12 months to Aug 2026, FBI
Cleveland vs Columbus crime rates
Cleveland’s violent crime rate was 3.5 times Columbus’ over the 12 months to Aug 2026: 1,251 against 355 per 100,000 residents a year. Cleveland’s property crime rate was 49% higher than Columbus’ over the same period: 3,527 against 2,374 per 100,000 residents a year. Cleveland recorded 94 homicides (25.8 per 100,000 residents) and Columbus 60 (6.4). Over the same period violent crime was down 13% in Cleveland and down 13% in Columbus, each against its own previous 12 months.
Side by side
per 100k, per year| Measure | Cleveland, OHcity, Ohio | Columbus, OHcity, Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 1,251 | 355 |
| Property crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 3,527 | 2,374 |
| Homicidescount in the period | 9425.8 per 100k | 606.4 per 100k |
| Violent crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −13% | −13% |
| Property crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −17% | −13% |
| Residents | 363,659 | 940,106 |
| Period | 12 months to Aug 2026 | 12 months to Aug 2026 |
| Source | Cleveland Police Departmentas reported to the FBI | Columbus 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.
- Columbus has 2.6 times as many residents as Cleveland. A rate evens out the size, but in the smaller place a few dozen incidents move it more.
- 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 Cleveland, OHCrime in Columbus, OHCincinnati vs ClevelandCincinnati vs ColumbusCleveland vs Detroit
Source and dates
FBI Crime Data Explorer- Cleveland, OH
- Cleveland Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Aug 2026; 363,659 residents.
- Columbus, OH
- Columbus Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Aug 2026; 940,106 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