Safest Cities in California

AdvisorSmith analyzed data published by the FBI to find the cities in California with the lowest levels of reported crime on a population-adjusted basis. Our analysis relied upon crime reports from cities across the state to form crime scores which reflect the level of reported crimes adjusted for population. Our crime score assigns a higher weight to more serious crimes such as murder and rape, while giving less weight to property crimes. The average crime score for cities in the Golden State was 82, while the range of scores was as low as 5 and as high as 8,248.

This study included 460 cities in the state of California. We divided cities into three groups based upon population. Small cities were those with under 10,000 residents. Midsize cities had between 10,000 and 100,000 residents, and large cities had over 100,000 residents. Our study included 74 large cities, 294 midsize cities, and 92 small cities in California.

Safest Large Cities in California

The average crime score for large California cities with over 100,000 residents was 57. The safest large city had a crime score of 19, while the highest crime score was 163.

The safest large city in California was Thousand Oaks. Located in Ventura County, Thousand Oaks is in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The city has served as host to hundreds of movie productions due to its proximity to Hollywood. Today, the city is host to numerous high-tech and biotechnology companies, as well as California Lutheran University.

The city with the most reported crime in California is Oakland. One of the anchor cities of the San Francisco metropolitan area, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay, and the city grew rapidly in the early 1900s. Today, Oakland, or “The Town” as known by locals, has a busy international seaport and numerous technology companies.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Thousand Oaks	4.1	10.9	19.3
2	Simi Valley	3.7	9.4	19.4
3	Murrieta	3.8	13.0	20.9
4	Irvine	3.9	13.1	20.9
5	Santa Clarita	4.2	9.4	20.9
6	Glendale	4.3	16.3	26.7
7	Orange	4.7	15.6	27.3
8	Elk Grove	4.9	14.8	31.1
9	Fremont	5.2	18.8	32.9
10	Torrance	4.0	19.7	34.1
11	Corona	4.2	20.4	34.2
12	Temecula	4.4	22.5	34.3
13	Sunnyvale	3.9	21.8	35.0
14	Carlsbad	6.3	18.2	36.2
15	El Monte	7.3	15.4	37.1
16	Daly City	7.9	17.3	37.7
17	Huntington Beach	7.3	20.5	38.6
18	Clovis	6.5	19.9	39.0
19	Roseville	7.3	22.3	39.7
20	Chula Vista	8.6	13.9	39.8
21	Rancho Cucamonga	6.0	19.3	40.2
22	Burbank	5.7	25.2	40.5
23	West Covina	5.0	22.3	40.6
24	San Mateo	5.9	20.9	41.2
25	Fontana	9.7	14.3	42.8
26	Jurupa Valley	6.2	22.6	43.7
27	Norwalk	7.3	15.0	44.0
28	Escondido	10.0	15.5	44.4
29	Garden Grove	6.7	22.6	45.3
30	Vista	12.6	14.1	45.5
31	Downey	7.8	22.0	46.7
32	Palmdale	10.6	14.2	47.3
33	San Diego	9.2	18.8	47.8
34	Fullerton	9.8	22.5	48.0
35	Oxnard	9.6	20.1	48.2
36	Pasadena	6.8	20.2	50.1
37	Vacaville	8.3	24.1	50.8
38	Santa Clara	5.7	36.2	51.1
39	Ontario	8.1	23.4	51.6
40	Anaheim	10.9	23.3	51.8
41	Santa Rosa	10.0	16.2	53.6
42	Hayward	6.5	30.2	55.2
43	Moreno Valley	9.0	26.2	55.9
44	Santa Ana	11.2	20.4	56.0
45	Oceanside	13.3	21.1	56.7
46	Costa Mesa	9.2	32.8	57.5
47	San Jose	11.0	24.2	59.8
48	Ventura	11.9	26.6	61.1
49	El Cajon	13.4	19.7	61.3
50	Santa Maria	12.2	18.1	61.8
51	Salinas	12.9	22.5	62.2
52	Fairfield	12.5	31.9	64.9
53	Inglewood	11.8	21.2	65.6
54	Long Beach	15.2	24.1	67.1
55	Visalia	13.8	28.9	67.8
56	Concord	11.2	34.9	69.0
57	Riverside	14.9	29.4	71.5
58	Victorville	13.8	18.5	74.0
59	Pomona	13.0	27.5	74.2
60	Rialto	12.6	30.3	74.3
61	Antioch	16.6	28.4	76.2
62	Bakersfield	11.2	41.4	76.9
63	Sacramento	14.0	31.8	78.4
64	Fresno	17.6	32.8	79.5
65	Los Angeles	17.3	23.8	80.2
66	Berkeley	6.7	50.9	85.3
67	Lancaster	20.6	21.0	87.2
68	Modesto	16.3	33.2	92.1
69	Richmond	12.2	37.7	98.4
70	Vallejo	15.0	40.3	102.5
71	San Francisco	12.5	55.1	102.7
72	Stockton	24.1	39.4	136.1
73	San Bernardino	28.8	41.9	140.1
74	Oakland	31.4	64.2	163.3

Safest Midsize Cities in California

The safest midsize city in California was Imperial. The city is located in Imperial County, just north of the U.S. border. The city is known for the annual California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta which attracts visitors from around the state.

Among midsize cities in California, the average crime score was 47. The range of crime scores spanned from 6 to 310. Midsize California cities included cities with populations between 10,000 and 100,000 residents.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Imperial	1.7	3.1	6.2
2	Palos Verdes Estates	0.7	6.6	8.8
3	Danville	1.0	6.6	10.7
4	Hillsborough	1.0	8.4	11.6
5	Laguna Woods	1.7	7.7	11.7
6	Rancho Santa Margarita	2.8	6.1	12.4
7	Rancho Palos Verdes	1.2	7.5	12.6
8	Saratoga	1.7	7.8	12.7
9	Moorpark	3.4	6.2	13.9
10	Clayton	1.1	12.5	14.0
11	Paradise	1.7	7.5	14.1
12	Aliso Viejo	2.9	8.3	14.1
13	Yorba Linda	2.4	9.2	14.8
14	Lafayette	0.7	13.3	15.0
15	Moraga	1.7	6.9	15.3
16	Los Altos	1.9	10.1	15.8
17	Mission Viejo	3.2	9.1	16.0
18	Lincoln	2.8	9.6	16.0
19	Laguna Niguel	3.1	9.1	16.0
20	Orinda	0.9	9.7	16.3
21	Lake Forest	4.3	7.9	16.4
22	Sierra Madre	2.1	7.2	16.6
23	Los Alamitos	3.4	11.3	17.6
24	Los Gatos	2.0	13.6	18.2
25	Canyon Lake	5.2	6.5	18.3
26	Coronado	1.4	15.3	19.0
27	Soledad	3.2	5.2	19.2
28	Chino Hills	2.7	10.5	19.3
29	Pacific Grove	4.7	10.8	20.3
30	Benicia	4.3	13.2	20.5
31	Poway	5.1	9.8	20.5
32	San Ramon	2.2	14.4	20.6
33	Oakley	2.8	11.6	20.9
34	Cypress	3.2	12.1	21.3
35	Carpinteria	5.5	11.5	21.4
36	Camarillo	4.8	11.7	21.9
37	Newman	5.2	9.5	22.2
38	Walnut	2.8	12.8	22.5
39	La Canada Flintridge	2.3	16.0	22.6
40	San Marino	1.4	15.8	22.8
41	Temple City	4.1	9.1	22.9
42	Foster City	3.9	12.3	23.0
43	Laguna Hills	4.6	13.0	23.1
44	Encinitas	6.3	9.6	23.4
45	Eastvale	2.8	14.2	23.5
46	Rocklin	3.0	14.3	23.6
47	Scotts Valley	5.7	11.9	23.7
48	San Juan Capistrano	6.2	8.2	23.8
49	Hercules	4.0	13.2	24.0
50	Cupertino	2.5	16.9	24.4
51	Solana Beach	5.9	12.9	24.5
52	Agoura Hills	3.0	14.9	24.5
53	Truckee	7.7	6.9	24.6
54	Windsor	4.5	9.2	25.2
55	Riverbank	5.1	15.0	25.5
56	Fillmore	10.2	7.7	25.5
57	Morgan Hill	4.4	15.2	25.7
58	Calabasas	3.5	13.8	25.7
59	Mill Valley	3.0	15.5	25.8
60	Diamond Bar	2.8	16.1	25.8
61	Healdsburg	4.5	14.4	26.5
62	Dana Point	7.1	11.8	26.6
63	Ripon	5.8	15.4	26.7
64	San Clemente	5.9	14.1	27.1
65	King City	9.2	10.4	27.2
66	Folsom	3.3	18.6	27.6
67	La Mirada	3.9	14.4	27.6
68	Belmont	3.7	14.4	27.6
69	Grover Beach	4.4	17.6	27.7
70	San Marcos	7.7	9.7	27.9
71	Arroyo Grande	4.9	15.1	27.9
72	Piedmont	1.3	20.1	28.7
73	Morro Bay	6.5	12.0	28.8
74	Goleta	6.1	16.5	29.3
75	Fountain Valley	3.7	20.8	29.7
76	Wildomar	5.5	16.8	30.4
77	Pleasanton	3.7	19.4	30.5
78	La Palma	5.7	19.4	30.8
79	Santee	8.1	13.7	30.9
80	Hollister	7.7	7.7	31.1
81	Dublin	4.0	19.1	31.6
82	South Pasadena	3.8	22.1	31.9
83	Redwood City	4.5	15.4	32.1
84	Martinez	5.0	14.7	32.2
85	Coalinga	5.9	13.3	32.2
86	La Verne	4.1	19.4	32.3
87	Kingsburg	6.3	18.1	32.4
88	Menifee	4.7	20.0	32.6
89	Duarte	4.9	14.2	32.6
90	Seal Beach	5.9	22.8	32.8
91	Cathedral City	7.3	10.9	33.0
92	Marina	6.9	15.8	33.1
93	San Fernando	6.3	9.9	33.3
94	Baldwin Park	5.6	14.6	34.0
95	Chowchilla	10.8	12.5	34.1
96	Arcadia	3.4	22.9	34.2
97	Claremont	5.7	21.1	34.4
98	Seaside	8.4	12.9	34.4
99	Stanton	7.0	13.7	34.5
100	Cudahy	6.2	9.0	34.5
101	Maywood	6.0	10.8	34.6
102	Greenfield	8.1	9.3	34.8
103	Port Hueneme	5.6	18.7	34.9
104	Menlo Park	3.8	22.2	35.0
105	Monrovia	5.3	23.0	35.2
106	Lomita	6.0	12.4	35.5
107	Laguna Beach	9.9	14.2	35.5
108	Beaumont	7.2	18.1	35.6
109	Novato	6.4	15.9	35.9
110	Pacifica	9.7	13.7	35.9
111	Manhattan Beach	3.8	23.9	36.0
112	Livermore	7.1	17.0	36.1
113	Kerman	7.6	20.2	36.2
114	Alhambra	5.8	20.6	36.6
115	Newport Beach	6.5	20.7	36.7
116	Atascadero	9.2	16.1	36.9
117	Petaluma	7.5	12.6	36.9
118	Santa Paula	7.7	13.4	37.3
119	Tracy	6.9	19.8	37.4
120	Calexico	3.3	22.2	37.4
121	Sonoma	7.9	10.8	37.6
122	San Gabriel	7.7	17.7	37.7
123	Imperial Beach	12.0	12.0	37.7
124	Oakdale	6.1	22.3	37.8
125	La Habra	7.4	18.0	37.9
126	La Puente	6.9	11.2	38.0
127	Monterey Park	4.7	22.4	38.1
128	Redondo Beach	5.5	20.3	38.2
129	Paso Robles	9.4	19.9	38.5
130	Lawndale	6.6	12.5	39.1
131	Dixon	6.6	18.7	39.1
132	Yucaipa	7.3	11.9	39.1
133	La Quinta	5.6	24.5	39.2
134	Norco	4.4	25.2	39.3
135	Central Marin	3.0	31.4	39.7
136	Rosemead	5.4	17.3	39.8
137	Patterson	9.6	19.2	40.0
138	Bell Gardens	7.9	14.9	40.5
139	Milpitas	6.8	26.6	40.5
140	Coachella	7.2	19.2	40.7
141	Palo Alto	4.1	29.6	40.8
142	Galt	8.4	16.8	41.0
143	Rancho Cordova	6.7	18.7	41.2
144	Grand Terrace	6.3	18.7	41.3
145	Azusa	6.6	19.0	41.7
146	Parlier	9.8	11.6	42.1
147	Reedley	9.1	9.1	42.2
148	Tustin	6.2	26.4	42.2
149	Whittier	6.5	22.1	42.2
150	Brentwood	8.4	20.4	42.4
151	San Dimas	4.8	24.5	42.5
152	Farmersville	8.6	17.6	42.5
153	Twentynine Palms	9.1	10.0	42.5
154	Hermosa Beach	5.1	23.1	42.8
155	La Mesa	10.2	16.7	43.0
156	American Canyon	6.8	22.2	43.4
157	Placentia	6.7	17.2	43.4
158	South San Francisco	8.4	21.7	43.5
159	Pico Rivera	7.4	16.7	44.0
160	Davis	3.6	31.4	44.0
161	Manteca	8.7	22.1	44.1
162	Lakewood	6.2	23.0	44.3
163	Livingston	9.0	21.6	44.5
164	Mcfarland	8.2	10.5	44.6
165	Montebello	7.3	23.1	45.3
166	Mountain View	5.7	29.1	45.5
167	Bell	8.5	12.3	45.6
168	Newark	7.4	28.6	45.7
169	Shafter	7.1	25.1	45.7
170	Avenal	12.7	4.5	45.9
171	Porterville	8.4	21.5	46.5
172	Apple Valley	7.9	14.9	46.9
173	Artesia	7.9	16.9	47.0
174	Loma Linda	7.5	22.8	47.2
175	Napa	11.0	15.5	47.4
176	El Centro	3.7	26.7	47.7
177	Brea	7.0	32.8	48.9
178	Auburn	12.4	16.7	48.9
179	Buena Park	8.4	24.9	49.0
180	Union City	7.3	22.8	49.1
181	Exeter	9.9	25.1	49.3
182	Lake Elsinore	8.2	28.5	49.4
183	Walnut Creek	5.3	35.4	49.6
184	Los Banos	8.9	21.8	49.7
185	Alameda	6.4	32.7	49.8
186	Selma	7.2	24.2	49.9
187	Banning	9.3	16.9	50.1
188	Chino	7.3	23.8	50.4
189	Cerritos	4.7	32.3	50.5
190	San Bruno	6.8	26.3	50.6
191	Perris	8.1	25.7	50.6
192	Delano	9.4	21.1	51.0
193	Fortuna	13.5	25.7	51.2
194	Albany	5.6	34.1	51.2
195	Hesperia	8.1	17.3	51.4
196	Bellflower	9.2	19.5	51.5
197	Campbell	7.9	31.8	52.2
198	Glendora	7.0	28.7	52.3
199	Hawaiian Gardens	9.4	15.7	53.0
200	Rancho Mirage	6.8	34.0	53.1
201	Brawley	6.0	23.4	53.3
202	Lemoore	13.2	13.9	53.4
203	Suisun City	10.9	22.2	53.6
204	Westminster	9.9	28.7	53.6
205	San Jacinto	9.5	33.1	53.7
206	Citrus Heights	8.5	25.4	53.7
207	Ceres	8.1	23.6	54.0
208	Upland	10.1	23.5	54.1
209	Lodi	10.9	24.5	54.1
210	Lindsay	9.3	18.2	54.2
211	Hanford	9.3	21.7	54.8
212	Palm Desert	7.4	34.4	55.1
213	Carson	7.7	21.8	55.2
214	Covina	10.4	24.8	55.2
215	Corcoran	13.2	12.7	55.2
216	Woodland	11.4	24.3	55.4
217	Sanger	11.4	11.9	55.5
218	Placerville	12.3	25.3	55.8
219	Gardena	7.2	20.1	55.9
220	East Palo Alto	12.1	18.0	57.4
221	Ridgecrest	14.6	13.8	57.5
222	Colton	9.8	27.6	57.6
223	Tulare	13.4	22.6	57.9
224	Gilroy	10.8	24.6	59.1
225	Malibu	7.8	32.5	59.4
226	Redlands	10.6	29.3	60.0
227	South El Monte	9.4	24.0	60.2
228	Burlingame	8.5	38.6	60.4
229	San Rafael	10.8	28.7	60.6
230	Yuba City	14.1	27.1	61.1
231	Santa Barbara	13.5	23.1	61.6
232	Watsonville	10.7	17.9	61.7
233	Mendota	10.1	13.6	61.8
234	West Sacramento	10.4	29.5	61.9
235	California City	10.4	19.6	62.3
236	Monterey	12.7	34.4	62.4
237	Highland	11.9	16.3	62.6
238	Pleasant Hill	7.0	42.2	63.0
239	Rohnert Park	12.3	17.8	63.4
240	National City	14.2	18.2	63.5
241	Lynwood	10.0	20.1	63.6
242	Hemet	9.7	33.4	64.4
243	Hawthorne	9.6	17.0	64.7
244	Madera	18.4	19.6	65.3
245	Yucca Valley	14.0	13.4	65.7
246	Indio	15.2	20.3	66.0
247	South Lake Tahoe	18.9	20.3	66.5
248	Pinole	6.4	44.5	66.5
249	Paramount	10.5	22.9	66.8
250	Arcata	11.5	33.0	66.9
251	Beverly Hills	7.3	43.8	67.0
252	Tehachapi	13.9	26.9	68.6
253	Pittsburg	13.3	22.5	68.9
254	Dinuba	14.1	21.5	69.2
255	Chico	11.1	25.1	69.4
256	Culver City	5.3	42.0	70.6
257	Adelanto	15.2	13.3	70.9
258	Lemon Grove	19.1	20.3	71.0
259	El Segundo	8.3	37.4	71.3
260	South Gate	9.8	29.2	72.9
261	San Luis Obispo	12.8	36.4	73.0
262	Blythe	17.5	32.4	74.5
263	Ukiah	20.0	18.4	74.8
264	Redding	14.0	30.6	75.3
265	Turlock	14.0	31.3	75.7
266	Merced	13.8	27.9	75.8
267	San Pablo	12.7	32.2	77.0
268	Arvin	11.6	20.0	77.6
269	Capitola	10.6	52.3	78.9
270	Anderson	14.5	34.4	80.1
271	Montclair	10.2	36.9	80.3
272	Lompoc	18.4	24.7	80.4
273	San Leandro	9.6	45.5	81.0
274	Huntington Park	13.2	27.4	82.3
275	Desert Hot Springs	13.7	23.4	83.4
276	Atwater	13.6	34.8	84.6
277	Palm Springs	14.8	40.2	86.1
278	Grass Valley	22.1	35.8	87.1
279	El Cerrito	9.2	50.3	89.6
280	Santa Cruz	14.1	44.9	90.6
281	Clearlake	19.5	29.9	93.2
282	Compton	16.1	24.3	99.9
283	Oroville	20.3	42.7	100.1
284	Santa Monica	19.2	43.3	100.6
285	Santa Fe Springs	11.8	57.4	100.9
286	Susanville	20.4	13.9	102.1
287	Eureka	20.1	50.1	111.0
288	Signal Hill	13.2	58.3	112.7
289	West Hollywood	21.0	51.1	114.2
290	Marysville	30.2	43.0	126.4
291	Barstow	29.2	40.9	129.4
292	Red Bluff	37.9	55.0	146.9
293	Commerce	17.7	78.4	151.9
294	Emeryville	27.9	211.9	310.7

Safest Small Cities in California

The #1 safest small city in California was Monte Sereno. This tony city of under 4,000 residents is located in the San Jose metropolitan area, nestled between the cities of Los Gatos and Saratoga in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The city has no commercial real estate and consists almost entirely of single-family houses. Monte Sereno serves as a bedroom community for Silicon Valley, and the city was once home to author John Steinbeck, who wrote The Grapes of Wrath and completed Of Mice and Men while living there.

The following table lists the safest small cities in California with under 10,000 residents. For each city, the level of violent crime and property crime per 1,000 residents is included, as well as the city’s rank and the crime score we calculated for the city. Crime scores for small cities ranged from 5 to 8,248, with an average of 212 for small cities.

Rank	City	Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Property Crimes per 1,000 Residents	Crime Score
1	Monte Sereno	0.8	4.6	5.3
2	Tiburon	1.5	9.0	10.5
3	Los Altos Hills	1.5	7.8	11.5
4	Hughson	3.9	6.0	13.2
5	Rolling Hills	1.8	7.3	13.8
6	Belvedere	1.9	9.5	14.5
7	Villa Park	3.8	7.7	14.9
8	Kensington	0.9	8.9	15.2
9	Ross	2.8	10.1	17.0
10	Buellton	5.4	10.5	18.9
11	Ione	6.6	5.9	20.1
12	La Habra Heights	2.1	14.7	20.5
13	Orange Cove	5.7	6.3	21.4
14	Lake Shastina	2.3	7.8	21.8
15	Wheatland	4.1	10.9	22.6
16	Calistoga	4.5	13.3	23.4
17	Holtville	3.2	10.3	24.5
18	Rolling Hills Estates	2.6	15.5	25.3
19	Gonzales	6.3	8.7	25.6
20	Fairfax	6.1	12.2	25.8
21	Firebaugh	6.3	12.2	26.0
22	Ojai	9.1	9.9	26.9
23	Hidden Hills	2.7	16.2	27.0
24	St. Helena	6.0	10.8	27.1
25	Rio Vista	6.0	14.7	27.4
26	Yountville	5.0	14.1	27.4
27	Atherton	3.0	15.2	27.7
28	Solvang	8.4	11.4	28.2
29	Bear Valley	3.4	8.7	28.5
30	Colusa	8.0	13.2	29.0
31	Cloverdale	6.6	13.0	29.1
32	Winters	6.6	15.6	29.7
33	Waterford	6.4	15.9	29.9
34	Guadalupe	8.8	10.7	30.3
35	Biggs	5.6	11.8	30.6
36	Bradbury	3.7	18.4	31.2
37	Sutter Creek	7.6	16.8	31.6
38	Stallion Springs	5.9	8.6	34.0
39	Angels Camp	6.7	18.9	35.3
40	Ferndale	4.4	17.6	36.7
41	Del Mar	10.3	15.3	36.9
42	Broadmoor	4.5	18.4	37.1
43	Westlake Village	4.3	22.7	37.2
44	Woodlake	5.9	11.5	37.6
45	Escalon	10.1	17.7	38.7
46	Tulelake	9.5	5.4	40.6
47	Indian Wells	5.1	25.1	42.7
48	Sausalito	2.8	36.2	44.0
49	Mount Shasta	13.7	10.7	44.0
50	Avalon	18.3	10.7	44.6
51	Fowler	6.8	15.1	44.6
52	Brisbane	5.3	28.9	46.4
53	Williams	11.6	14.2	46.7
54	Carmel	7.7	26.6	48.5
55	Sebastopol	11.1	22.6	48.8
56	Calimesa	6.2	30.9	49.2
57	Alturas	14.2	12.1	49.8
58	Gustine	13.2	19.7	52.1
59	Cotati	10.5	12.4	52.7
60	Willits	16.6	18.6	53.1
61	Rio Dell	16.8	18.0	53.4
62	Orland	13.0	17.5	54.0
63	Del Rey Oaks	7.2	25.4	55.4
64	Mammoth Lakes	7.9	16.1	57.3
65	Yreka	11.2	31.5	61.2
66	Dorris	22.7	14.7	64.2
67	Nevada City	7.3	28.3	64.4
68	Etna	20.1	0.0	67.0
69	Pismo Beach	8.7	41.2	67.4
70	Corning	19.5	28.0	69.3
71	Jackson	13.6	27.7	75.0
72	Montague	20.7	22.9	75.1
73	Taft	11.2	25.9	75.2
74	Gridley	16.9	31.0	78.9
75	Huron	15.6	7.6	80.2
76	Fort Bragg	17.6	42.9	85.0
77	Dunsmuir	18.5	11.5	85.0
78	Crescent City	21.6	46.3	86.2
79	Isleton	18.8	6.3	86.4
80	Lakeport	17.9	32.3	86.9
81	Fort Jones	10.4	59.1	93.9
82	Dos Palos	18.4	30.2	105.8
83	Weed	24.3	20.6	113.0
84	Sonora	33.9	55.3	120.8
85	Bishop	24.7	49.0	128.9
86	Big Bear	34.1	25.4	136.3
87	Needles	34.6	34.8	144.4
88	Irwindale	27.9	163.4	282.5
89	Sand City	36.9	189.2	336.6
90	Colma	32.4	214.9	339.9
91	Vernon	616.1	4330.4	6187.5
92	Industry	567.2	5870.6	8248.8

Methodology

In this analysis, AdvisorSmith used published data on reported crimes in the state of California provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the calendar year 2019. In these crime reports, which are reported on Return A by cities and law enforcement agencies in the state of California, the levels of violent and property crimes in each city are compiled. Crime reports include statistics on reported crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, assault, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and burglary. These datasets are released as part of the Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics.

To find the safest cities in California, we calculated a crime score for each city that reported at least two months of crime data. We assigned a multiplier to each type of crime to account for the severity of each crime, and we then multiplied the number of reported crimes by the respective multiplier. We then added the multiplied level of crimes and adjusted this crime level for the number of months reported and the population of each city.

We segmented California cities into three groups based on population size. Cities with under 10,000 residents were considered to be small cities. Cities with between 10,000 and 100,000 residents were labeled midsize cities, and cities with over 100,000 residents were labeled large cities. We ranked cities within their population groups in order to determine the safest small, midsize, and large cities in the state.

Sources

1. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A, 2019