged
1,059
Adults Charged
9
Youth Charged
In 2024, Waterloo recorded 1,155 impaired driving incidents, an increase of 26.1% from 2023. The most common offence type was Impaired by alcohol (795 incidents, 100% of sub-types), followed by Causing bodily harm (0 incidents, 0%). The impaired driving rate was 54.5 per 100,000 population. A total of 1,068 persons were charged, including 1,059 adults and 9 youth.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01 — Incident-based crime statistics
$94,000
Median Income
12.0%
Unemployment
36
Median Age
15.7%
Growth (2016–2021)
$94,000
Median Household Income
11.3%
Low Income Prevalence (LIM-AT)
57.6%
Employment Rate
12.0%
Unemployment Rate
$750,000
Avg. Dwelling Value
$1,440
Avg. Monthly Rent
The median after-tax household income was $94,000, and the unemployment rate was 12.0%.
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021
22,944
Adults Charged
+56.5% YoY1,662
Youth Charged
+62.0% YoY6.8%
Youth Share
24,606
Total Charged
Adult rate: 1327.5 per 100,000
Youth rate: 1228.4 per 100,000
2024
Adults: 22,944
Youth: 1,662
Dual-axis: each line has its own scale · Click to view year details
Adult Δ (1998–2024)
+287.4%
Youth Δ (1998–2024)
-11.2%
In 2024, Waterloo recorded 22,944 adults charged and 1,662 youth charged across all Criminal Code violations. Youth accounted for 6.8% of all persons charged. Since 1998, youth charges have changed by -11.2%, while adult charges changed by +287.4%.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0177-01 — Incident-based crime statistics
Incidents
1,194
▲ 78.2% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
56.3
Breakdown
Incidents
796
▲ 103.6% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
56.3
Breakdown
Incidents
68,721
▲ 49.6% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
3240.6
Breakdown
Incidents
30,375
▲ 56.4% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
1432.4
Breakdown
Incidents
11,391
▲ 59.5% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
537.1
Breakdown
Content warning: This section contains data about sexual offences
Total Incidents
2,778
▲ 65.0% vs 2023
SA L1 Rate / 100K
79.1
Breakdown
Incidents
6,123
▲ 29.3% vs 2023
Rate per 100K
288.7
Breakdown
Total Incidents
1,951
▲ 49.3% vs 2023
Drug Rate / 100K
56.3
Breakdown
