Palo Alto, CA Crime Statistics For 2025
Crime Rate In Palo Alto, CA Summary
Crime in Palo Alto research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Palo Alto over the past eight years using the FBI Crime Explorer. Based on the most recently available data released on October 17, 2023, we found the following about crime in Palo Alto:
- There were 2,112 total crimes committed in Palo Alto in the last reporting year.
- On a rate basis, there were 3,245.3 total crimes per 100K people in Palo Alto.
- The overall crime rate in Palo Alto is 53.13% above the national average.
- Palo Alto ranks #396 safest out of 460 cities in California.
- Palo Alto ranks #8,808 safest out of 9,896 cities in the United States.
Because the crime rate is so low in America, we use "per 100,000 people" to make the number a bit easier to compare across locations visually. It's mathematically the same as per capita comparisons and isn't meant to convey that 100,000+ people live in a location.
Additional research about crime in California
- Safest Cities In California
- Most Dangerous Cities In California
- Safest States In The United States
- Safest Cities In The United States
Palo Alto Vs California And National Crime Rates
According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Palo Alto is 3,245.3 per 100,000 people. That's 53.13% higher than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 people and 26.55% higher than the California total crime rate of 2,564.5 per 100,000 people.
| Statistic | Count Raw |
Palo Alto / 100k People |
California / 100k People |
National / 100k People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Crimes Per 100K | 2,112 | 3,245.3 | 2,564.5 | 2,119.2 |
| Murder | 1 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Robbery | 35 | 53.8 | 119.1 | 61.0 |
| Aggravated Assault | 77 | 118.3 | 325.8 | 256.0 |
| Violent Crime | 138 | 212.0 | 486.0 | 359.0 |
| Burglary | 147 | 225.9 | 305.8 | 229.0 |
| Larceny | 1,707 | 2,623.0 | 1,345.2 | 1,272.0 |
| Car Theft | 120 | 184.4 | 427.5 | 259.0 |
| Property Crime | 1,974 | 3,033.2 | 2,078.4 | 1,760.0 |
Palo Alto Crime Compared To California Averages
Data Source -- FBI UCR 2024.
Violent Crime Rates In Palo Alto
Violent Crimes
Violent Crimes / 100k People
Below The National Average
- There were 138 violent crimes in Palo Alto in the last reporting year.
- The violent crime rate in Palo Alto is 212.0 per 100,000 people.
- You have a 1 in 471.6 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Palo Alto each year. That compares to a 1 in 205.8 chance statewide.
- That's -40.93% lower than the national rate of 359.0 per 100,000 people.
- And -56.37% lower than the California violent crime rate of 486.0 per 100,000 people.
Property Crime Rates In Palo Alto
Property Crimes
Property Crimes / 100k People
Above The National Average
- There were 1,974 property crimes in Palo Alto in the last reporting year.
- The property crime rate in Palo Alto is 3,033.2 per 100,000 people.
- You have a 1 in 33.0 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Palo Alto each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
- That's 72.34% higher than the national rate of 1,760.0 per 100,000 people.
- And 45.94% higher than the California property crime rate of 2,078.4 per 100,000 people.
Crime In Cities Around Palo Alto
| City | Population | Count Raw |
Total Crime / 100k People |
Property Crime / 100k People |
Violent Crime / 100k People |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnyvale, CA | 150,893 | 3,250 | 2,153.8 | 1,909.3 | 244.5 |
| San Mateo, CA | 99,929 | 2,125 | 2,126.5 | 1,883.3 | 243.2 |
| Mountain View, CA | 81,461 | 2,509 | 3,080.0 | 2,773.1 | 306.9 |
| Cupertino, CA | 56,375 | 946 | 1,678.0 | 1,566.3 | 111.8 |
| Los Altos, CA | 29,551 | 381 | 1,289.3 | 1,211.5 | 77.8 |
| East Palo Alto, CA | 27,663 | 699 | 2,526.8 | 1,919.5 | 607.3 |
| Belmont, CA | 26,099 | 378 | 1,448.3 | 1,283.6 | 164.8 |
| Los Altos Hills, CA | 8,092 | 33 | 407.8 | 358.4 | 49.4 |
| Atherton, CA | 6,711 | 93 | 1,385.8 | 1,281.5 | 104.3 |
Palo Alto SnackAbility
/10
