Editor’s Note: There are inconsistencies in crime data we discovered after the following report was published. You can find our latest report at this link.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Is the City of Topeka a safe place for its residents? According to one source, the answer may be a strong no.

Neighborhood Scout reports that the capital city of Kansas might not be the safest place to live. This is best represented through Neighborhood Scout’s low score for Topeka: it ranked as being safer than only 3% of other U.S. cities.

According to Neighborhood Scout, Topeka has a crime rate of 55 per 1,000 residents, giving it one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. when compared to other communities in the country. Your chances of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Topeka is one in 18. In the state of Kansas, over 99% of communities have a lower crime rate than Topeka.

Violent and property crime rank as some of the more ‘popular’ crimes that occur in the capital city. Topeka’s relatively small population of 126,597 leads it to have a combined rate of violent and property crime that is “very high” in comparison to other places with similar population sizes.

“Regardless of whether Topeka does well or poorly compared to all other cities and towns in the US of all sizes, compared to places with a similar population, it fares badly,” Neighborhood Scout said. “Few other communities of this size have a crime rate as high as Topeka.”

Topeka has the unfortunate privilege of having one of the highest violent crime rates in the U.S. when compared to communities both large and small. Annually, Topeka sees around 888 violent crimes, making your chances of falling victim to violent crimes, such as rape, murder and armed robbery, about one in 143. This is higher than the average for the state of Kansas which sits at one in 237.

Property crime, which includes burglary, larceny over $50, motor vehicle theft and arson, is also very high. Your chances of becoming a victim of one of these crimes is one in 21, which comes out to a rate of 48 per 1,000 people. Topeka has one of the highest motor vehicle theft rates in the U.S. according to data obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Neighborhood Scout. The chances of your car being stolen are one in 131.

If you’re looking to avoid property crime and violent crime, or any other type of criminal activity, then you may want to check out the following neighborhoods which, according to Neighborhood Scout, are some of the safest in Topeka:

  • Northeast Indian Creek Road/Northeast 82nd Street
  • Southwest 53rd Street/Southwest Fairlawn Road
  • Auburn Road/Southwest 53rd Street
  • Northwest 35th Street/Northwest Rochester Road
  • Elmont
  • Southwest 10th Avenue/Southwest Auburn Road
  • Northeast 35th Street/Northeast Kimball Road
  • Terra Heights
  • Cullen Village/Pauline
  • Brookfield Park

Some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Topeka are Highland Crest West, College Hill/Washburn University, Old Town, Elmhurst/Norton and North Topeka East.

Neighborhood Scout collects information on crime rates, real estate, demographics and schools for towns and cities across the U.S. To learn more about Neighborhood Scout, click here.