Most Dangerous Cities in California Based on Crime Rates

Quick Answer - Is California Dangerous?

• California is not uniformly dangerous; reported crime rates vary considerably by city.
• Among the eligible cities reviewed, Oakland had the highest combined violent and property crime rate in 2025 at 6,730.4 per 100,000 residents.
• West Hollywood ranked second at 5,595.0, followed by Culver City at 5,537.1.
• Property crime drove much of the ranking, although Oakland also had the highest violent crime rate in the eligible group.

California includes large metropolitan centers, coastal destinations, inland communities, and smaller cities with very different local conditions. As a result, one statewide number cannot describe safety everywhere.

People comparing places to live or visit often want to know which cities report higher levels of violent and property crime. City-level data offers a more useful starting point than broad assumptions about the state as a whole.

This guide reviews the ten California cities with the highest combined crime rates in the latest complete 2025 FBI data. It also explains the difference between violent and property crime, outlines the limits of city rankings, and provides practical safety suggestions.

How We Ranked California Cities

We used the FBI Crime Data Explorer City Agency data for January through December 2025, released in August 2026. Cities needed complete population, violent crime, and property crime figures for all 12 months, plus an FBI reporting population of at least 25,000. A total of 258 California city agencies met these requirements.

The combined rate is (violent crime reports + property crime reports) / population * 100,000. Violent crime covers murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault; property crime covers burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Incomplete records were excluded.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in California by 2025 Crime Rate

Source: Based on 2025 city crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Only cities with at least 25,000 residents are included. Rates show reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

1. Oakland

Oakland ranks first with a combined rate of 6,730.4 per 100,000 residents. Across a population of 444,211, the city recorded 6,554 violent offenses, or 1,475.4 per 100,000, and 23,343 property offenses, or 5,254.9. Property crime accounted for 78.1% of its 29,897 total reports. Both category rates were the highest in this California top ten.

2. West Hollywood

West Hollywood ranks second at 5,595.0 reported offenses per 100,000 residents. Its population was 34,048, with 263 violent reports producing a rate of 772.4 and 1,642 property reports producing a rate of 4,822.6. Property crime represented 86.2% of the city's 1,905 total reports.

3. Culver City

Culver City places third with a combined rate of 5,537.1 per 100,000 residents. The city recorded 263 violent offenses at a rate of 662.8 and 1,934 property offenses at a rate of 4,874.2 across a population of 39,678. Property crime made up 88.0% of its 2,197 reports, and its property rate was the second highest in the top ten.

4. Berkeley

Berkeley ranks fourth with a combined rate of 4,748.6 per 100,000 residents. Its 775 violent reports produced a rate of 639.3, while 4,982 property reports produced a rate of 4,109.4. Property offenses accounted for 86.5% of the 5,757 reports recorded across a population of 121,235.

5. Santa Monica

Santa Monica comes in fifth at 4,726.5 reported offenses per 100,000 residents, 22.1 points below Berkeley. Across a population of 90,193, the city recorded 556 violent offenses at a rate of 616.5 and 3,707 property offenses at a rate of 4,110.1. Property crime represented 87.0% of its 4,263 total reports.

6. Montclair

Montclair ranks sixth with a combined rate of 4,180.9 per 100,000 residents. Its population was 37,576, with 249 violent reports producing a rate of 662.7 and 1,322 property reports producing a rate of 3,518.2. Of the city's 1,571 total reports, 84.2% were property offenses.

7. Cerritos

Cerritos ranks seventh at 4,042.2 reported offenses per 100,000 residents. The city recorded 116 violent offenses, or 250.9 per 100,000, the lowest violent rate in this top ten. Its 1,753 property reports produced a rate of 3,791.3. Property crime accounted for 93.8% of the 1,869 total reports across a population of 46,237.

8. Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills places eighth with a combined rate of 4,006.4 per 100,000 residents. Across a population of 30,651, the city recorded 127 violent offenses at a rate of 414.3 and 1,101 property offenses at a rate of 3,592.1. Property crime represented 89.7% of its 1,228 total reports.

9. Alameda

Alameda ranks ninth at 3,898.6 reported offenses per 100,000 residents. Its 274 violent reports produced a rate of 346.9, the second lowest violent rate in the top ten, while 2,805 property reports produced a rate of 3,551.6. Property offenses made up 91.1% of the 3,079 reports recorded across a population of 78,978.

10. Inglewood

Inglewood completes the top ten with a combined rate of 3,891.7 per 100,000 residents. The city recorded 695 violent offenses at a rate of 683.7 and 3,261 property offenses at a rate of 3,208.0 across a population of 101,651. Its violent rate was the third highest in the top ten. Property crime accounted for 82.4% of its 3,956 total reports.

Violent Crime and Property Crime Are Different

Violent crime covers murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault - offenses involving force or the threat of force. For this ranking, property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. The combined rate is the sum of the violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents.

Cerritos, for example, had the lowest violent crime rate in the top ten at 250.9 per 100,000, but its property crime rate reached 3,791.3. Inglewood recorded the third-highest violent rate at 683.7, while its property rate of 3,208.0 was the lowest in the table. These comparisons show how each category contributes to the existing combined ranking.

What the Rankings Do and Do Not Mean

The FBI UCR program measures crimes known to law enforcement. It does not capture every offense that occurs. The FBI's explanation of the nation's two crime measures describes how police-reported data differs from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which also asks about unreported victimization.

Reporting behavior, agency practices, classification rules, and later data corrections can affect comparisons. Requiring 12 non-missing months prevents incomplete rows from being treated as zero, but it does not remove every difference between agencies.

Rates use the FBI reporting population as the denominator. They do not directly include commuters, tourists, shoppers, students, or people attending events. This limitation can matter when a relatively small resident population is compared with offenses reported in a busy commercial or visitor destination.

Citywide data cannot show block-by-block conditions. A city may contain quiet residential areas and busy commercial districts with very different patterns. For an example of why scale matters, see our guide to the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles, which looks below the city level.

Finally, a rate per 100,000 is not an individual's probability of becoming a victim. It is a standardized annual comparison. The ranking should be treated as a 2025 data snapshot, not a forecast or a judgment about residents.

Practical Safety Steps for California Residents

Match security coverage to the property layout. The eufy LocalSecure System connects compatible devices in a locally managed setup. The eufyCam S4 combines a fixed 4K wide-angle view, 2K PTZ tracking, and solar power for entrances, driveways, and yards. For broader continuous coverage, the eufy ProSecure System provides NVR-based 24/7 local recording across multiple exterior areas.

Check every access point. Walk around the property and make sure exterior doors, windows, garage entries, and side gates close and latch securely. Replace worn locks and repair loose frames.

Light the routes you use most. Prioritize front steps, walkways, driveways, parking spaces, and side or back entrances. Position lights for clear visibility without directing excessive glare toward neighboring homes.

Remove easy opportunities around vehicles. Close the windows, lock the car, take the keys or key fob, and bring bags and electronic devices inside. When possible, choose a visible parking space rather than an isolated one.

Limit the time packages sit outside. Schedule valuable deliveries for a time when someone is available, collect them promptly, route them to a secure pickup location, or require a signature.

Coordinate with trusted neighbors. Exchange contact information, let someone nearby know about an extended absence, and share timely information about unusual activity without spreading unverified claims.

Know where to get help. Save the local police department's non-emergency number and sign up for relevant city or county alerts. Call 911 when there is an immediate threat or a crime in progress.

Disclaimer: This analysis ranks eligible FBI-reporting city agencies with complete 2025 data. It is not a definitive ranking of every neighborhood or community within those cities.

FAQs

What is the most dangerous city in California based on 2025 data?

Oakland had the highest combined violent and property crime rate among the 258 eligible California city agencies serving at least 25,000 residents. Its 2025 combined rate was 6,730.4 per 100,000.

What are the top 10 California cities by 2025 combined crime rate?

The top ten are Oakland, West Hollywood, Culver City, Berkeley, Santa Monica, Montclair, Cerritos, Beverly Hills, Alameda, and Inglewood, in that order.

Which California city had the highest violent crime rate?

Among the 258 eligible California city agencies in this analysis, Oakland had the highest 2025 violent crime rate at 1,475.4 per 100,000 residents.

Which California city had the highest property crime rate?

Oakland also had the highest property crime rate in the eligible group at 5,254.9 per 100,000. Culver City followed at 4,874.2, with West Hollywood at 4,822.6.

How is a city's combined crime rate calculated?

Add the reported violent and property crime counts, divide by the FBI reporting population, and multiply by 100,000. This standardizes the count for comparison across different-sized cities.