Is San Diego, CA Safe? 2026 Crime Rates & Safety Report
Key facts
- 01
San Diego, California reported 303.45 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.57 times the national reference of 193.00 per 100,000 and 110.45 per 100,000 above that reference, with 4,203 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 02
San Diego, California reported 295.29 aggravated assault offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.29 times the national reference of 229.56 per 100,000 and 65.73 per 100,000 above that reference, with 4,090 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 03
San Diego, California reported 59.13 robbery offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.23 times the national reference of 48.24 per 100,000 and 10.89 per 100,000 above that reference, with 819 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 04
San Diego, California reported 148.59 burglary offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 0.79 times the national reference of 188.15 per 100,000 and 39.56 per 100,000 below that reference, with 2,058 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 05
San Diego, California reported 1,119.37 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.01 times the national reference of 1,106.97 per 100,000 and 12.40 per 100,000 above that reference, with 15,504 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
Quick answer
In the Safety Atlas 2026 public safety index, San Diego, CA has an adjusted safety score of 58.62 out of 100. It ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in California. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing.
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Data, definitions and reuse
Violent: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. Property: burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, arson. Subcategories are excluded to avoid double counting. Counts are offenses reported to police in this jurisdiction, not rates, neighborhood scores or a census of all crime.
| Month | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 402 | 1884 |
| Feb | 374 | 1688 |
| Mar | 445 | 1790 |
| Apr | 417 | 1584 |
| May | 476 | 1825 |
| Jun | 445 | 1731 |
| Jul | 462 | 1953 |
| Aug | 447 | 1910 |
| Sep | 468 | 1885 |
| Oct | 469 | 1857 |
| Nov | 426 | 1768 |
| Dec | 437 | 2013 |
Reuse under CC BY 4.0; indicate changes. The downloaded image carries our name, licence and source in its metadata. Embed code:
<img src="https://www.safetyatlas.us/img/charts/san-diego-ca-crime-trend-2025.webp" alt="Chart of San Diego, CA crime statistics: San Diego reported 5,268 violent offenses in 2025, 8.4% fewer than in 2024. Shows monthly violent offense differences versus 2024." width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto">
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.safetyatlas.us/safety/ca/san-diego">Safety Atlas, San Diego, CA</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.</p>
2026 edition, FBI source year 2025.
San Diego in 7 numbers
- Motor vehicle theft fell by a quarter. 4,203 reports in 2025 vs 5,512 in 2024 (−24%), the largest year-over-year move of any indicator offense.
- Almost half of all reports are property crime. 25,883 of 51,142 reports (50.6%); larceny-theft alone is 15,504 (30.3%).
- Clearances skew toward violent crime. 100% of homicides cleared vs 4.9% of larcenies and 7.9% of motor vehicle thefts (2025, reports cleared ÷ reports received).
- A second look at motor vehicle theft. July (434) ran 1.5× November (299); the year finished down 24%.
- Robbery is volatile but down. Monthly counts swung 1.8× (Oct 88 vs Jun 49); the year finished 23% below 2024.
- The biggest volume isn’t violent. Simple assault (6,767) and vandalism (5,927) dwarf the whole personal-safety total (5,471, 10.7% of reports).
- Small months, big bars. December’s 77 robberies vs October’s 88 is a gap of 11 reports, monthly charts amplify small-number swings. Read the 12-month direction, not one bar.
Takeaways are computed from FBI CDE reported counts (source year 2025, CA0371100). They describe reported data, not forecasts; check the methodology and coverage notes before reuse.
Every number on this page ships in the California workbook.
Key Public Safety Indicators
Reported rates per 100,000 residents; national references shown alongside.
| Offense Class | Annual Count | Rate per 100K | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 819 | 59.13 | 48.24 |
1.23× national |
| Aggravated Assault | 4090 | 295.29 | 229.56 |
1.29× national |
| Burglary | 2058 | 148.59 | 188.15 | 0.79× national |
| Larceny-theft | 15504 | 1119.37 | 1106.97 |
1.01× national |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 4203 | 303.45 | 193.0 |
1.57× national |
San Diego monthly trend: reported counts through December 2025
Annual totals hide timing. The bars below show 2025 reported counts per month for the three highest-relative indicator offenses; each table carries the same numbers with FBI pre-computed rates. The full 19-offense monthly series (2020-2025) is downloadable below.
Motor Vehicle Theft, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 4203 reports vs 5512 in 2024 (down 24% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 309 | 21.92 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 317 | 22.49 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 351 | 24.9 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 355 | 25.19 | Full |
| May 2025 | 381 | 27.03 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 310 | 21.99 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 434 | 30.79 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 417 | 29.59 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 400 | 28.38 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 325 | 23.06 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 299 | 21.21 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 305 | 21.64 | Full |
Aggravated Assault, month by month
→ Stable, 4090 reports vs 4339 in 2024 (about level in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 318 | 22.56 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 287 | 20.36 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 360 | 25.54 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 326 | 23.13 | Full |
| May 2025 | 362 | 25.68 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 362 | 25.68 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 373 | 26.46 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 348 | 24.69 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 354 | 25.12 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 348 | 24.69 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 319 | 22.63 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 333 | 23.63 | Full |
Robbery, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 819 reports vs 1069 in 2024 (down 23% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 55 | 3.9 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 52 | 3.69 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 62 | 4.4 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 65 | 4.61 | Full |
| May 2025 | 85 | 6.03 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 49 | 3.48 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 57 | 4.04 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 72 | 5.11 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 77 | 5.46 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 88 | 6.24 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 80 | 5.68 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 77 | 5.46 | Full |
Clearances: what got cleared in 2025
100% of homicides cleared vs 5% of larcenies, clearance follows violent crime, not volume.
| Offense | Reported | Cleared | Clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 25 | 25 | 100.0% |
| Aggravated Assault | 4,090 | 2,069 | 50.6% |
| Robbery | 819 | 259 | 31.6% |
| Burglary | 2,058 | 307 | 14.9% |
| Larceny-theft | 15,504 | 756 | 4.9% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 4,203 | 333 | 7.9% |
Clearances ÷ reports received; clearances may concern earlier reports, so this is not a solve rate.
Monthly counts and FBI pre-computed rates per 100,000, FBI CDE source year 2025, CA0371100. Rates use FBI month-specific covered-population denominators and are shown as published, not recomputed. A hyphen (-) means not reported, not zero. Annual totals equal the sum of shown months within ±2% (see manifest).
Downloads: San Diego monthly series (JSON) · same data (CSV) · build manifest
Comparing San Diego to somewhere else? Take the file with you.
What drives San Diego's safety score?
San Diego ranks in the middle half of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in California, ahead of approximately 67% of that scored set. The profile uses a reporting population of 1,385,061 and source-year data through 2025; it is a citywide agency-level comparison, not a neighborhood forecast.
The strongest of the three score components is Personal Safety at 62.34, while Property Security is lowest at 50.83. The 11.51-point spread shows why the composite should be read by component instead of as a single absolute claim about safety.
Among the five public offense indicators, Motor Vehicle Theft is highest relative to its national reference at 303.45 per 100,000 (1.57× the national rate). Burglary is lowest on the same relative basis at 148.59 per 100,000 (0.79× national).
Coverage check: 18 of 18 tracked offense classes have reportable values in this profile. Missing values are not converted to zero.
Public indicator mix
San Diego, California recorded 15,504 larceny-theft offenses in 2025, 58.1% of the 26,674 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 819 robbery reports (3.1%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
San Diego, California recorded 4,203 motor vehicle theft offenses in 2025, 15.8% of the 26,674 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 819 robbery reports (3.1%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
San Diego, California recorded 4,090 aggravated assault offenses in 2025, 15.3% of the 26,674 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 819 robbery reports (3.1%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
San Diego, California uses a reporting population of 1,385,061 residents and has values for 18 of the 18 tracked offense classes (100.0%) in its 2025 profile; coverage describes available classes rather than the share of residents reporting crime.
San Diego, California has an adjusted score of 58.62 points out of 100 versus 61.44 in San Francisco, California, a difference of 2.82 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; San Diego ranks 2 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
San Diego, California has an adjusted score of 58.62 points out of 100 versus 30.24 in Los Angeles, California, a difference of 28.38 points above that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; San Diego ranks 2 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Detailed Crime Class Breakdown
Additional tracked offense classes
- Homicide
- Rape
- Kidnapping/Abduction
- Human Trafficking
- Arson
- Theft From Building
- Theft From Motor Vehicle
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Stolen Property Offenses
- Vandalism
- Weapon Law Violations
- Drug/Narcotic Violations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Diego safe compared to other places in California?
San Diego is classified as having moderate relative safety in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index. It has an adjusted safety score of 58.62 out of 100 and ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in California.
What is the crime rate in San Diego?
Public offense rates are listed above.
What is San Diego's safety rating?
San Diego's safety rating in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index is 58.62 out of 100, which ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in California. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing, using source-year data through 2025.
What is the safest neighborhood in San Diego?
This profile covers the reporting jurisdiction; consult local sources for neighborhood detail.
Why are some crime statistics locked for San Diego?
Full offense series: state workbook.
How fresh is the monthly crime data on this page?
Monthly figures track FBI CDE source year 2025, the same vintage as the annual table above. A new FBI release typically lags several months; the caption stamps the source year and export date. Values can revise when the FBI re-publishes. Full monthly series for San Diego are downloadable as JSON and CSV.
Why does the monthly chart move so much?
Monthly counts are small numbers, a difference of a few reports swings the bar. Reporting practice, staffing, and seasonal patterns all move single months. Read the 12-month direction in the trajectory line, not one bar. This profile measures the reporting jurisdiction only; it cannot rank neighborhoods within San Diego.
What does the clearance rate on this page mean?
It divides 2025 reports cleared by 2025 reports received for that offense, including clearances of earlier reports, so it is a workload snapshot, not a guarantee a given case is solved. In San Diego, violent offenses clear at far higher rates than property offenses (homicide 100%, larceny-theft 4.9%). Monthly clearance detail is not published yet.
Reading notes
Safety Atlas methodology · 2026 coverage report
Cite This Public Safety Profile
Citation formats:
Primary Source Data Integrity
- Crime Counts: FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database.
- Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimate boundaries.
- Methodology: Adjusted per-capita normalization with small-sample relief controls. View our complete Methodology Documentation.