The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In California For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In California For 2022

Oakland gets a bad wrap for being hella dangerous, but, in this case, the stereotype is all too true. With an overall crime rate 150% higher than the national average, a murder happening every five days on average, and the fifth highest rate of property crime in California, the statistics lead to the inescapable conclusion that Bump City is far from safe.

On the plus side, Oakland still has plenty of family-friendly spots where you don't have to be looking over your shoulder constantly, like the entertainment and business destination, Jack London Square on the city's waterfront, and the Oakland Zoo in Grass Valley.

Located just southeast of Los Angeles, Commerce is nicknamed "The Model City," but it has a long way to go before it can be truly described as a model for crime rates. Over the course of a year, any given resident has a 1 in 11 chance of being the victim of a property crime, the second highest rate in California.

Commerce's violent crime, on the other hand, has been dropping at a steady rate in recent years, but it's still prevalent enough to rank as the 11th most violent place in California for 2020. At least nobody has to resort to pickpocketing for bus fare, because Commerce is one of the few cities in California to offer free bus service.

Four years running, and Emeryville still tops our list of the most dangerous places to live in California; not exactly a title they're keen to hold onto, I'm sure. Located north of Oakland and east of San Francisco, Emeryville is also home to the Pixar Studios.

Those cute Pixar characters would be way out of their element if they landed in Emeryville, though, where they'd have a 1 in 115 chance of being the victim of a violent crime and a shocking 1 in 8 chance of being at the receiving end of a property crime.

So if you're out for a shopping spree on Bay Street, be sure to get out quick, or your day's haul could easily get snatched. The good news? Emeryville didn't have a single murder last year, so that's something.

In purely geographical terms, Crescent City represents an excellent place to live. Located in the extreme north of the state, less than a half hour south of the Oregon border, the community sits along the Pacific coast. It even gets its name from a crescent-shaped beach nearby.

If only you could live there alone. Unfortunately, residents of Crescent City have reason to distrust their neighbors. After all, this is number 4 most dangerous spot in California.

For a community of just 6,706 people, the area experienced 77 violent crimes. This included 10 sexual assaults, giving it the number 3 scariest rate in this disturbing category.

An enclave surrounded entirely by Long Beach, Signal Hill comes in as the fifth most dangerous place to call home in California.

It's honestly hard to believe you're less than 15 minutes from the ritzy Naples neighborhood of Long Beach in Signal Hill. Residents have a 1 in 15 chance of being the victim of a property crime, the third highest rate in California.

On the bright side, Signal Hill's violent crime rate is better than most cities on this list. The bad news? Signal Hill wasn't even in the top 20 most dangerous places last year, so things are becoming markedly less safe here.

Located on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, Red Bluff comes in as the sixth most dangerous place in California. While it may not be a major city, or near a major city, Red Bluff experienced a shocking rate of violent crime in 2020, the 13th highest statewide. So if you're out for a day at the Sacramento River Bend, your reasons for bringing along some bear mace are twofold.

Property crime is slightly less of a problem in Red Bluff, but a 1 in 22 chance of being robbed or having your property damaged is certainly less than ideal. Unfortunately, Red Bluff also had the highest rate of rape cases in California recorded in 2020.

Situated between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Barstow is far more dangerous than either of the two world-famous cities. Not to mention that Barstow has only gotten more unsafe since the last year of available data.

Burglary is especially prevalent in Barstow and ranks as the second highest rate in California. Barstow's violent crime rate as a whole is also in the top ten statewide. At least residents have the majestic Rainbow Basin to visit whenever the anxiety over high crime rates becomes too much.

Located about 40 miles north of Sacramento, Marysville comes in as California's eighth most dangerous city.

It might surprise you to hear that Marysville actually had about twice as many car thefts per capita as Stockton, so be sure to lock your car doors here.

Marysville also had the second highest rate of rape cases in the state, recording 19 in 2020. The city also had 0 murders, which is quite high for a place with only 12,519 people.

So if you're going out toEllis Lake, bring a buddy and get home before dark.

Located in the general Los Angeles area, El Segundo sits just south of the airport. It also borders the ocean, which gives residents access to the beach. At the same time, the area comes with an industrial character, including a Chevron refinery and the headquarters of toy maker Mattel.

With the proximity to the big city, you'd expect some crime. Violent attacks are relatively rare in the area but El Segundo suffers a high rate of property crime. And this goes beyond the occasional beach pickpocket. With 172 burglaries in a year, the city suffers the number 7 worst rate of this type of violation in the state.

If you're a true crime buff, you've heard of Vallejo. It was the site of one of the infamous Zodiac Killer murders during the 1960s. So, yeah, already a tough reputation for a community to live down.

But we're not just talking the occasional weirdo serial killer here. Vallejo is overrun with the everyday stuff too -- the kinds of crime that force people to invest in alarms and doorbell cameras. In fact, Vallejo ranks as the number 10 most dangerous spot in California. This includes the number 1 worst rate of burglaries. And, yes, even without the Zodiac Killer, the area reported 27 murders during the past year.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In California FAQs

Is California a dangerous state?

Yes, California is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #14 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in california ranks 16th highest in the United States -- 13.99% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Golden State ranks 18th highest in the United States -- 9.23% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Los Angeles, CA a dangerous city?

No, Los Angeles is not a dangerous city. Los Angeles ranks as the #158 safest out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Los Angeles might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Bel Air is the safest in Los Angeles, while Downtown is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Los Angeles ranks 83rd highest in America -- 31.52% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 190th highest in the United States -- 19.12% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.