California’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

When it comes to safety, daily concern continues to be the California state of mind, based on our latest State of Safety survey. From those we surveyed, 58% of Californians feel a high daily level of concern for their safety. Although that's down from 64% the previous year, it's the fifth-highest level of concern nationwide. 

Californians were also more likely to have experienced violent crime or package theft first-hand compared to the average American, so it's not surprising that they feel high levels of concern. Just 37% of Californians surveyed say they feel safe in their state, which is the fifth lowest safety confidence in the nation.

The violent crime rate in California is 4.24 incidents per 1,000 people, which is slightly lower than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, California reported the same violent crime rate of 4.2.

Meanwhile, property crime in The Golden State decreased in recent years, falling from 25.3 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 20.84 incidents in this year's report. That's lower than the national property crime rate of 22.89. 

The number of Californians who feel safe in the state dropped slightly from 38% to 37% year over year. About 58% of our California survey respondents say they believe crime is increasing, which is a more pessimistic view than the nation at large (54%). 

Property crime rates in California have consistently been higher than nationwide rates, and self-reported experiences with property crime went up year over year.

• 60% of Californians are highly concerned about property crime on a regular basis. Although this is the second-highest percentage nationwide, it's actually a significant decrease from 68% the year before (46% US).
• Only Marylanders worry about property crime more than Californians. 
• Despite high levels of worry, personal experiences with property crime dropped from 33% to 20% year over year (21% US).
• 39% of Californians experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, giving them the fifth-highest percentage in the country for the second year in a row. However, this figure represents a slight decrease from 42% the year before.
• Package theft concern among Californians has plummeted from 66% to 58% but is still the third highest percentage nationwide. 
• 37% of Californians surveyed said they adopted new security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (32% US).
• Security cameras are the most popular form of property security (54%), followed by security systems (33%) guard dogs (33%).

• 70% of Californians worried about fires or smoke, which is the same percentage as last year. This makes California the most concerned state nationwide (47% US).
• 64% of Californians said they worried about earthquakes, which is the same percentage as last year. This makes California the most concerned state nationwide (23% US).
• Californians are fifth most concerned about drought (CA 56%, US 34%). 
• 14% of California residents report being evacuated due to a natural disaster in the 12 months prior to our survey. 

Californians are highly concerned about their safety and have the crime experiences to back it up.

• 67% of Californians said they are highly concerned about violent crime happening to them. That's down from 72% the year before but much higher than the national average of 55%. 
• Only people in Maryland, Louisiana, New York, and Illinois worry about violent crime more than Californians. 
• 19% of survey respondents said they had a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, up from 15% the previous year and nearly triple the rate from two years ago. 
• Only respondents in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland were more likely to have experienced a violent crime than respondents in California.
• Of those who carry personal protection, 52% rely on pepper spray, 52% use pocket knives, and 21% use firearms.

• Concern about gun violence increased 1 points year over year, from 66% to 67%.
• 10% of Californians said they personally experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 13% the year before but above the national average of 9%.
• There were 29 mass shooting incidents in California in 2025. That's down from 35 in 2024 but the second-highest number in the US behind Texas, which had 35.
• 21% of Californians use firearms to protect themselves compared to the national average of 45%.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 169 California cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
• After reigning in the #1 spot for two years in a row, Rancho Santa Margarita fell to second place this year.
• Danville, last year's second-place winner, is the safest city in California for 2026.
• 3 cities held on to their rankings from the year before: Yorba Linda (#5), Calexico (#6), and San Ramon (#9).
• All the safest cities reported fewer than 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people.
• 3 cities saw declines in both property crime and violent crime rates: Danville, Lincoln, and Poway.
• All of California's safest cities have a population of at least 35,000, making their low per capita crime rates even more impressive. Thousand Oaks has the largest population at more than 122,000. 
• Most of California's safest cities are suburbs of major metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Calexico stands out as the only border town and the only city on this year's list not located near a major U.S. metro. 

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Essential Home Security Systems Guide for 2026