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Most Dangerous Cities in California 2024

Avg Violent Crime Rate

508
1.1x avg
per 100K (these cities)

Avg Murder Rate

3.9
0.6x avg
per 100K (national: 6.2)

Avg Property Crime Rate

2,709
per 100K (these cities)

Crime Hotspots in California (2024)

These 100 cities reported the highest crime rates in California. On average, they experience 1.2x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 508 per 100,000 (national average: 473).

Oakland, CA tops the list with a total crime rate of 9,156 per 100,000 — 3.3x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 1,925 per 100K is 4.1x the national average.

Full Rankings

# City State Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Murder Rate vs National
1 Oakland CA 435,042 9,155.7 1,925.3 18.6 +233%
2 Culver City CA 38,514 6,530.1 667.3 0.0 +137%
3 Berkeley CA 117,400 5,868.8 639.7 6.0 +113%
4 Santa Monica CA 88,948 5,572.9 782.5 4.5 +102%
5 Alameda CA 74,458 5,231.1 317.0 8.1 +90%
6 Beverly Hills CA 30,457 4,951.2 512.2 0.0 +80%
7 Vallejo CA 121,795 4,732.5 742.2 16.4 +72%
8 San Francisco CA 802,856 4,525.6 596.5 4.4 +64%
9 San Leandro CA 84,200 4,471.5 548.7 4.8 +62%
10 Newark CA 46,736 4,345.7 383.0 2.1 +58%
11 Inglewood CA 101,399 4,290.0 675.6 6.9 +56%
12 Montclair CA 37,414 4,289.8 644.1 0.0 +56%
13 Pleasant Hill CA 33,539 4,260.7 235.6 6.0 +55%
14 Eureka CA 25,485 4,190.7 1,020.2 0.0 +52%
15 Long Beach CA 444,232 4,155.7 676.9 8.3 +51%
16 Hayward CA 153,419 4,133.8 477.1 7.8 +50%
17 South Gate CA 89,223 4,124.5 525.7 4.5 +50%
18 Fresno CA 546,722 4,007.5 736.2 5.9 +46%
19 Palm Springs CA 45,406 3,821.1 607.9 11.0 +39%
20 Antioch CA 117,675 3,800.3 606.8 13.6 +38%
21 San Bernardino CA 224,283 3,794.8 897.1 11.2 +38%
22 Stockton CA 319,069 3,785.7 1,146.2 16.0 +38%
23 Gardena CA 57,584 3,754.5 703.3 5.2 +36%
24 Richmond CA 113,418 3,685.5 923.1 7.9 +34%
25 Merced CA 96,077 3,577.3 784.8 7.3 +30%
26 Costa Mesa CA 107,235 3,575.3 738.6 2.8 +30%
27 El Cerrito CA 25,424 3,524.2 479.9 0.0 +28%
28 Milpitas CA 76,523 3,498.3 314.9 3.9 +27%
29 Pomona CA 143,726 3,473.3 720.1 8.4 +26%
30 Burbank CA 101,377 3,462.3 390.6 2.0 +26%
31 Campbell CA 41,029 3,439.0 489.9 0.0 +25%
32 Riverside CA 320,148 3,422.5 590.4 3.1 +24%
33 Concord CA 121,341 3,373.1 487.1 2.5 +23%
34 Sacramento CA 526,670 3,302.5 755.1 8.5 +20%
35 Palo Alto CA 65,079 3,245.3 212.1 1.5 +18%
36 San Jose CA 956,840 3,194.8 606.9 2.7 +16%
37 Hawthorne CA 81,941 3,192.5 727.4 9.8 +16%
38 Walnut Creek CA 68,808 3,181.3 283.4 0.0 +16%
39 Pasadena CA 131,966 3,178.1 481.2 0.8 +15%
40 San Pablo CA 30,974 3,138.1 629.6 3.2 +14%
41 Santa Cruz CA 61,346 3,128.2 612.9 4.9 +14%
42 Montebello CA 59,231 3,108.2 494.7 3.4 +13%
43 San Luis Obispo CA 49,948 3,093.2 424.4 0.0 +12%
44 Torrance CA 136,899 3,087.0 311.2 0.0 +12%
45 Mountain View CA 81,461 3,080.0 306.9 0.0 +12%
46 Brea CA 48,901 3,075.6 210.6 2.0 +12%
47 Modesto CA 218,990 3,070.5 655.7 3.2 +12%
48 Arcadia CA 53,397 3,050.7 230.4 0.0 +11%
49 Rialto CA 103,164 3,036.9 641.7 1.9 +10%
50 Bakersfield CA 416,120 3,026.1 556.3 6.7 +10%
51 San Rafael CA 59,037 3,015.1 559.0 1.7 +10%
52 Westminster CA 88,026 2,937.8 439.6 3.4 +7%
53 Atwater CA 32,093 2,904.1 710.4 6.2 +6%
54 Whittier CA 83,186 2,865.9 490.5 6.0 +4%
55 Redondo Beach CA 66,593 2,835.1 249.3 1.5 +3%
56 Dinuba CA 26,230 2,767.8 579.5 0.0 +1%
57 Anaheim CA 338,488 2,728.6 596.5 3.6 +-1%
58 South Pasadena CA 25,228 2,723.2 210.1 4.0 +-1%
59 Santa Clara CA 131,901 2,683.8 182.0 1.5 +-2%
60 Manhattan Beach CA 32,724 2,683.1 149.7 3.1 +-3%
61 Alhambra CA 78,840 2,676.3 225.8 1.3 +-3%
62 Union City CA 63,976 2,643.2 408.0 3.1 +-4%
63 National City CA 54,915 2,635.0 695.6 7.3 +-4%
64 Brentwood CA 65,352 2,633.4 243.3 0.0 +-4%
65 Gilroy CA 57,877 2,624.5 461.3 0.0 +-5%
66 Ventura CA 108,543 2,616.5 410.9 2.8 +-5%
67 Monrovia CA 36,365 2,612.4 316.2 5.5 +-5%
68 Pittsburg CA 75,621 2,609.1 460.2 2.6 +-5%
69 Chico CA 100,831 2,599.4 701.2 2.0 +-6%
70 La Verne CA 29,391 2,585.8 197.3 0.0 +-6%
71 Citrus Heights CA 85,809 2,567.3 440.5 3.5 +-7%
72 Livermore CA 81,316 2,560.4 234.9 3.7 +-7%
73 Santa Maria CA 110,056 2,543.3 660.6 2.7 +-8%
74 East Palo Alto CA 27,663 2,526.8 607.3 7.2 +-8%
75 La Habra CA 60,335 2,525.9 366.3 0.0 +-8%
76 Fremont CA 224,820 2,524.7 197.1 2.7 +-8%
77 Chino CA 93,818 2,511.3 299.5 3.2 +-9%
78 Colton CA 53,153 2,498.5 393.2 5.6 +-9%
79 Fullerton CA 137,942 2,481.5 457.4 0.7 +-10%
80 El Monte CA 102,088 2,475.3 423.2 5.9 +-10%
81 Oxnard CA 197,361 2,473.6 596.4 3.0 +-10%
82 Santa Barbara CA 85,758 2,459.3 649.5 0.0 +-11%
83 Redlands CA 72,331 2,449.9 298.6 4.2 +-11%
84 Claremont CA 35,139 2,419.0 500.9 0.0 +-12%
85 Tulare CA 71,689 2,414.6 571.9 11.2 +-12%
86 Davis CA 65,483 2,397.6 186.3 1.5 +-13%
87 Redding CA 92,468 2,394.3 648.9 6.5 +-13%
88 Turlock CA 71,886 2,352.3 475.8 4.2 +-15%
89 West Covina CA 104,467 2,337.6 239.3 2.9 +-15%
90 Tustin CA 76,985 2,316.0 211.7 0.0 +-16%
91 Glendale CA 184,180 2,314.6 287.8 2.2 +-16%
92 San Bruno CA 40,553 2,221.8 256.5 0.0 +-19%
93 Paso Robles CA 31,018 2,221.3 364.3 0.0 +-19%
94 Los Angeles CA 3,796,352 2,212.5 728.5 7.0 +-20%
95 Burlingame CA 29,471 2,209.0 183.2 0.0 +-20%
96 Salinas CA 158,233 2,202.5 527.1 3.8 +-20%
97 Huntington Beach CA 190,081 2,196.4 207.3 2.6 +-20%
98 Santa Ana CA 310,304 2,195.6 493.4 4.8 +-20%
99 Fairfield CA 121,082 2,184.5 498.8 0.8 +-21%
100 Monterey CA 28,792 2,170.7 389.0 0.0 +-21%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous city in California?

Oakland, CA has the highest crime rate in California at 9,155.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024.

What makes a city dangerous?

High crime rates, particularly violent crime, indicate elevated risk. Cities on this list average a violent crime rate of 508 per 100K — 1.1x the national average of 473.

Is the crime rate getting worse?

Crime trends vary by city. Some cities on this list have seen decreasing rates in recent years while others have increased. Visit individual city pages for year-over-year trend data.

See Also

Safest cities in California Crime statistics by state Compare two cities

Understanding High Crime Rates

High crime rates often correlate with factors like poverty, unemployment, population density, and policing resources — not a city's inherent character. Many cities on this list have neighborhoods that are quite safe, while others face concentrated challenges in specific areas.

Crime rates also reflect reporting practices: cities with well-funded police departments may report more crimes than those with fewer resources.

Most Dangerous Cities by State

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