Locacity has analysed 12 months of official Police.uk crime data to rank the West Midlands' major towns and cities by crime rate. The analysis covers 16 Built-Up Areas with a population of 75,000 or above, using ONS Census 2021 population data to calculate crimes per 1,000 residents.
Key Findings
Sutton Coldfield
Safest major urban area in the West Midlands
85.9
Regional average crimes per 1,000 residents
Stoke-on-Trent
Highest crime rate in the West Midlands
Rankings — Crimes per 1,000 Residents
| Rank | Area | Crimes per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutton Coldfield | 57 |
| 2 | Solihull | 69.7 |
| 3 | Tamworth | 70.4 |
| 4 | Rugby | 72.9 |
| 5 | Redditch | 76.6 |
| 6 | Shrewsbury | 76.8 |
| 7 | Burton upon Trent | 83.6 |
| 8 | Coventry | 85.4 |
| 9 | Wolverhampton | 85.9 |
| 10 | Newcastle-under-Lyme | 86.7 |
| 11 | Telford | 89.7 |
| 12 | West Bromwich | 94.9 |
| 13 | Worcester | 97.4 |
| 14 | Nuneaton | 98.3 |
| 15 | Birmingham | 111.5 |
| 16 | Stoke-on-Trent | 117.6 |
Source: Locacity analysis of Police.uk data (April 2025 – March 2026) and ONS Census 2021 population estimates.
Analysis
Sutton Coldfield emerged as the safest major urban area in the West Midlands by a clear margin, recording just 57.0 crimes per 1,000 residents — one of the lowest rates of any major urban area analysed across England. Solihull ranked second at 69.7, followed by Tamworth (70.4) and Rugby (72.9).
Stoke-on-Trent recorded the highest crime rate at 117.6 crimes per 1,000 residents, ahead of Birmingham at 111.5. Despite being the region's largest city by some margin with a population of over 1.1 million, Birmingham ranks 15th out of 16 — indicating crime levels significantly above the regional average.
The West Midlands shows considerable variation — Stoke-on-Trent's crime rate is more than double that of Sutton Coldfield, highlighting how dramatically safety can differ within the same region. The regional average of 85.9 crimes per 1,000 residents is broadly comparable to the South East (89.6) and considerably lower than the East Midlands (115.9).
The West Midlands' regional average of 85.9 crimes per 1,000 residents is the lowest of any region in England and Wales analysed by Locacity, well below the national average of 101.5 (excludes Greater Manchester, where data is not published through Police.uk).
The findings carry real implications for the property market. According to a Churchill Home Insurance survey, around 29,000 property sales fall through every year across England and Wales due to buyers’ concerns about local crime — representing an estimated £6.6 billion in lost property transactions annually. Understanding crime levels before committing to a purchase has never been more important.
However, these figures represent averages across entire urban areas. Crime levels can vary significantly from one street to the next within the same town or city — making street-level analysis essential for anyone making a property decision.
What this means for homebuyers and renters
Regional rankings provide a useful starting point, but they only tell part of the story. A Locacity report gives you a detailed, street-level picture of crime around a specific property — including the area immediately surrounding your home, nearby schools, transport hubs, and 999 police and ambulance response times.
Methodology
- • Analysis covers 16 Built-Up Areas (BUAs) in the West Midlands with a population of 75,000 or above, as defined by the Office for National Statistics.
- • Crime data sourced from Police.uk open data service (April 2025 – March 2026).
- • Population data sourced from ONS Census 2021.
- • BUA boundaries sourced from ONS Built-Up Areas (December 2022) boundary data.
- • Sutton Coldfield is listed as Royal Sutton Coldfield in ONS data; displayed here as Sutton Coldfield for clarity.
- • Crime coordinates in Police.uk data are approximated to the nearest street in accordance with Police.uk anonymisation policy; a small number of crimes near BUA boundaries may therefore be assigned to an adjacent area.
- • Greater Manchester Police does not publish data through Police.uk and is excluded from all Locacity analysis.