Data through Sep 2026 (Cincinnati) and Aug 2026 (Cleveland), FBI
Cincinnati vs Cleveland crime rates
Cleveland’s violent crime rate was 50% higher than Cincinnati’s over each one’s latest 12 months (to Sep 2026 for Cincinnati and Aug 2026 for Cleveland): 1,251 against 835 per 100,000 residents a year. Cincinnati and Cleveland had about the same property crime rate over the same period: 3,468 and 3,527 per 100,000 residents a year. Cincinnati recorded 49 homicides (15.5 per 100,000 residents) and Cleveland 94 (25.8). Over the same period violent crime was up 4% in Cincinnati and down 13% in Cleveland, each against its own previous 12 months.
Side by side
per 100k, per year| Measure | Cincinnati, OHcity, Ohio | Cleveland, OHcity, Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 835 | 1,251 |
| Property crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 3,468 | 3,527 |
| Homicidescount in the period | 4915.5 per 100k | 9425.8 per 100k |
| Violent crime trendagainst the 12 months before | +4% | −13% |
| Property crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −7% | −17% |
| Residents | 316,260 | 363,659 |
| Period | 12 months to Sep 2026 | 12 months to Aug 2026 |
| Source | Cincinnati Police Departmentas reported to the FBI | Cleveland Police Departmentas reported to the FBI |
Violent crime, month by month
Each line has its own scale, so read the direction, not the height; the table above has the rates.
The FBI cautions against ranking or comparing places on these numbers alone: how dense a place is, its economy, how often residents report crime and how each agency records it all shape them. How to read crime numbers
What this comparison does not measure
read before deciding- These are crimes reported to the police. In the federal victim survey for 2024, about half of violent crime (47.9%, homicide aside) and under a third of property crime (30.5%) was reported, and that share can differ from one city to another.
- The two periods are not the same months: Cincinnati’s figures run to Sep 2026 and Cleveland’s to Aug 2026, the latest each agency has reported in full.
- City limits are drawn differently: one city may take in suburbs and open land that another leaves to its neighbors, and that alone moves a citywide rate. A citywide figure says little about any one neighborhood.
More on each place
3 related pairsCrime in Cincinnati, OHCrime in Cleveland, OHCleveland vs ColumbusCincinnati vs ColumbusCleveland vs Detroit
Source and dates
FBI Crime Data Explorer- Cincinnati, OH
- Cincinnati Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Sep 2026; 316,260 residents.
- Cleveland, OH
- Cleveland Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Aug 2026; 363,659 residents.
- How we count
- Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson, the FBI’s definitions for every agency. Methodology