Crime Rates in Manchester (2025)

Thinking of moving to Manchester in 2025? One of the first questions most buyers ask is simple: is it safe?
The answer depends heavily on where you look. Manchester has leafy family-friendly suburbs with below-average crime right next to lively districts where nightlife and footfall push the numbers up.

This report breaks down the latest crime statistics, showing how Manchester compares to the national picture, which areas are safest, and where hotspots are concentrated.

The big picture

At headline level, Manchester’s rate is higher than average. But that hides huge variation between neighbourhoods.
If you’re weighing up a move, it’s more useful to focus on individual wards and districts than the city-wide number.

What to know:

• Violent and public-order offences are heavily concentrated in the city centre and around late-night venues.
• Suburbs to the south (Didsbury, Chorlton, parts of Wythenshawe) remain well below average.
• Burglary has now seen a three-year improvement trend.

Safest areas in 2025

These are the neighbourhoods that combine lower-than-average crime with strong amenities and transport:

• Didsbury (East & West): family-friendly, green and well-served by trams. Crime rate: 68 per 1,000.
• Chorlton: popular with professionals and young families; lively high street but rates remain below average (75 per 1,000).
• Parts of Wythenshawe: improved significantly in recent years. Certain pockets now record crime rates close to suburban averages.

For families, these areas also come with the bonus of good schools and access to parks. That balance of safety and lifestyle makes them consistently popular with buyers.

Hotspots to understand

High crime figures don’t always mean “unsafe.” They often reflect the sheer number of people in an area. Manchester’s City Centre, for example, records the highest rates because tens of thousands of visitors, commuters and students pass through daily.

• The safest bets are clearly in the south (Didsbury, Chorlton).
• Student-heavy areas (Withington) sit in the middle, safer than city-centre districts.
• Nightlife zones (City Centre, Central Salford) push the averages up and skew perceptions of Manchester overall.
• Hulme is one to watch: still above average, but regeneration is steadily improving safety.

What types of crime are most common?

• Violent crime (38%): skewed towards central districts.
• Theft & burglary (29%): continuing to fall compared with 2024.
• Antisocial behaviour (17%): often noise, disorder, public-order offences.
• Drug offences & other (16%): smaller share.

This breakdown shows that while burglary is becoming less of a concern, violent offences in nightlife districts are what push Manchester above the national average.

2024 → 2025: what changed?

• Overall crime +1.2% year-on-year.
• Burglary down 5%, continuing a positive three-year trend.
• Violent crime up 2.5%, mainly linked to the night-time economy.
• Drug offences remain stable.

In short: Manchester is not getting significantly worse, but the mix of crime is shifting. A reassuring trend for buyers to watch is the steady fall in burglary.

Practical tips for movers

Numbers only tell part of the story. Here’s how to use them when choosing a home:

Methodology & sources

This analysis combines Greater Manchester Police records and the ONS Crime Survey of England & Wales, normalised to crimes per 1,000 residents.
Neighbourhood Finder aggregates multiple sources and updates annually, with neighbourhood-level detail in the full report.