The 10 Safest Cities In California For 2025
The safest cities in California are Holtville and Los Altos Hills for 2025 using Saturday Night Science.
Behind the beautiful beaches, hip cities, and outrageous food, there are certain places in California that are safer than others.
But how exactly is one to tell where the safest places are to live in the Golden State?
Well, data, of course.
And that's where we come in -- we've broken down the safest cities in California based on the most recent FBI data. And at this point, we're quite the experts on ranking safe towns; it's the tenth time we've ranked the safest places in California.
From Los Angeles to San Francisco suburbs, California has much to offer if you're looking for a safe place to put down roots with a family. It's just checking general safety trends before picking a place to live.
Because California is the most populous state in the U.S., narrowing down the safest cities in the Golden State was quite the job. Let's take a look.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table
Here are the 10 safest cities to live in California for 2025:
What city is the safest to live in California for 2025? According to the most recent FBI data, Holtville is the safest place to live in California if you care about low rates of property crime, violent crime, and a high quality of life.
While not everyone can afford to live in California's safest city, Holtville, many other cities in the Golden State are just as safe and comfortable, but that won't break your bank.
So, if you're looking to relocate to sunny California, read how we calculated the safest cities in California for 2025.
For more reading on safe places to live in and around California, check out:
- Safest States In America
- Safest Cities In America
- Best Places To Live In California
- Cheapest Places To Live In California
The 10 Safest Cities In California For 2025
Population: 5,541
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 36 (fourth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 378 (seventh safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Holtville: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 8,092
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 49 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 358 (sixth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Los Altos Hills: Data | Real Estate
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Los Altos Hills is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The Los Altos Hills ZIP code 94022 appeared on the 2017 Forbes list of America's most expensive ZIP codes; 94022 was ranked the 3rd most expensive in the United States, with a median home price of $7,755,000.
And now it can add its most prestigious award yet -- HomeSnacks second safest city in California for 2025.
Can't beat that.
It ranks seventh safest in the state for violent crime and sixth safest for property crime.
Population: 6,020
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 66 (11th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 232 (third safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Calipatria: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 21,980
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 77 (16th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 181 (safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Imperial: Data | Real Estate
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The second best place when it comes to property crime in California goes to Imperial.
Imperial rides that to an overall #1 ranking again this year.
Imperial is a city in Imperial County, California. Imperial is located 4 miles north of El Centro. This region is well known for its abundance of bird species such as dove, quail, ducks, pheasant and geese.
Population: 42,814
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 63 (tenth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 583 (26th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Danville: Data | Real Estate
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The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County and ranks as the fifth safest city for 2025 in CA.
A top ten ranking for violent crime per capita helped it earn this distinction.
And look at the mall in that picture -- doesn't it just ooze safety?
Population: 45,633
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 81 (20th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 523 (17th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Rancho Santa Margarita: Data | Real Estate
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Grab the tequila as we take our next stop of our safe road trip in Rancho Santa Margarita -- the sixth safest city in California this year.
Besides being the city with the most letters in it, Rancho Santa Margarita has very few property crimes for a city of its size. It also offer affordable living for California and plenty to do for the whole family.
And in case you actually thought it was named for the drink, it is named for Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores.
Population: 10,655
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 84 (22nd safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 506 (16th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Clayton: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 16,438
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 91 (27th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 486 (14th safest)
Murders: 1
Murders Per 100k: 6
More on Moraga: Data | Real Estate
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Moraga is the eighth safest place in the Golden State and second city so far to hit a 10 on our SnackAbility Score -- an honor only 5% of over 6,000 cities in America achieve.
Moraga is a suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County, California. It's about as safe for property and violent crime.
Population: 8,762
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 91 (28th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 490 (15th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Guadalupe: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 7,869
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 88 (25th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 533 (19th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Winters: Data | Real Estate
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Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in California for 2025
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in California are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in California.
Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:
- Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
- Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)
For example, there were 23 crimes committed in Holtville, with a reported population of 5,541. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0042, which translates into a 1 in 240 chance of being the victim of a crime.
We only looked at California cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 416 of the biggest cities in California to rank.
We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 416 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.
Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In California," with any ties going to the bigger city.
The safest city in California, based on our criteria, is Holtville. The most dangerous city in California? Commerce, where residents had a 1 in 7 chance of being the victim of a crime.
This article has been update for 2025. This report marks our tenth time ranking the safest places to live in California. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2024 report.
Summary: The Safest Cities In The Golden State
Looking at the data, you can tell that Holtville is as safe as they come in California, according to science and data.
But as most California residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.
The safest places in California are .
Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in California according to the data:
- Commerce
- Oakland
- Crescent City
- Best Places To Raise A Family In California
- Best Places To Buy A House In California
- Best Places To Retire In California
Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In California For 2025?
| Rank | City | Population | Violent Crimes Per 100k | Property Crimes Per 100k | Murders Per 100k | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holtville, CA | 5,541 | 36 | 378 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Los Altos Hills, CA | 8,092 | 49 | 358 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Calipatria, CA | 6,020 | 66 | 232 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Imperial, CA | 21,980 | 77 | 181 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Danville, CA | 42,814 | 63 | 583 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 45,633 | 81 | 523 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Clayton, CA | 10,655 | 84 | 506 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Moraga, CA | 16,438 | 91 | 486 | 6 | 1 |
| 9 | Guadalupe, CA | 8,762 | 91 | 490 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Winters, CA | 7,869 | 88 | 533 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Villa Park, CA | 5,611 | 35 | 712 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Foster City, CA | 31,680 | 69 | 669 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Canyon Lake, CA | 11,100 | 45 | 756 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Saratoga, CA | 29,185 | 89 | 599 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Palos Verdes Estates, CA | 12,432 | 24 | 788 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Lincoln, CA | 56,152 | 96 | 560 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Newman, CA | 12,146 | 115 | 428 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Hillsborough, CA | 10,728 | 93 | 680 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Orinda, CA | 19,314 | 56 | 880 | 5 | 1 |
| 20 | Bear Valley, CA | 5,467 | 164 | 256 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Moorpark, CA | 35,312 | 99 | 713 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Yorba Linda, CA | 65,469 | 93 | 765 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Poway, CA | 47,808 | 133 | 583 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Laguna Woods, CA | 16,797 | 59 | 893 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Calexico, CA | 38,106 | 146 | 535 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Hughson, CA | 7,747 | 167 | 413 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Solvang, CA | 5,923 | 67 | 928 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Rancho Palos Verdes, CA | 39,289 | 91 | 883 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Hercules, CA | 26,739 | 168 | 673 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Lake Forest, CA | 85,811 | 145 | 829 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Tiburon, CA | 8,751 | 45 | 1,119 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Aliso Viejo, CA | 49,674 | 134 | 867 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | La Habra Heights, CA | 5,273 | 170 | 682 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Agoura Hills, CA | 19,229 | 124 | 894 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Laguna Niguel, CA | 62,363 | 126 | 904 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Mill Valley, CA | 13,658 | 95 | 1,003 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | San Marino, CA | 11,816 | 33 | 1,176 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Fairfax, CA | 7,362 | 108 | 964 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | St. Helena, CA | 5,224 | 172 | 746 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Simi Valley, CA | 124,707 | 129 | 923 | 2 | 3 |
| 41 | San Ramon, CA | 84,452 | 86 | 1,113 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Thousand Oaks, CA | 122,363 | 102 | 1,020 | 2 | 3 |
| 43 | Wildomar, CA | 37,145 | 102 | 1,020 | 2 | 1 |
| 44 | Pacific Grove, CA | 14,649 | 143 | 907 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Fillmore, CA | 17,428 | 189 | 665 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | Sierra Madre, CA | 10,544 | 208 | 597 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Ripon, CA | 16,053 | 168 | 865 | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | Menifee, CA | 117,055 | 182 | 798 | 0 | 1 |
| 49 | Chino Hills, CA | 76,802 | 138 | 975 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | Rocklin, CA | 74,048 | 164 | 903 | 1 | 1 |
| 51 | Oakley, CA | 46,548 | 146 | 966 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Rio Vista, CA | 10,191 | 245 | 382 | 9 | 1 |
| 53 | Los Altos, CA | 29,551 | 77 | 1,211 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | Benicia, CA | 26,207 | 133 | 1,030 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | Arroyo Grande, CA | 18,179 | 198 | 753 | 11 | 2 |
| 56 | San Marcos, CA | 93,974 | 222 | 659 | 1 | 1 |
| 57 | Laguna Beach, CA | 22,115 | 167 | 949 | 0 | 0 |
| 58 | Waterford, CA | 9,387 | 181 | 884 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | Solana Beach, CA | 12,592 | 103 | 1,167 | 0 | 0 |
| 60 | Mission Viejo, CA | 89,699 | 99 | 1,186 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | Lafayette, CA | 24,934 | 80 | 1,267 | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | Dana Point, CA | 32,405 | 185 | 873 | 0 | 0 |
| 63 | Soledad, CA | 23,708 | 257 | 527 | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | Santee, CA | 59,351 | 254 | 571 | 3 | 2 |
| 65 | Windsor, CA | 25,660 | 233 | 732 | 0 | 0 |
| 66 | San Juan Capistrano, CA | 34,620 | 164 | 1,077 | 5 | 2 |
| 67 | Atascadero, CA | 29,685 | 178 | 970 | 3 | 1 |
| 68 | Murrieta, CA | 112,125 | 183 | 943 | 0 | 1 |
| 69 | Camarillo, CA | 69,115 | 128 | 1,190 | 1 | 1 |
| 70 | Kensington, CA | 5,398 | 111 | 1,241 | 0 | 0 |
| 71 | Ione, CA | 5,531 | 289 | 415 | 0 | 0 |
| 72 | Irvine, CA | 316,764 | 83 | 1,389 | 1 | 5 |
| 73 | Firebaugh, CA | 8,698 | 229 | 850 | 0 | 0 |
| 74 | Atherton, CA | 6,711 | 104 | 1,281 | 0 | 0 |
| 75 | Orange Cove, CA | 9,448 | 306 | 306 | 0 | 0 |
| 76 | Santa Clarita, CA | 221,303 | 165 | 1,176 | 0 | 2 |
| 77 | Encinitas, CA | 60,461 | 215 | 941 | 1 | 1 |
| 78 | Ojai, CA | 7,412 | 269 | 769 | 0 | 0 |
| 79 | Beaumont, CA | 60,294 | 204 | 1,018 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | Sonoma, CA | 10,583 | 179 | 1,152 | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | Cotati, CA | 7,377 | 203 | 1,043 | 0 | 0 |
| 82 | Pacifica, CA | 35,759 | 145 | 1,305 | 0 | 0 |
| 83 | Paradise, CA | 9,809 | 285 | 693 | 10 | 1 |
| 84 | King City, CA | 14,112 | 290 | 687 | 0 | 0 |
| 85 | La Canada Flintridge, CA | 19,229 | 88 | 1,518 | 0 | 0 |
| 86 | Gustine, CA | 6,086 | 230 | 969 | 0 | 0 |
| 87 | Belmont, CA | 26,099 | 164 | 1,283 | 3 | 1 |
| 88 | Calabasas, CA | 21,897 | 159 | 1,306 | 0 | 0 |
| 89 | Temple City, CA | 34,359 | 221 | 1,053 | 11 | 4 |
| 90 | Morro Bay, CA | 10,532 | 294 | 788 | 0 | 0 |
| 91 | Kingsburg, CA | 13,218 | 166 | 1,331 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | Orland, CA | 8,068 | 285 | 867 | 0 | 0 |
| 93 | Rolling Hills Estates, CA | 7,958 | 100 | 1,545 | 0 | 0 |
| 94 | Los Gatos, CA | 31,828 | 147 | 1,432 | 0 | 0 |
| 95 | San Clemente, CA | 61,692 | 183 | 1,267 | 1 | 1 |
| 96 | Elk Grove, CA | 179,074 | 189 | 1,231 | 1 | 3 |
| 97 | Patterson, CA | 25,491 | 274 | 957 | 0 | 0 |
| 98 | Cupertino, CA | 56,375 | 111 | 1,566 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | Laguna Hills, CA | 29,895 | 234 | 1,130 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 | Sausalito, CA | 6,945 | 71 | 1,742 | 0 | 0 |
Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In California
Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.
He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.
If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.
You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.
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