California is known for its beautiful beaches, award-winning wineries, and vibrant high-tech industry—but many people don’t realize it’s also home to dozens of safe cities. In fact, according to the most recent FBI crime report, the fifty safest cities in California reported about thirteen crimes per 1,000 people in 2015, compared to the national average of nearly twenty-nine crimes per 1,000 people.
Not only that, but several of these cities—Imperial, Laguna Woods, Canyon Lake, Los Altos, Moraga, Orinda, Palos Verdes Estates, and Mill Valley—also cited fewer than ten total violent crimes, and Hillsborough reported just one. Taking a closer look at the data, we found that altogether the cities on our list reported thirty murders. We want to be clear that even one murder is too many, but this is remarkably few considering these cities represent a population well over two million.
California’s fifty safest cities boast exceptionally low property crime rates, too. For instance, approximately half of these cities reported fewer than 100 burglaries, and only one city on our list reported more than ten arsons.
We were impressed to find that all but eleven of the cities on this year’s list also appeared on our list last year, which indicates these cities are committed to long-term crime prevention. What’s more, we applaud the citizens and law enforcement officers of Canyon Lake, Yorba Linda, and Truckee, as these cities moved up considerably in rank.
SafeWise reached out to Truckee’s chief of police, Robert Leftwich, to find out how his department keeps crime under control. Leftwich said, “We’re honored to be one of the state’s safest cities, but we didn’t get here on our own; maintaining a safe environment is a community undertaking.” He added, “To that end, we’re always looking for opportunities to build trust and further enhance the collaborative relationship we have with our citizens.”
Review our list to find out if your city is one of the safest in the Golden State. Then refer to our California Safety Directory for home security tips, safety resources, and a color-coded map of the state’s most and least burglarized counties.
How We Chose the Safest Cities in California
To identify the fifty safest cities in California, we reviewed the 2015 FBI crime report statistics and population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 10,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.
From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed the list down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.
Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.
1. ImperialPrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.29 |
2. Rancho Santa MargaritaPrevious Rank: 2 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.88 |
3. Aliso ViejoPrevious Rank: 3 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.63 |
4. Laguna WoodsPrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.30 |
5. Canyon Lake ↑Previous Rank: 36 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.63 |
6. Foster CityPrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.60 |
7. Yorba Linda ↑Previous Rank: 23 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.57 |
8. Moorpark ↓Previous Rank: 5 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.98 |
9. Truckee ↑Previous Rank: 26 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.22 |
10. Hillsborough ↓Previous Rank: 6 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.09 |
11. Poway ↑Previous Rank: 16 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.87 |
12. Los Altos ↑Previous Rank: 21 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.20 |
13. Laguna Niguel ↓Previous Rank: 11 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.74 |
14. Saratoga ↓Previous Rank: 13 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.58 |
15. Danville ↑Previous Rank: 18 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.36 |
16. Sierra Madre ↓Previous Rank: 9 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.98 |
17. Walnut ↑Previous Rank: 20 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.02 |
18. Calabasas ↑Previous Rank: 25 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.61 |
19. Mission Viejo ↓Previous Rank: 10 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.88 |
20. Moraga ↓Previous Rank: 8 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.40 |
21. Orinda ↓Previous Rank: 15 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.26 |
22. San Ramon ↓Previous Rank: 17 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.35 |
23. Lake Forest ↓Previous Rank: 12 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.35 |
24. Palos Verdes Estates ↓Previous Rank: 7 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.51 |
25. San Clemente ↑Previous Rank: 27 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.20 |
26. Thousand Oaks ↑Previous Rank: 41 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.05 |
27. Simi ValleyPrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.37 |
28. San Juan Capistrano ↑Previous Rank: 32 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.80 |
29. Clayton ↓Previous Rank: 14 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.93 |
30. Rancho Palos Verdes ↓Previous Rank: 29 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.95 |
31. Soledad ↓Previous Rank: 24 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.11 |
32. Fillmore ↓Previous Rank: 22 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 5.28 |
33. Lincoln ↓Previous Rank: 19 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.60 |
34. La Puente ↑Previous Rank: 48 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.91 |
35. Chino Hills ↑Previous Rank: 47 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.90 |
36. Temple City ↑Previous Rank: 38 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.81 |
37. La Canada Flintridge ↑Previous Rank: 57 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.96 |
38. NewmanPrevious Rank: 75 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.47 |
39. Diamond BarPrevious Rank: 42 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.02 |
40. Maywood ↓Previous Rank: 31 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 2.60 |
41. Mill Valley ↑Previous Rank: 43 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.28 |
42. Agoura Hills ↓Previous Rank: 30 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.72 |
43. Santa Clarita ↓Previous Rank: 40 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.66 |
44. IrvinePrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.56 |
45. PlacentiaPrevious Rank: Not ranked Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.44 |
46. Carpinteria ↑Previous Rank: 60 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.80 |
47. Cudahy ↑Previous Rank: 76 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.20 |
48. Windsor ↓Previous Rank: 34 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 3.08 |
49. Goleta ↑Previous Rank: 50 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.52 |
50. Coronado ↑Previous Rank: 165 Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.03 |
Didn’t see your city rank in the top 50?
Check the remaining cities below, and take a look at the most recent FBI crime data here.
| 51. Murrieta | 52. Cupertino | 53. Eastvale |
| 54. Santa Paula | 55. Imperial Beach | 56. Oakley |
| 57. Sunnyvale | 58. Folsom | 59. Santee |
| 60. Hercules | 61. Avenal | 62. Ripon |
| 63. Belmont | 64. Encinitas | 65. San Marcos |
| 66. Hollister | 67. San Gabriel | 68. Farmersville |
| 69. San Marino | 70. Laguna Hills | 71. Wildomar |
| 72. Camarillo | 73. Glendale | 74. Morgan Hill |
| 75. Seaside | 76. Dublin | 77. La Mirada |
| 78. Daly City | 79. Pacific Grove | 80. Dana Point |
| 81. Cypress | 82. Twentynine Palms | 83. Piedmont |
| 84. Benicia | 85. Atascadero | 86. Menlo Park |
| 87. Pacifica | 88. Duarte | 89. La Palma |
| 90. Monrovia | 91. King City | 92. Chula Vista |
| 93. Carlsbad | 94. Fremont | 95. Novato |
| 96. Los Alamitos | 97. Rocklin | 98. Torrance |
| 99. Lafayette | 100. Lawndale |
How safe is your home?
Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.
To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2018 or select the city nearest you in the drop down menu below.
Bakersfield
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If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email safestcities@safewise.com.
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