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Palmerston North Central Safety Snapshot

Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand

Police data to August 2026

Generates a printable report with charts & summary.

Is Palmerston North Central safe? It has more recorded crime than most NZ suburbs. Palmerston North Central has a safety score of 0/100, meaning less recorded crime harm per resident than about 0% of New Zealand suburbs, with 2,539.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year. It is the #131 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui.

The annual total crime rate in Palmerston North Central is 2,539.1 crimes per thousand residents, making it the #131 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui Region. The overall crime trend in the area has decreased in recent months with criminal activity peaking in December 2025, January 2026, March 2026.

How the safety score works

Safety Score (NZCHI-adjusted)

iHow it works
0 / 100
Crimes per 1,000 residents
i
2,539.1
Regional rank #131 / 131 (Bottom 25%)
3-Month Trend
i
▼10.9%(improving)

Offence breakdown · past 12 months

Based on total incidents. Police data to August 2026
  • Theft 79.5%
    Theft accounts for 79.5 percent of incidents.
  • Assault 11.2%
    Assault accounts for 11.2 percent of incidents.
  • Burglary 7.6%
    Burglary accounts for 7.6 percent of incidents.
  • Sexual Offences 0.9%
    Sexual Offences accounts for 0.9 percent of incidents.
  • Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion 0.8%
    Robbery, Blackmail, And Extortion accounts for 0.8 percent of incidents.
View full safety overview for Palmerston North Central ›

Palmerston North Central Demographics

2023 Census data

Loaded live from the API for this suburb.

Population

1,077

Households

390

Median income

$60,902

Median rent

$337

Age distribution

Share of total population.

Age 0-14
153 (14.2%)
Age 15-64
840 (78%)
Age 65+
90 (8.4%)

Birthplace

Share of stated birthplace records.

Born in NZ
741 (70%)
Born overseas
318 (30%)

Ethnicity

Normalised to ethnicity responses (can exceed population).

European
642 · 50.4%
Māori
273 · 21.4%
Pacific
105 · 8.2%
Asian
204 · 16%
MELAA
24 · 1.9%
Other
27 · 2.1%

Home tenure (as stored)

Normalised to stated total when present.

Owned
828 · 100%
Not owned
729 · 88%
Other
84 · 10.1%

Household composition

Normalised to household composition total.

One family
150 (13.4%)
Two families
6 (0.5%)
Three+ families
0 (0%)
Other composition
966 (86.1%)

Demographic data sourced from Stats NZ , licensed under CC BY 4.0

FAQ

  • Is Palmerston North Central a safe suburb to live in?

    Palmerston North Central has a safety score of 0/100, making it the #131 safest of 131 ranked suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui Region. 87% of recorded crime is property crime (theft, burglary, fraud or damage).

  • What is the crime rate in Palmerston North Central?

    The annual crime rate in Palmerston North Central is 2,539.1 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents.

Crime heatmap for Palmerston North Central

For deeper suburb insights visit CrimeStats.co.nz

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