Most Dangerous Cities in California

These 100 cities reported the highest crime rates in California. On average, they experience 1.3x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 549 per 100,000 (national average: 478).

Emeryville, CA crime rate: 14,727 per 100,000 tops this list — 5.3x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 1,239 per 100K is 2.6x the national average.

The city with the highest crime rate in California, Emeryville, CA, reports 14,727 crimes per 100K residents — 5.3x the national average. The city ranked #100 on this list, Tulare (CA), has a rate of 2,415, still significantly above the national average of 2,786.

Both violent and property crime contribute to these elevated rates. The average murder rate across these cities is 4.0 per 100K (0.6x national average), while property crime averages 3,004 per 100K. In many of these cities, property crime accounts for the majority of total offenses, though the violent crime rate draws the most attention.

It's important to note that citywide statistics can be misleading. Crime is rarely distributed evenly — most cities have neighborhoods that are quite safe alongside areas with concentrated challenges. A high citywide rate doesn't mean every resident faces equal risk. Individual city pages provide additional context including year-over-year trends.

On our Safety Score scale (1–100, where 50 is the national average), these cities average 17/100, with the highest-crime city scoring 1/100. These scores reflect the combined impact of both violent and property crime relative to national norms. Cities with scores below 20 have crime rates more than 1.6 times the national average.

The 100 cities with the highest crime rates in California average 3,552 total crimes per 100,000 residents — 1.3x the national average of 2,786. Violent crime is particularly elevated at 549 per 100K, which is 1.1x the national violent crime rate.

The median city on this list — Montebello, CA — reports a crime rate of 3,108 per 100K. 35 of these cities have populations under 50,000, where even a small number of incidents can significantly affect the per-capita rate.

Context matters when interpreting these numbers. High crime rates often correlate with socioeconomic factors including poverty, unemployment, and inequality rather than reflecting the character of residents. Crime reporting practices also vary — cities with well-funded police departments tend to record more incidents. CA has 100 cities on this list.

These rankings are based on data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, which collects crime statistics from law enforcement agencies nationwide. We use the most recent available data and include only cities with a population of 10,000 or more to ensure statistical reliability — smaller towns with very few incidents can produce misleadingly extreme rates.

Cities are ranked by total crime rate per 100,000 residents, which combines both violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crime (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson). Using per-capita rates rather than raw counts ensures fair comparison regardless of city size. The 100 cities listed here represent a combined population of 11,516,740 residents.

For a full explanation of our data sources, safety score formula, and methodology, visit our methodology page.

Crime statistics can be difficult to interpret without context. A total crime rate of 2,000 per 100,000 means that in a city of 100,000 people, approximately 2,000 crimes were reported to police in a given year. This includes everything from petty theft to violent assault. Not all crimes are reported, so actual rates may be higher — the FBI estimates that roughly half of violent crimes and a third of property crimes go unreported.

For the highest-crime cities on this list, the average total crime rate of 3,552 per 100K means roughly 3.6% of the population experiences a reported crime annually. The violent crime rate of 549 per 100K translates to about 0.5% of residents — or roughly 1 in 182 — though crime is not evenly distributed across neighborhoods.

Our Safety Score simplifies these numbers into a single 1–100 scale. A score of 50 equals the national average, and every 10 points above or below represents a meaningful difference in risk. The score accounts for both violent and property crime, weighted by their per-capita rates against national benchmarks.

When using these rankings for decisions about relocation, travel, or investment, consider consulting multiple data points: crime trends over time (available on each city's individual page), the specific types of crime most prevalent in each area, neighborhood-level variation, and quality-of-life factors beyond crime statistics. No single number tells the complete story of any community, but per-capita rates from a verified source like the FBI provide the most objective starting point available.

In these 100 highest-crime cities, both violent and property crime exceed national norms substantially. The average violent crime rate of 549 per 100K is 1.1x the national average, while property crime averages 3,004 per 100K. Aggravated assault is typically the most common violent crime, followed by robbery, while larceny-theft dominates property crime categories.

The distinction matters because violent and property crime have different impacts on daily life and different underlying causes. Violent crime tends to concentrate in specific neighborhoods and time periods, often linked to interpersonal disputes, drug markets, or gang activity. Property crime is more widely distributed geographically. Understanding which type of crime drives a city's ranking provides more actionable information than the total rate alone.

High-crime cities often show more volatility in their year-to-year statistics than the national average. Some cities on this list have seen significant improvements in recent years due to targeted policing strategies, community investment programs, or economic development. Others continue to face persistent challenges. National trends in violent crime, drug trafficking, and economic inequality all influence which cities appear on this list from year to year.

To see whether a specific city on this list is improving or worsening, click its name in the table above to view detailed trend charts covering multiple years. A city with a high current rate but a strong downward trend tells a very different story than one with a rising trajectory. We encourage using these trends alongside the current snapshot when forming conclusions about any community's safety profile.

The 100 cities with the highest crime rates span 1 states. CA (100 cities). The concentration of high-crime cities in certain states often reflects broader regional challenges including economic inequality, urbanization patterns, and historical factors.

City sizes on this list vary considerably, from smaller cities around 10,275 to major metros. 35 cities have populations under 50,000, where a relatively small number of incidents can disproportionately affect per-capita rates. The combined population of these 100 cities is 11,516,740.