Long Beach’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Long Beach.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in California thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Long Beach. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Long Beach neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Long Beach hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Long Beach area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Alamitos Heights ranks way above the rest.
We examined 27 of Long Beach’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Long Beach’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Long Beach for 2024? According to the most recent census data, North West Long Beach looks to be the worst neighborhood in Long Beach.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Long Beach that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
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- Best Places To Live In California
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The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Long Beach For 2024
/10
Population: 10,728
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 576
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,623
Median Home Value: $317,288 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $55,268 (3rd worst)
More on North West Long Beach: Data
/10
Population: 329
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 748
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,587
Median Home Value: $466,333 (9th worst)
Median Income: $97,746 (19th worst)
More on Wilmington: Data
/10
Population: 12,810
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 987
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,194
Median Home Value: $447,410 (7th worst)
Median Income: $73,868 (10th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 28,178
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 843
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,286
Median Home Value: $443,412 (6th worst)
Median Income: $49,979 (worst)
More on Poly High District: Data
/10
Population: 10,207
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 16
Property Crime Per 100k: 321
Median Home Value: $295,029 (worst)
Median Income: $63,499 (7th worst)
More on City Of Signal Hill: Data
/10
Population: 28,465
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 431
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,213
Median Home Value: $418,255 (5th worst)
Median Income: $61,102 (6th worst)
More on West Side: Data
/10
Population: 28,815
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 357
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,389
Median Home Value: $377,553 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $54,626 (2nd worst)
More on Circle Area: Data
/10
Population: 88,756
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 449
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,092
Median Home Value: $411,422 (4th worst)
Median Income: $58,126 (5th worst)
More on North Long Beach: Data
/10
Population: 6,988
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 253
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,716
Median Home Value: $466,250 (8th worst)
Median Income: $74,520 (11th worst)
More on Californial Heights: Data
/10
Population: 408
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 700
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,798
Median Home Value: $628,300 (13th worst)
Median Income: $86,875 (13th worst)
More on Airport Area: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Long Beach neighborhoods in 2024
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Long Beach:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Long Beach, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Long Beach.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Long Beach.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 27 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Long Beach
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Long Beach with North West Long Beach landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Long Beach are North West Long Beach, Wilmington, Downtown, Poly High District, City Of Signal Hill, West Side, Circle Area, North Long Beach, Californial Heights, and Airport Area.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Long Beach aren’t all bad. Alamitos Heights takes the cake as the best place to live in Long Beach.
The best neighborhoods in Long Beach are Alamitos Heights, State College Area, The Plaza, El Dorado Park, and Park Estates.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more California reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Long Beach For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North West Long Beach | 10,728 | $317,288 | $55,268 |
| 2 | Wilmington | 329 | $466,333 | $97,746 |
| 3 | Downtown | 12,810 | $447,410 | $73,868 |
| 4 | Poly High District | 28,178 | $443,412 | $49,979 |
| 5 | City Of Signal Hill | 10,207 | $295,029 | $63,499 |
| 6 | West Side | 28,465 | $418,255 | $61,102 |
| 7 | Circle Area | 28,815 | $377,553 | $54,626 |
| 8 | North Long Beach | 88,756 | $411,422 | $58,126 |
| 9 | Californial Heights | 6,988 | $466,250 | $74,520 |
| 10 | Airport Area | 408 | $628,300 | $86,875 |
| 11 | Wrigley | 26,743 | $538,806 | $71,180 |
| 12 | Bixby Knolls | 4,266 | $791,050 | $69,693 |
| 13 | Naples-Marina Area | 8,881 | $896,633 | $96,927 |
| 14 | Bixby Area | 13,274 | $537,640 | $80,680 |
| 15 | East Side | 13,802 | $538,344 | $57,304 |
| 16 | Los Altos | 9,578 | $672,010 | $115,735 |
| 17 | Dominguez | 381 | $1,090,600 | $102,266 |
| 18 | Los Cerritos Area | 4,992 | $628,414 | $99,321 |
| 19 | Belmont Heights | 11,972 | $826,515 | $105,042 |
| 20 | Belmont Shore | 6,524 | $1,025,930 | $94,172 |
| 21 | Lakewood Village | 7,786 | $673,983 | $89,878 |
| 22 | City College Area | 12,643 | $660,512 | $117,857 |
| 23 | Park Estates | 3,071 | $972,533 | $87,060 |
| 24 | El Dorado Park | 1,096 | $713,033 | $115,995 |
| 25 | The Plaza | 20,109 | $676,764 | $113,703 |
| 26 | State College Area | 5,340 | $688,167 | $112,954 |
| 27 | Alamitos Heights | 3,291 | $941,800 | $94,919 |