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How much do crime rates vary across California counties?
Of counties with relatively complete data, San Francisco reported the highest overall and property crime rates in 2022—both were over two and a half the times the statewide rates. Mendocino had the lowest overall and property crime rates—both were roughly one-third of the statewide rates.
Of counties with relatively complete data, Alpine had the highest violent crime rate—nearly double the statewide rate. Ventura had the lowest violent crime rate—less than half the statewide rate.
Variations among county crime rates are probably explained by factors such as demography (areas with larger populations of young men tend to have higher crime rates), local economy, law enforcement resources, and degree of urbanization.
For more information on state and county crime rates, visit the Criminal Justice Statistics Center on the Department of Justice’s website.
Last Updated: January 2025