Cairns crime rate and Crime Score · Queensland council area
Cairns is a council area in Queensland with about 179,334 residents. It has a Crime Score 82 out of 100 (very high), 22nd of 362 councils nationally.
The score blends national percentile ranks for each published offence category with fixed severity weights; here it is driven most by assault (86th percentile), break-ins (93rd percentile), robbery (95th percentile). Five years earlier the same basis gave 76.
In 2025-26: violent 2,655 per 100,000 (+87% vs five years earlier); property 8,411 per 100,000 (+52% vs five years earlier); break-ins 1,971 per 100,000 (+67% vs five years earlier); theft 3,988 per 100,000 (+73% vs five years earlier). For violent crime that is 31st of 78 Queensland councils with data, highest first.
Unemployment in the Cairns council area is 5.7% (Queensland 5.4%), Census, 10 August 2021. Social housing makes up 4% of occupied homes (1,985 public and 434 community-housing dwellings at the 2021 Census; Queensland 3.3%). An estimated 1,201 people were homeless on Census night 2021, 70 per 10,000 residents (Queensland 43.5), apportioned from ABS Statistical Area Level 2 counts. 24.4% of residents were born overseas (Queensland 24.1%), most often in England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea. Modelled estimates for 2026-27, not measurements: unemployment about 5.4% (confidence 85 of 100); social housing about 3.6% of homes; about 68.8 homeless people per 10,000 residents; about 24.8% born overseas. Confidence falls with distance from the last published figure, and the map's Estimates toggle shows every year back to 1994-95.
| Offences | Per 100,000 | Count | 5-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent | 2,655 | 4,761 | +87% |
| Property | 8,411 | 15,083 | +52% |
| Break-ins | 1,971 | 3,535 | +67% |
| Theft | 3,988 | 7,152 | +73% |
Street by street: the last 30 days
Queensland Police recorded 1,848 offences in 615 street blocks of Cairns from 2 October to 31 October 2026. The most common were theft (421), drugs (313) and assault (290). Each offence is placed in a street block of roughly 30 to 60 homes, not at an address; sexual and traffic offences are not included.
See every street block on the map (source: Queensland Police Service, CC BY).
Questions
Is Cairns safe?
Cairns recorded 2,650 violent offences per 100,000 residents in 2025-26, about 93% higher than the Queensland rate (1,380) and 2.1 times the national rate (1,280). Its Crime Score is 81.6 out of 100 (very high), 22nd of 362 councils. These are offences recorded by police per resident: they describe the area as a whole, not the risk on any particular street, and places with a busy centre record more because offences are counted where they happen.
How many break-ins are there in Cairns?
3,535 break-ins were recorded in 2025-26: 1,970 per 100,000 residents, 2.9 times the Queensland rate (686).
Explore every council on the interactive map.
Police news near Cairns
- Serious assault, Cairns · Cairns, 13 Oct 2026
- Fatal crash, Kamerunga · Kamerunga, 13 Sept 2026 · 4 km away
- Fatal traffic crash, Cairns North · Cairns North, 6 Sept 2026 · 4 km away
Part of Cairns: Cairns crime rate and crime map.
Suburbs in the Cairns council area
Aeroglen · Babinda · Barron · Bartle Frere · Bayview Heights · Bentley Park · Brinsmead · Cairns North · Caravonica · Clifton Beach · Earlville · East Russell · Edmonton · Ellis Beach · Goldsborough · Gordonvale · Green Hill · Holloways Beach · Kamerunga · Kewarra Beach · Little Mulgrave · Machans Beach · Manunda · Mooroobool · Mount Peter · Mount Sheridan · Packers Camp · Palm Cove · Parramatta Park · Smithfield · Trinity Beach · Trinity Park · Westcourt · White Rock · Whitfield · Woree · Wrights Creek · Yorkeys Knob
Postcodes in the Cairns council area
4861 · 4865 · 4868 · 4869 · 4870 · 4878 · 4879
australiancrimerate.com.au/council/qld-cairns/ · Australian Crime Map