California, a state renowned for its rich cultural diversity, varied landscapes, and thriving economy, also has serious crime issues. The Golden State is home to many rich and safe cities, yet certain regions have greater rates of crime than others.
We will explore the top 10 California cities with the highest crime rates in 2024 in this post, looking at the causes of this high crime rates and their effects on both locals and tourists.
The most up-to-date information on “dangerous cities,” which can be broadly divided into two categories: the rate of violent crime and the rate of property crime, must be examined.
Police departments categorize the crime data they gather in this way.
Having your car broken into and being attacked on the street (or in your home) are two quite distinct types of danger, so it makes sense. Crimes involving property include burglaries, auto theft, and other offenses involving property itself.
Robbery, murder, rape, and assault (including aggravated assault) are examples of violent crimes. Naturally, all of these are undesirable, and there are often strong connections between violent and property crimes.
The Top 5 Cities in California for Violent Crime
Stockton (13.97): Stockton, a city of about 320,000 people, is at the top of the list. It’s easy to assume that Stockton has some violence problems because it has the highest reported violent crime rate in the state.
Stockton has experienced some serious economic setbacks, similar to many other cities beset by above-average crime rates (it declared bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis).
Emeryville (13.41): With 12,380 residents, Emeryville has the second-highest rate of violent crime in California.
Tucked away between affluent Berkeley (which we won’t see until property crime) and impoverished Oakland (which we’ll see soon on this list), it serves as another excellent reminder of how closely a city’s crime rates and class makeup tend to correlate.
San Bernardino (13.19): Sunny San Bernardino has California’s third-highest rate of violent crime. This 216,715-person community, which is situated in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, has severe poverty problems, which lead to high rates of property and violent crimes.
Susanville (13.17): With a population of 14,878, Susanville is another small town that serves as a case study for the shortcomings of the criminal justice system in the United States.
Nearly half of Susanville’s population is behind bars, and the town’s biggest employer is High Desert State Prison. Since prisons have a history of being dangerous places, having one in the community also suggests that violent crime rates are high.
Oakland (12.72): With 434,036 residents, Oakland is the third most populated city in the renowned San Francisco Bay Area of California and one of the most violently violent cities.
As a center for the distribution of drugs, gang violence accounts for a large portion of violent crime.
Read Also: What Happens If You Flip Off a Cop in Louisiana? The Law Explained
The Top 5 Cities in California for Property Crime
Emeryville (211.87): For those of you following tabs at home, this translates to about one in five locals reporting an instance of property crime. Given this, it should come as no surprise that Emeryville has a significant problem with property crimes.
According to its ranking as the second most dangerous city, Emeryville has a history of poverty and other social problems like addiction, which frequently lead to criminal activity, including auto theft and burglary.
Commerce (78.41): Even while Commerce’s property crime rate is still around four times higher than the national average, it’s a significant drop to the next spot on our list.
That’s a significant amount of property crime, which is a recurring problem in the business world.
Oakland (64.21): Given that Oakland’s property crime rate places it as the third most dangerous city in California, we’re still in familiar territory.
Similar to violent crimes, a wide variety of intricate elements, such as gang activity, poverty, and addiction, contribute to property crimes in Oakland.
Signal Hill (58.33): The Californian city of Long Beach contains the smaller city of Signal Hill.
Although its 11,624 residents love the coastal climate of Southern California, they also have to contend with a high crime rate, particularly in relation to property crime.
Santa Fe Springs (57.37): Most readers are likely unaware of Santa Fe Springs, which is located in south Los Angeles County, in contrast to its neighbor, Compton.
Similar to Compton, this 18,041-person city has seen ongoing crime problems over the years, partly due to racial and class tensions, some of which are gang-related.
Final Thoughts
All of the California communities on this list are dealing with severe problems, such as gang activity, poverty, and addiction, which typically result in high rates of property and violent crime.
Some of these communities are making efforts to turn things around, but others are still dealing with serious problems.
To make communities safer and more prosperous, it is imperative to address the underlying causes of crime, such as inequality and poverty.
