Prime for crime?

For example, Provo is the state's third-largest city, population 109,000, a university town and a regional business center. But it managed to avoid the Worst 10 list.

For violent crimes, it ranked 20th highest out of 49 agencies with 10,000 or more people (14.3 per 10,000, or about half the state average). For property crimes, it ranked 28th (297 per 10,000, about a third lower than the state average).

Again, Provo Police Capt. Cliff Argyle credited a strong working relationship between the police department and the city's residents and businesses.

"Our citizens are very proactive in our city and don't hesitate to call the police department," he said. "We may be a large city in numbers, but people here still feel like it's a small community."

As with other cities with lower crime rates, Argyle said the combination of a visible police presence on the streets and the community providing extra sets of eyes and ears have been a key to Provo's success.

"If (criminals) do come here, they're going to be noticed," he said.

Others among the state's largest cities that managed to escape the Worst 10 list included Sandy (population 90,000), Orem (population 89,000) and Layton (61,000).

Meanwhile, some smaller cities, besides South Salt Lake, ended up on the Worst 10 lists. For example, appearing on such lists for both violent crimes and property crimes were Midvale (population 25,000) and Murray (population 42,000).

Other smaller communities on the Worst 10 list for violent crime included St. George (population 48,000) and Tooele (population 27,000). Among the Worst 10 for property crime was relatively small American Fork (population 22,000).

Meanwhile, some larger or urban areas also made the Best 10 lists. The Best 10 for violent crime included Wasatch Front police agencies in Pleasant Grove/Lindon, Spanish Fork, Clinton, Alpine/Highland and Centerville.

The Best 10 for property crimes included such Wasatch Front agencies as the Utah County Sheriff's Office, Clinton police, the Davis County Sheriff's Office and Syracuse police.

Urban vs. rural

It may not be much of a surprise, but the overall crime rate along the urban Wasatch Front is much higher than in the rest of the state.

For violent crimes, the average annual rate along the Wasatch Front is 27 per 10,000 residents, compared to just 17 in rural areas. That is 60 percent higher in urban areas.

For property crimes, the Wasatch Front has a rate of 453 per 10,000, compared to just 266 in the rest of the state. That is 70 percent higher along the Wasatch Front.