Santa Cruz, CA Crime Statistics For 2026

The latest crime statistics for Santa Cruz from FBI data. Includes murder, violent, and property crime rates for Santa Cruz

Crime in Santa Cruz, California

Crime in Santa Cruz research summary. HomeSnacks has been using Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Santa Cruz over the past 9 years using the FBI Crime Explorer. Based on the most recently available data from the FBI's 2024 Uniform Crime Report, we found the following about crime in Santa Cruz:

1,919 Total crimes
3,128.2 Crimes / 100k people
47.61% Vs national average Above The National Average
#384 Safest in California (of 460)
#8,701 Safest in the U.S. (of 9,896)

Additional research about crime in California

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Santa Cruz Vs California And National Crime Rates

According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Santa Cruz is 3,128.2 per 100,000 people. That's 47.61% higher than the national rate of 2,119.2 per 100,000 people and 21.98% higher than the California total crime rate of 2,564.5 per 100,000 people.

Statistic Count
Raw
Santa Cruz
/ 100k People
California
/ 100k People
National
/ 100k People
Total Crimes Per 100K 1,919 3,128.2 2,564.5 2,119.2
Murder 3 4.9 4.5 5.0
Robbery 63 102.7 119.1 61.0
Aggravated Assault 284 462.9 325.8 256.0
Violent Crime 376 612.9 486.0 359.0
Burglary 83 135.3 305.8 229.0
Larceny 1,363 2,221.8 1,345.2 1,272.0
Car Theft 97 158.1 427.5 259.0
Property Crime 1,543 2,515.2 2,078.4 1,760.0

Santa Cruz Crime Compared To California Averages

Murder
Santa Cruz
California avg
Rape
Santa Cruz
California avg
Robbery
Santa Cruz
California avg
Aggravated Assault
Santa Cruz
California avg
Burglary
Santa Cruz
California avg
Larceny
Santa Cruz
California avg
Car Theft
Santa Cruz
California avg
Arson
Santa Cruz
California avg

Each category indexed to the worst per-capita rate in California. Source: FBI UCR 2024.

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2024)

Violent Crime Rates In Santa Cruz

376Violent Crimes
612.9Violent Crimes / 100k People
70.73%Above The National Average
Santa Cruz
US
  • There were 376 violent crimes in Santa Cruz in the last reporting year.
  • The violent crime rate in Santa Cruz is 612.9 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 163.2 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Santa Cruz each year. That compares to a 1 in 205.8 chance statewide.
  • That's 70.73% higher than the national rate of 359.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 26.11% higher than the California violent crime rate of 486.0 per 100,000 people.

Property Crime Rates In Santa Cruz

1,543Property Crimes
2,515.2Property Crimes / 100k People
42.91%Above The National Average
Santa Cruz
US
  • There were 1,543 property crimes in Santa Cruz in the last reporting year.
  • The property crime rate in Santa Cruz is 2,515.2 per 100,000 people.
  • You have a 1 in 39.8 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Santa Cruz each year. That compares to a 1 in 0.0 chance nationally.
  • That's 42.91% higher than the national rate of 1,760.0 per 100,000 people.
  • And 21.02% higher than the California property crime rate of 2,078.4 per 100,000 people.

Crime In Cities Around Santa Cruz

City Population Count
Raw
Total Crime
/ 100k People
Property Crime
/ 100k People
Violent Crime
/ 100k People
Chandler, AZ 281,117 4,604 1,637.8 1,504.4 133.4
Tempe, AZ 191,376 6,438 3,364.1 2,893.8 470.3
Goodyear, AZ 116,892 1,923 1,645.1 1,462.9 182.2
Avondale, AZ 94,911 2,478 2,610.9 2,241.0 369.8
Maricopa, AZ 75,614 827 1,093.7 868.9 224.8
Tolleson, AZ 7,141 726 10,166.6 9,158.4 1,008.3
St. Johns, AZ 3,343 52 1,555.5 927.3 628.2

Santa Cruz SnackAbility

8Overall SnackAbility
Jobs 8/10
Housing 10/10
Affordability 3/10
Diversity 9/10
Safety 4/10
Amenities 9.5/10
Education 9/10
Commute 8/10