Photo: GerthMichael · CC BY-SA 3.0More crimes per resident are recorded in Princeton than in 84% of Canadian towns
Typical years here bring 21.2 violent incidents plus 37.1 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents, against 12.9 plus 31.2 in the typical town its size. Even so, the index fell from 127.6 in 2023 to 113.6 in 2025. That puts it at C− for safety, judged on crime the police covering Princeton reported from 2023 to 2025: #208 of 251 in British Columbia. Violence accounts for an index of 174.3 and other offences for 91.4, against usual levels of 85.7 and 62.8.
Statistics Canada, police-reported crime, 2023–2025 means. The index weighs each crime by its seriousness; rates are incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Area-wide: crime severity, crime rate and incident counts, counted over the Princeton detachment area.
What stands out about safety in Princeton
Mischief: high for a town its size
Princeton records 10.5 incidents of mischief per 1,000 residents a year, against 4.9 in the typical town among Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people. By type ↓
A higher index than most towns its size
Set among the 40 Canadian towns closest to it in population, Princeton comes 34th, counting from the lowest Crime Severity Index. Towns its size ↓
Above British Columbia’s typical town
The typical British Columbia town scores 83.2; Princeton, 114.4. Towns its size ↓
Heavier on violence
Set beside the typical Canadian town its size, Princeton’s two halves part ways: 174.3 for violence (typical 85.7) and 91.4 for the rest (typical 62.8). By type ↓
Written from Statistics Canada’s police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025. Figures are what police recorded, not convictions.
The C− for Princeton, and how it is built
The grade weighs the Crime Severity Index and its violent half, averaged over 2023–2025, against every Canadian town and city neighbourhood of 1,000 people or more.
Its place: #208 of 251 in British Columbia and #2,217 of 2,572 Canadian towns.
The Crime Severity Index and its two halves, beside the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
By its index, Princeton stands 34th of 40 towns its size
| # | Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorne Manitoba | 3,022 | 26.8 | 36.9 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 10 | Elkford British Columbia | 3,030 | 48.2 | 67.7 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 12 | Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot British Columbia | 3,069 | 48.6 | 69.1 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 18 | Electoral Area D, Cariboo British Columbia | 3,057 | 51.7 | 55.1 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 30 | Welcome Beach British Columbia | 3,130 | 76.6 | 94 | C+ |
| 31 | Shippagan New Brunswick | 3,073 | 80.3 | 100.6 | C |
| 32 | Clear Hills Alberta | 3,110 | 96 | 62 | C− |
| 33 | McDougall Ontario | 3,002 | 106.9 | 196.4 | C− |
| 34 | Princeton British Columbia | 3,050 | 114.4 | 174.3 | C− |
| 35 | Huntingdon Quebec | 3,001 | 120.3 | 141 | D |
| 36 | Tisdale Saskatchewan | 3,052 | 123.4 | 132.5 | D |
| 37 | Houston British Columbia | 3,114 | 162 | 219.6 | D |
| … | |||||
| 40 | La Loche Saskatchewan | 3,124 | 1,107 | 1,524.7 | D− |
The 40 Canadian towns of 2,500+ people closest in population; city neighbourhoods, city totals and reserves are left out. Towns on one police service or detachment share its index.
The Canadian towns closest to Princeton in population, the lowest Crime Severity Index first (2023–2025 means).
Princeton’s crime by kind
Against the typical town its size, Princeton runs highest on mischief (10.5 per 1,000 against 4.9), motor vehicle theft (4.2 per 1,000 against 2.6) and break and enter (4.1 per 1,000 against 2.8). Theft under $5,000 and fraud sit below it.
Every Statistics Canada violation line
| Violation | Incidents a year | Per 1,000 | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 1 | 0.2 | — |
| Sexual violations against children | 1 | 0.2 | — |
| Assaults against a peace officer | 1 | 0.2 | — |
| Firearms: use, discharge, pointing | 0 | 0 | — |
| Robbery | 1 | 0.2 | — |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 0.3 | 0.06 | — |
| Other violent violations | 1.7 | 0.3 | — |
| Breaking and entering | 24.7 | 4.1 | 8% |
| Possession of stolen property | 4.7 | 0.8 | — |
| Theft of a motor vehicle | 25.3 | 4.2 | 11% |
| Theft over $5,000 | 4.3 | 0.7 | — |
| Theft under $5,000 | 73.3 | 12.3 | 17% |
| Mischief | 63.3 | 10.5 | 26% |
| Weapons violations | 4 | 0.7 | — |
| Administration of justice violations | 29 | 4.8 | 96% |
| Other Criminal Code violations | 7.3 | 1.2 | 45% |
| Drug violations | 6.7 | 1.1 | 79% |
| Impaired driving | 25.3 | 4.2 | 62% |
| Failing to stop or remain | 0.7 | 0.1 | — |
Statistics Canada’s violation groups for the whole police service or detachment, incidents a year its own. Cleared: incidents solved by a charge or otherwise, as a share of those reported.
Incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 means, against the typical figure for Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
Princeton, year by year
Crime Severity Index
2023 opened the run as its heaviest year (127.6); 2024 was the lightest, at 102. In the same years the typical Canadian town its size read 74.3 (2023), then 64.2 (2025).
Every year as a table
| Year | Princeton | Typical town its size |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 113.6 | 64.2 |
| 2024 | 102 | 68.8 |
| 2023 | 127.6 | 74.3 |
Statistics Canada, Crime Severity Index by police service, each year as published. Typical: the median of Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
The Crime Severity Index of the police covering Princeton, each year, against the typical Canadian town its size.
About 130 violent incidents a year across the police area of 6,060 residents that includes Princeton, 2023–2025
Violent incidents per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Property crimes per 1,000 a year, 2023–2025
Statistics Canada counts actual incidents; those police record as unfounded are listed apart and kept out of its crime rates and severity index. Each incident is filed under its most serious violation, which the survey sets partly by the maximum penalty.
Property crime adds about 220 a year and other violations 120 (2023–2025 average). Of 1,000 dots, one per resident, the coloured ones are a year’s incidents at these rates.
Crime in the places around Princeton
| Town | People | Severity index | Violent index | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 3,050 | 114.4 | 174.3 | C− |
| Electoral Area H, Okanagan-Similkameen (20 km) | 2,372 | 114.4 | 174.3 | C− |
| Electoral Area G, Okanagan-Similkameen (48 km) | 2,402 | 113.4 | 144 | C− |
| Keremeos (58 km) | 1,779 | 113.4 | 144 | C− |
| Summerland (63 km) | 12,343 | 56.2 | 38.6 | B |
| Electoral Area F, Okanagan-Similkameen (65 km) | 2,149 | 71.9 | 63.7 | C+ |
Each neighbour with its own figure comes in under Princeton. Electoral Area G, Okanagan-Similkameen, 47.8 km away, is the nearest lower one, at 113.4 to 114.4. One neighbour reports through the same police, so its figure is this one and it isn’t compared.
Each place’s police figures, 2023–2025 means. The nearest places to Princeton with figures are 20–65 km away.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Reading the number. Statistics Canada set the national index at 100 for 2006; every figure here is read against that.
- Solved cases. A crime is cleared when police lay or recommend a charge, or solve it another way; the weighted rate counts serious crimes for more.
- How serious, not how safe. Each incident counts by its seriousness, judged from court sentences, and the total is set per resident. As Statistics Canada puts it, “The CSI is not an indicator of overall safety and should be interpreted in the broader community context.”
- Town and surroundings together. The detachment counts crime across its whole territory, of which Princeton is one part.
Questions about safety in Princeton
Is Princeton safe?
The short answer is an index of 114.4 for Princeton (2023–2025), built from 21.2 violent incidents and 37.1 property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents. Across Canadian towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, the median is 68.5.
What is the most common crime in Princeton?
Most often it is other Criminal Code offences: 13.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Next come theft under $5,000 at 12.3 and mischief at 10.5.
Is crime going up in Princeton?
Over 2023–2025 the index dropped 11%, to 113.6 from 127.6.
How much of Princeton’s crime do police solve?
The weighted clearance rate is 28%: 34% for violent crime and 24% for non-violent. For the typical Canadian town its size it is 34%.
Whose figures are these?
A police service or detachment that covers Princeton and other places, so the figures are shared.
Source: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime by police service and detachment, 2023–2025 (Statistics Canada Open Licence); TownRatings calculation.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services (tables 35-10-0186 to 0190, 0061, 0063, 0064), 2023–2025 · Statistics Canada, Incident-based crime statistics by detailed violations, police services (35-10-0178 to 0185) · Safety Grade: TownRatings calculation. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).