Sault Ste. Marie’s crime is above average: the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service recorded a Crime Severity Index (CSI) of 107.26 in 2025, up 4% from 2024 and about 43% above the national 75.0, according to Statistics Canada. The city’s crime rate was 8,020 incidents per 100,000 people, but severity is 18% below its 2021 peak and the share of crimes solved is the highest in at least a decade.
Data: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0188-01 (Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance rates, police services in Ontario) and Table 35-10-0180-01 (incident-based crime statistics, police services in Ontario), 2025 figures released 22 July 2026 and checked 26 October 2026. Figures are for the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service (municipal), which covers the City of Sault Ste. Marie and Prince Township. Population, differences and ratios are our own calculation from Statistics Canada data. Updated 26 October 2026.
All figures are for calendar year 2025, the latest full year Statistics Canada has published. Sault Ste. Marie is not one of Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas (CMAs), so it does not appear in the big-city rankings; the numbers here are for its own police service.
Key facts
- The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service’s Crime Severity Index was 107.26 in 2025, up 4% from 103.24 in 2024 (Statistics Canada, released 22 July 2026).
- That is about 43% above Canada’s CSI of 75.0 and nearly twice Ontario’s 57.17 (our calculation from Statistics Canada data).
- Sault Ste. Marie recorded 6,600 Criminal Code incidents in 2025, a rate of 8,020 per 100,000 people, down 1% from 2024.
- Break-ins were the stand-out crime: 580 per 100,000 in 2025, about 2.2 times the national rate of 262.
- The city’s CSI of 107.26 is about 18% below its 2021 peak of 130.73.
- Police solved a weighted 43.75% of crime in 2025, above Ontario’s 39.80% and Canada’s 36.64%.
Is Sault Ste. Marie a safe city?
Sault Ste. Marie has more police-reported crime than the average Canadian community: its 2025 Crime Severity Index of 107.26 was 43% above the national 75.0 and 88% above Ontario’s 57.17. Most day-to-day crime is property crime, such as theft, shoplifting and break-ins, rather than serious violence against strangers.
The Crime Severity Index is a Statistics Canada measure that weights each police-reported crime by how serious it is, with Canada in 2006 set at 100. The crime rate is the number of Criminal Code incidents (excluding traffic) per 100,000 people. Our Crime Severity Index explainer covers how the two differ. Both measures count only crimes reported to police, so they show the level of reported crime, not personal risk on a given street.
| Area (2025) | Crime Severity Index | Violent CSI | Non-violent CSI | Crime rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sault Ste. Marie Police Service | 107.26 | 130.78 | 98.76 | 8,020 |
| Ontario (province) | 57.17 | 74.91 | 50.56 | 4,296 |
| Canada (all police services) | 75.0 | 97.19 | 66.78 | 5,585 |
Sault Ste. Marie is above both the provincial and national averages on every severity measure, with the widest gap on violent crime severity (75% above Ontario).
How does Sault Ste. Marie compare with other Ontario cities?
Sault Ste. Marie’s 2025 CSI of 107.26 was the third highest among the 13 Ontario municipal police services in the table below, behind Timmins (126.14) and Thunder Bay (119.15) and ahead of North Bay (87.94) and Greater Sudbury (65.69). Northern Ontario cities generally sit above the southern Ontario average.
| Municipal police service | CSI 2024 | CSI 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timmins | 115.82 | 126.14 | +9% |
| Thunder Bay | 116.81 | 119.15 | +2% |
| Sault Ste. Marie | 103.24 | 107.26 | +4% |
| Cornwall | 96.39 | 97.22 | +1% |
| North Bay | 82.16 | 87.94 | +7% |
| Brantford | 74.21 | 83.97 | +13% |
| Belleville | 75.73 | 74.79 | −1% |
| Kingston | 68.54 | 69.31 | +1% |
| Peterborough | 73.41 | 68.22 | −7% |
| Greater Sudbury | 67.16 | 65.69 | −2% |
| Sarnia | 87.58 | 62.26 | −29% |
| Barrie | 60.40 | 59.18 | −2% |
| Guelph | 56.66 | 57.82 | +2% |
Greater Sudbury, the nearest large city, had a CSI about 39% lower than Sault Ste. Marie in 2025 (our calculation from Statistics Canada Table 35-10-0188-01). For more northern comparisons see is Thunder Bay safe and the Sudbury crime map; for the whole province see the Ontario crime map and our list of the most dangerous cities in Ontario.
What is the crime rate in Sault Ste. Marie?
Sault Ste. Marie’s crime rate was 8,020 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 44% above Canada’s 5,585 and 87% above Ontario’s 4,296. The police service recorded 6,600 incidents, down from 6,655 in 2024, for an estimated population of about 82,300 (our calculation from incident counts and rates).
| Offence (Sault Ste. Marie Police Service) | Incidents 2025 | Rate per 100,000 (2025) | Rate per 100,000 (2024) | Canada rate per 100,000 (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Criminal Code (excl. traffic) | 6,600 | 8,020 | 8,105 | 5,585 |
| Violent crime | 1,375 | 1,671 | 1,613 | 1,443 |
| Property crime | 3,919 | 4,762 | 4,944 | 3,141 |
| Shoplifting ($5,000 or under) | 1,096 | 1,332 | 1,602 | 502 |
| Mischief | 504 | 612 | 663 | 739 |
| Fraud | 484 | 588 | 482 | 426 |
| Breaking and entering | 477 | 580 | 604 | 262 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 100 | 122 | 127 | 201 |
| Homicide | 4 | 4.86 | 2.44 | 1.61 |
Shoplifting and break-ins drive Sault Ste. Marie’s high property crime rate, while vehicle theft and mischief are below the national level.
Is crime in Sault Ste. Marie going up or down?
Crime severity in Sault Ste. Marie edged up 4% in 2025 to 107.26, but it remains 18% below the 2021 peak of 130.73, according to Statistics Canada. The longer trend is upward: the 2025 value is about 60% higher than in 2015 (66.94), when the city was below the national average.
| Year | Sault Ste. Marie CSI | Ontario CSI |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 66.94 | 51.05 |
| 2017 | 97.79 | 56.32 |
| 2019 | 108.20 | 60.87 |
| 2021 | 130.73 | 56.04 |
| 2023 | 118.33 | 61.51 |
| 2024 | 103.24 | 60.95 |
| 2025 | 107.26 | 57.17 |
The violent crime severity index rose 3% in 2025 to 130.78, while the non-violent index rose 4% to 98.76. Property crime incidents fell 4%, mainly because shoplifting dropped 17%, but fraud rose 22%. In a city of about 82,000 people, a small number of serious cases can move the index noticeably from one year to the next.
Is violent crime high in Sault Ste. Marie?
Sault Ste. Marie’s violent crime rate was 1,671 incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, about 16% above Canada’s 1,443 and 55% above Ontario’s 1,078. Violent incidents made up about 21% of all crime in the city, compared with about 26% nationally (our calculation from Statistics Canada data), so property crime is the bigger part of the picture.
The city recorded 4 homicides in 2025, up from 2 in 2024. With fewer than 100,000 residents, each case changes the rate sharply (4.86 per 100,000 in 2025), so year-to-year homicide rates for small cities should be read with caution. Our homicide ranking explains why multi-year averages are more reliable.
Are break-ins a problem in Sault Ste. Marie?
Break-ins are Sault Ste. Marie’s most distinctive crime: the police service recorded 477 break and enters in 2025, a rate of 580 per 100,000, about 2.2 times the national 262 and 3.1 times Ontario’s 189. The rate fell 4% from 604 in 2024.
Vehicle theft is the opposite case. Sault Ste. Marie’s motor vehicle theft rate of 122 per 100,000 was about 40% below Canada’s 201 and 35% below Ontario’s 187 in 2025. Practical steps are in our guide on how to check crime in your neighbourhood.
How do I report a crime or check crime in Sault Ste. Marie?
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service takes non-emergency reports at (705) 949-6300 and through its online reporting system, according to the service’s website (checked 26 October 2026). We did not find a public interactive crime map on the site; it links to a crime statistics section instead.
- Call 911 for any emergency or crime in progress.
- Use online reporting for eligible incidents in Sault Ste. Marie or Prince Township, such as theft under $5,000, theft from a vehicle under $5,000, fraud and scams, mischief or damage to property or a vehicle, and break-ins to a shed, detached garage or outbuilding. A valid email address is required.
- Call (705) 949-6300 if there is physical evidence at the scene, if the incident is not on the online list, or if you are reporting for someone else.
- Compare areas with official data on our Canada crime map and the crime rate in Canada by city.
The police headquarters is at 580 Second Line East. Police solved a weighted 43.75% of crime in 2025, the highest share since at least 2015 and above the Ontario (39.80%) and Canadian (36.64%) averages; see how many crimes are solved in Canada.
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Sault Ste. Marie crime FAQ
Is Sault Ste. Marie a safe place to live?
Sault Ste. Marie has more reported crime than the Canadian average, with a 2025 Crime Severity Index of 107.26 against 75.0 nationally, but its severity is 18% below the 2021 peak and most crime is property crime.
What is the crime rate in Sault Ste. Marie?
Sault Ste. Marie recorded 8,020 Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 people in 2025, down 1% from 2024 and about 44% above the national rate of 5,585.
Is Sault Ste. Marie safer than Thunder Bay?
Yes, on the official severity measure. Sault Ste. Marie’s CSI was 107.26 in 2025, compared with 119.15 for the Thunder Bay Police Service.
Is Sault Ste. Marie safer than Sudbury?
No. Greater Sudbury Police Service had a 2025 CSI of 65.69, about 39% lower than Sault Ste. Marie’s 107.26.
How many homicides were there in Sault Ste. Marie in 2025?
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service recorded 4 homicides in 2025, up from 2 in 2024, a rate of 4.86 per 100,000 people.
Related: Ontario crime map · safest cities in Ontario · safest towns in Ontario · most dangerous cities in Ontario · is Thunder Bay safe? · Sudbury crime map · is Timmins safe?. In an emergency call 911.