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El Centro vs San Francisco Crime Comparison

Side-by-side crime rates, safety scores, and trends based on FBI data.

Full report: El Centro crime rate · San Francisco crime rate

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Is El Centro or San Francisco Safer?

According to crimebycity.com's analysis of FBI data, El Centro is safer than San Francisco (Safety Score 53/100 vs 6/100), with a total crime rate of 1,596 per 100,000 versus 4,526 for San Francisco — 65% lower. El Centro has lower rates in 6 of 7 crime categories.

The biggest difference is in robbery, where El Centro has a 72% lower rate.

Note: San Francisco is 18.4x larger by coverage, which can affect crime rate comparisons. Larger cities tend to report higher rates due to density and more comprehensive reporting.

Quiz: which of these is SAFER than El Centro, CA?

El Centro — 5-Year Trend

Flat Violent Decreasing Property Decreasing Total

San Francisco — 5-Year Trend

Decreasing Violent Decreasing Property Decreasing Total

El Centro, CA

El Centro, CA
Safety Score 53/100
Coverage 43,550
Total Crime Rate 1,595.9
Category Wins 6/7

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, CA
Safety Score 6/100
Coverage 802,856
Total Crime Rate 4,525.6
Category Wins 1/7

Detailed Crime Rate Comparison

Crime Type El Centro San Francisco Difference
Total Crime Rate 1,595.9 4,525.6 -2,929.7
Violent Crime Rate 328.4 596.5 -268.1
Murder Rate 4.6 4.4 +0.2
Rape Rate 23.0 34.9 -11.9
Robbery Rate 73.5 267.2 -193.7
Aggravated Assault Rate 227.3 290.1 -62.8
Property Crime Rate 1,267.5 3,929.1 -2,661.6
Burglary Rate 475.3 637.5 -162.2
Larceny-Theft Rate 622.3 2,618.9 -1,996.6
Motor Vehicle Theft Rate 169.9 672.7 -502.8

All rates per 100,000 residents. Source: FBI UCR.

Moving from El Centro, CA to San Francisco, CA?

The Moving Checklist Planner turns your move-in date into a dated checklist, packing inventory and budget — seven tabs for Google Sheets or Excel, $12 once.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is El Centro or San Francisco safer?

El Centro is safer with a total crime rate of 1,596 per 100K vs 4,526 for San Francisco — a 65% difference.

How do violent crime rates compare?

El Centro has a violent crime rate of 328.4 per 100K while San Francisco has 596.5. El Centro has lower violent crime.

About El Centro, CA

El Centro, founded in 1906, is the largest city in Imperial County, situated in the Sonoran Desert. Its economy is largely agricultural, benefiting from irrigation from the Colorado River. With a safety score of 53/100 and a population coverage of 43,550, El Centro has a total crime rate of 1,595.9 per 100,000 residents.

About San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, a vibrant Northern California port city renowned for its iconic Golden Gate Bridge, spans a hilly peninsula. Home to a diverse population of nearly 850,000, it was a pivotal center of the counterculture movement in the 1960s. With a safety score of 6/100 and a population coverage of 802,856, San Francisco has a total crime rate of 4,525.6 per 100,000 residents.

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