Violent
Property
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Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of FBI crime data, Santa Cruz, CA has a Safety Score of 17/100 — higher crime than 83% of US cities — with a total crime rate of 3,128.2 per 100,000 residents, ranking #2,443 of 2,957 US cities and #216 of 264 in California.
Quiz: which of these is MORE DANGEROUS than Santa Cruz, CA?
Safety Score
Violent Crime Rate
Property Crime Rate
Is Santa Cruz, California Safe?
Santa Cruz, California, a coastal city known for its historic Beach Boardwalk, sits on Monterey Bay. It's home to a significant student population, including the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz has a safety score of 17/100 (High Crime). Based on FBI data, the city reported a total crime rate of 3,128.2 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 2,785.9 per 100,000.
Santa Cruz ranks #216 out of 264 cities in California and #2443 out of 2957 nationally (safest first). This places it in the 17th percentile for safety — with higher crime than 83% of US cities.
The most elevated crime category in Santa Cruz is aggravated assault, at 463.0 per 100K — 1.4x the national average. Conversely, motor vehicle theft is relatively low at just 0.4x the national rate.
Year over year, Santa Cruz's total crime rate increased by 0.8%, with violent crime declining 8.1%.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Santa Cruz Crime Statistics Breakdown
| Crime Type | Incidents | Rate per 100K | National Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 376 | 612.9 | 478.2 |
| Murder | 3 | 4.9 | 6.3 |
| Rape | 26 | 42.4 | 43.8 |
| Robbery | 63 | 102.7 | 94.0 |
| Aggravated Assault | 284 | 463.0 | 333.5 |
| Property Crime | 1,543 | 2,515.2 | 2,307.7 |
| Burglary | 83 | 135.3 | 292.0 |
| Larceny-Theft | 1,363 | 2,221.8 | 1,657.7 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 97 | 158.1 | 358.0 |
| Arson | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Santa Cruz vs California Average
How does Santa Cruz's crime rate compare to the California state average?
| Metric | Santa Cruz | California Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Rate | 612.9 | 518.0 | +18.3% |
| Property Crime Rate | 2,515.2 | 2,161.3 | +16.4% |
| Murder Rate | 4.9 | 4.4 | +11.1% |
| Total Crime Rate | 3,128.2 | 2,679.3 | +16.8% |
Santa Cruz Crime Rate Trends
Year-over-year crime rate changes for Santa Cruz, California.
| Year | Coverage | Total Crime Rate | Violent Crime Rate | Property Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 61,346 | 3,128.2 | 612.9 | 2,515.2 |
| 2023 | 61,754 | 3,102.6 | 667.2 | 2,435.5 |
| 2022 | 61,650 | 4,335.8 | 725.1 | 3,610.7 |
| 2020 | 65,073 | 3,912.5 | 474.9 | 3,437.7 |
| 2019 | 65,263 | 5,088.6 | 596.1 | 4,492.6 |
Santa Cruz Crime Map — Surrounding Area
City-level crime rates from FBI data for Santa Cruz and nearby cities — green is safer, red is higher-crime; circle size is population. Not an incident-level map. Full state view: California crime map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Santa Cruz, California safe?
Santa Cruz has a safety score of 17/100, meaning it has less crime than about 17% of US cities in our FBI dataset. With a total crime rate of 3,128.2 per 100,000 residents in 2024, Santa Cruz is among the highest-crime US cities.
What is the crime rate in Santa Cruz, California?
According to FBI data for 2024, Santa Cruz has a violent crime rate of 612.9 per 100,000 and a property crime rate of 2,515.2 per 100,000 residents.
How does Santa Cruz compare to the national average?
Santa Cruz's total crime rate of 3,128.2 per 100,000 can be compared to the national average. The data covers 61,346 residents.
What types of crime are most common in Santa Cruz?
Based on FBI 2024 data, the most reported crimes in Santa Cruz are larceny-theft (1,363 reported incidents) and aggravated assault (284 reported incidents). Property crime outnumbers violent crime 4.1x in the city.
Is Santa Cruz safe to visit?
Like any city, Santa Cruz has areas that are safer than others. The city's overall safety score is 17/100 based on FBI crime data. Standard travel precautions are recommended.