Santa Ana’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 Santa Ana.
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 Santa Ana. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Santa Ana neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Santa Ana hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Santa Ana area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Sandpointe ranks way above the rest.
We examined 54 of Santa Ana’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Santa Ana’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Santa Ana for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Mar-Les looks to be the worst neighborhood in Santa Ana.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Santa Ana that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more California reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Santa Ana For 2025
/10
Population: 763
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 783
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,808
Median Home Value: $229,900 (worst)
Median Income: $64,427 (19th worst)
More on Mar-Les: Data
/10
Population: 2,103
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 709
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,540
Median Home Value: $396,600 (7th worst)
Median Income: $47,222 (4th worst)
More on French Court: Data
/10
Population: 4,667
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 734
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,633
Median Home Value: $297,350 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $57,749 (11th worst)
More on Lyon Street: Data
/10
Population: 2,313
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 670
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,401
Median Home Value: $425,067 (10th worst)
Median Income: $47,716 (5th worst)
More on French Park: Data
/10
Population: 11,893
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 496
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,224
Median Home Value: $393,975 (5th worst)
Median Income: $65,397 (20th worst)
More on Santa Anita: Data
/10
Population: 1,381
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 753
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,698
Median Home Value: $417,200 (9th worst)
Median Income: $44,063 (worst)
More on Cedar Evergreen: Data
/10
Population: 843
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 594
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,129
Median Home Value: $526,850 (30th worst)
Median Income: $46,016 (2nd worst)
More on Bristol Memory: Data
/10
Population: 10,654
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,108
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,149
Median Home Value: $448,500 (12th worst)
Median Income: $62,386 (15th worst)
More on Pico-Lowell: Data
/10
Population: 6,873
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 655
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,350
Median Home Value: $457,633 (15th worst)
Median Income: $54,768 (9th worst)
More on Heninger Park: Data
/10
Population: 2,072
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 594
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,129
Median Home Value: $526,850 (30th worst)
Median Income: $46,016 (2nd worst)
More on Morrison-Eldridge Par: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Santa Ana neighborhoods in 2025
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 Santa Ana:
- 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 Santa Ana, 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 Santa Ana.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Santa Ana.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 54 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Santa Ana
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Santa Ana with Mar-Les landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Santa Ana are Mar-Les, French Court, Lyon Street, French Park, Santa Anita, Cedar Evergreen, Bristol Memory, Pico-Lowell, Heninger Park, and Morrison-Eldridge Par.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Santa Ana aren’t all bad. Sandpointe takes the cake as the best place to live in Santa Ana.
The best neighborhoods in Santa Ana are Sandpointe, Wilshire Square, Memorial Park, Portola Park, and Republic Homes.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more California reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Santa Ana For 2025?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar-Les | 763 | $229,900 | $64,427 |
| 2 | French Court | 2,103 | $396,600 | $47,222 |
| 3 | Lyon Street | 4,667 | $297,350 | $57,749 |
| 4 | French Park | 2,313 | $425,067 | $47,716 |
| 5 | Santa Anita | 11,893 | $393,975 | $65,397 |
| 6 | Cedar Evergreen | 1,381 | $417,200 | $44,063 |
| 7 | Bristol Memory | 843 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 8 | Pico-Lowell | 10,654 | $448,500 | $62,386 |
| 9 | Heninger Park | 6,873 | $457,633 | $54,768 |
| 10 | Morrison-Eldridge Par | 2,072 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 11 | Mid-City | 8,886 | $369,700 | $61,060 |
| 12 | New Horizons | 4,380 | $450,850 | $67,750 |
| 13 | Logan | 1,772 | $459,733 | $57,094 |
| 14 | Cornerstone Village | 3,721 | $476,700 | $60,801 |
| 15 | Santa Ana Triangle | 1,921 | $551,300 | $54,199 |
| 16 | Bella Vista | 4,633 | $456,833 | $73,842 |
| 17 | Central City | 7,331 | $484,925 | $84,606 |
| 18 | Riverview | 4,272 | $618,200 | $82,570 |
| 19 | Shadow Run | 1,686 | $388,100 | $53,650 |
| 20 | Meredith Parkwood | 2,480 | $587,400 | $76,426 |
| 21 | Delhi | 5,406 | $467,525 | $86,884 |
| 22 | Saddleback View | 1,580 | $570,700 | $64,366 |
| 23 | Flower Park | 5,166 | $394,000 | $59,043 |
| 24 | Mabury Park | 2,797 | $519,600 | $75,576 |
| 25 | Centennial Park | 3,324 | $495,250 | $82,359 |
| 26 | Northwest | 828 | $648,150 | $62,644 |
| 27 | Artesia Pilar | 14,248 | $489,350 | $73,812 |
| 28 | Fairbridge Square | 309 | $433,900 | $82,951 |
| 29 | Lacy | 6,258 | $506,567 | $50,519 |
| 30 | South Coast | 3,168 | $413,267 | $82,489 |
| 31 | Washington Square | 4,116 | $617,350 | $70,270 |
| 32 | Concord | 899 | $598,700 | $116,335 |
| 33 | Windsor Village | 3,128 | $546,000 | $110,341 |
| 34 | Riverview West | 32,911 | $485,875 | $69,566 |
| 35 | Park Santiago | 5,112 | $626,700 | $83,183 |
| 36 | Valley Adams | 3,144 | $483,700 | $79,516 |
| 37 | Eastside | 13,668 | $471,625 | $62,877 |
| 38 | Fisher Park | 1,295 | $639,400 | $115,058 |
| 39 | West Floral Park | 3,285 | $615,067 | $90,561 |
| 40 | West Grove Valley | 1,719 | $577,500 | $101,429 |
| 41 | Madison Park | 7,346 | $523,920 | $77,837 |
| 42 | Laurelhurst | 1,655 | $572,600 | $129,519 |
| 43 | Riverglen | 449 | $830,600 | $68,750 |
| 44 | Floral Park | 2,081 | $769,950 | $92,853 |
| 45 | Sunwood Central | 5,835 | $598,150 | $105,991 |
| 46 | Bristol-Warner | 3,205 | $579,800 | $94,036 |
| 47 | Morning Sunwood | 2,698 | $564,150 | $84,124 |
| 48 | Edna Park | 628 | $608,700 | $101,625 |
| 49 | Thornton Park | 4,126 | $600,100 | $96,141 |
| 50 | Republic Homes | 1,217 | $592,500 | $107,376 |
| 51 | Portola Park | 1,358 | $599,800 | $96,886 |
| 52 | Memorial Park | 12,607 | $492,140 | $95,710 |
| 53 | Wilshire Square | 5,172 | $562,000 | $98,520 |
| 54 | Sandpointe | 4,412 | $666,200 | $114,710 |