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 2024? 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.
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- Best Places To Live In California
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The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Santa Ana For 2024
/10
Population: 763
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 514
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,490
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: 578
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,802
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: 557
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,699
Median Home Value: $297,350 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $57,749 (11th worst)
More on Lyon Street: Data
/10
Population: 11,893
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 284
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,277
Median Home Value: $393,975 (5th worst)
Median Income: $65,397 (20th worst)
More on Santa Anita: Data
/10
Population: 2,313
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 548
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,657
Median Home Value: $425,067 (10th worst)
Median Income: $47,716 (5th worst)
More on French Park: Data
/10
Population: 1,381
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 480
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,327
Median Home Value: $417,200 (9th worst)
Median Income: $44,063 (worst)
More on Cedar Evergreen: Data
/10
Population: 10,654
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 612
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,106
Median Home Value: $448,500 (12th worst)
Median Income: $62,386 (15th worst)
More on Pico-Lowell: Data
/10
Population: 4,380
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,255
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,361
Median Home Value: $450,850 (13th worst)
Median Income: $67,750 (2worst)
More on New Horizons: Data
/10
Population: 6,873
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 537
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,604
Median Home Value: $457,633 (15th worst)
Median Income: $54,768 (9th worst)
More on Heninger Park: Data
/10
Population: 828
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 575
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,786
Median Home Value: $648,150 (5worst)
Median Income: $62,644 (16th worst)
More on Northwest: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Santa Ana 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 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 2024. 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, Santa Anita, French Park, Cedar Evergreen, Pico-Lowell, New Horizons, Heninger Park, and Northwest.
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, Morning Sunwood, Wilshire Square, 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 2024?
| 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 | Santa Anita | 11,893 | $393,975 | $65,397 |
| 5 | French Park | 2,313 | $425,067 | $47,716 |
| 6 | Cedar Evergreen | 1,381 | $417,200 | $44,063 |
| 7 | Pico-Lowell | 10,654 | $448,500 | $62,386 |
| 8 | New Horizons | 4,380 | $450,850 | $67,750 |
| 9 | Heninger Park | 6,873 | $457,633 | $54,768 |
| 10 | Northwest | 828 | $648,150 | $62,644 |
| 11 | Cornerstone Village | 3,721 | $476,700 | $60,801 |
| 12 | Bristol Memory | 843 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 13 | Bella Vista | 4,633 | $456,833 | $73,842 |
| 14 | Santa Ana Triangle | 1,921 | $551,300 | $54,199 |
| 15 | Logan | 1,772 | $459,733 | $57,094 |
| 16 | Centennial Park | 3,324 | $495,250 | $82,359 |
| 17 | Mid-City | 8,886 | $369,700 | $61,060 |
| 18 | Artesia Pilar | 14,248 | $489,350 | $73,812 |
| 19 | Morrison-Eldridge Par | 2,072 | $526,850 | $46,016 |
| 20 | Flower Park | 5,166 | $394,000 | $59,043 |
| 21 | Saddleback View | 1,580 | $570,700 | $64,366 |
| 22 | Meredith Parkwood | 2,480 | $587,400 | $76,426 |
| 23 | Central City | 7,331 | $484,925 | $84,606 |
| 24 | Lacy | 6,258 | $506,567 | $50,519 |
| 25 | Delhi | 5,406 | $467,525 | $86,884 |
| 26 | Shadow Run | 1,686 | $388,100 | $53,650 |
| 27 | Mabury Park | 2,797 | $519,600 | $75,576 |
| 28 | Eastside | 13,668 | $471,625 | $62,877 |
| 29 | Riverview | 4,272 | $618,200 | $82,570 |
| 30 | Riverglen | 449 | $830,600 | $68,750 |
| 31 | Concord | 899 | $598,700 | $116,335 |
| 32 | Fairbridge Square | 309 | $433,900 | $82,951 |
| 33 | South Coast | 3,168 | $413,267 | $82,489 |
| 34 | Riverview West | 32,911 | $485,875 | $69,566 |
| 35 | Washington Square | 4,116 | $617,350 | $70,270 |
| 36 | Windsor Village | 3,128 | $546,000 | $110,341 |
| 37 | Valley Adams | 3,144 | $483,700 | $79,516 |
| 38 | Park Santiago | 5,112 | $626,700 | $83,183 |
| 39 | Laurelhurst | 1,655 | $572,600 | $129,519 |
| 40 | Fisher Park | 1,295 | $639,400 | $115,058 |
| 41 | Sunwood Central | 5,835 | $598,150 | $105,991 |
| 42 | West Grove Valley | 1,719 | $577,500 | $101,429 |
| 43 | West Floral Park | 3,285 | $615,067 | $90,561 |
| 44 | Memorial Park | 12,607 | $492,140 | $95,710 |
| 45 | Madison Park | 7,346 | $523,920 | $77,837 |
| 46 | Bristol-Warner | 3,205 | $579,800 | $94,036 |
| 47 | Floral Park | 2,081 | $769,950 | $92,853 |
| 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 | Wilshire Square | 5,172 | $562,000 | $98,520 |
| 53 | Morning Sunwood | 2,698 | $564,150 | $84,124 |
| 54 | Sandpointe | 4,412 | $666,200 | $114,710 |