Photo: Fraser Institute

Kelowna’s property crime rate ranks high even compared to U.S. cities, according to a new study comparing North American cities.

The Fraser Institute think tank has gathered data comparing Canadian and U.S. crime rates between 2019 and 2022.

While the data is a few years old—crime has fallen in Kelowna in recent years—the snapshot in time puts the Central Okanagan on the map in an ugly way.

Kelowna’s property crime rate of 4,931.7 per 100,000 residents during that time was topped only by Lethbridge, Alta.

The city’s property crime rate was the highest in the Pacific region, topping U.S. metropolitan areas like Seattle and Los Angeles.

Kelowna’s violent crime rate is much lower, ranking 130 out of 297 metropolitan areas in Canada and the U.S.

“While the highest violent crime rates are in American [cities], some of the highest property crime rates are in Canadian [metropolitan areas],” says the report’s executive summary. “Some American urban areas are as safe, if not safer than Canadian ones when it comes to both violent and property crime rates.”

The Canadian city with the highest violent crime rate was Winnipeg at 675 incidents per 100,000 residents — the 12th worst across North America.

Memphis, Tenn., the most violent city on the continent, reported 1,294 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Photo: Fraser Institute