Hillsboro crime rate is double county’s

But both rates are significantly below state average

By ERIC MEYER

Staff writer

Hillsboro’s crime rate last year was more than double that of the rest of Marion County, according to data released Monday by Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

But both it and the county as a whole had crime rates substantially below state averages.

In 2024, Hillsboro reported 18.3 crimes per 1,000 residents, nearly twice the 9.9 crimes per 1,000 residents reported for the county as a whole.

Statewide, the crime rate was more than double the county’s rate — 23.3 crimes per 1,000 residents, down from 27.0 in 2023 and the lowest recorded in 20 years.

Of the 49 crimes reported last year in Hillsboro, seven were violent — a rape and six aggravated assaults or batteries. The remaining crimes were property offenses — three burglaries, 37 thefts, and two vehicle thefts.

Peabody had the county’s second highest crime rate, 14.2. The 13 crimes reported there included two aggravated assaults or batteries, four burglaries, five thefts, and two vehicle thefts.

Rural areas covered by the sheriff’s department had the county’s third-highest rate, 7.0, with 36 total crimes, including one rape, seven aggravated assaults or batteries, 12 burglaries, 12 thefts, and four vehicle thefts.

Among other county areas reporting crimes, Marion had the lowest rate, 6.3. Its reported crimes included four aggravated assaults or batteries, two burglaries, four thefts, and two motor vehicle thefts.

Three neighboring counties reported lower crime rates: 3.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in Morris County, 8.1 in Dickinson County, and 9.1 in McPherson County.

But some reported higher rates: 11.9 in Chase County, 12.4 in Butler County, 15.6 in Harvey County, and a whopping 27.1 in Saline County.

Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties had the state’s highest crime rates, 46.8 and 43.9 crimes per 1,000 residents, respectively.

Data reported by KBI has significant limitations. It lists only reported crimes. Crimes not reported are not included. And because numbers of crimes in smaller jurisdictions are small, trends and comparisons between jurisdictions can be statistically insignificant.

Moreover, not all data are complete. In Marion County, for example, while data from the sheriff’s office covered all 12 months of the year, data from Hillsboro and Marion covered only 11 months, data from Peabody covered only nine months, and Florence and Burns did not provide data.

If all 12 months had been reported and crime occurred at the same rate in missing months, Hillsboro would have had a crime rate of 20.0, Peabody would have had a rate of 15.5, and Marion a rate of 6.9.