Fremont’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 Fremont.
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 Fremont. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Fremont neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Fremont hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 28 of Fremont’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$137,455 median income
$136,023 median income
$175,070 median income
$153,290 median income
$124,590 median income
$113,400 median income
$195,400 median income
$136,769 median income
$145,809 median income
$123,349 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: $99,122
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Fremont neighborhoods in 2026
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 Fremont:
- 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 Fremont, 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 Fremont.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 28 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Fremont for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Palms | 2,911 | $809,800 | $137,455 |
| 2 | Downtown | 16,325 | $737,436 | $136,023 |
| 3 | East Industrial | 1,301 | $973,300 | $175,070 |
| 4 | Cherry-Guardino | 6,851 | $770,260 | $153,290 |
| 5 | Grimmer | 9,987 | $866,517 | $124,590 |
| 6 | Sundale | 12,275 | $811,500 | $113,400 |
| 7 | Baylands | 1,377 | $973,300 | $195,400 |
| 8 | Canyon Heights | 3,556 | $890,633 | $136,769 |
| 9 | Niles | 7,761 | $990,914 | $145,809 |
| 10 | Centerville | 17,026 | $816,275 | $123,349 |
| 11 | Ardenwood | 16,205 | $876,708 | $167,286 |
| 12 | Parkmont | 6,075 | $960,500 | $133,618 |
| 13 | Brookvale | 7,764 | $944,514 | $152,482 |
| 14 | Cameron Hills | 4,314 | $1,415,625 | $192,058 |
| 15 | Glenmoor | 12,381 | $1,010,000 | $138,213 |
| 16 | Vineyards-Avalon | 5,770 | $1,180,920 | $185,610 |
| 18 | Blacow | 7,996 | $894,400 | $141,064 |
| 18 | Irvington | 11,992 | $954,267 | $130,921 |
| 18 | South Sundale | 6,696 | $869,100 | $126,435 |
| 20 | Lakes And Birds | 4,683 | $604,100 | $142,564 |
| 21 | Mission San Jose | 7,228 | $1,455,220 | $170,913 |
| 22 | Northgate | 12,823 | $1,011,962 | $148,725 |
| 23 | Warm Springs | 10,622 | $1,096,871 | $163,055 |
| 24 | Cabrillo | 12,591 | $888,150 | $134,494 |
| 25 | Mission Hills | 1,880 | $1,482,800 | $220,568 |
| 26 | Kimber-Gomes | 7,038 | $1,375,367 | $194,762 |
| 27 | Weibel | 4,859 | $1,226,250 | $193,204 |
| 28 | Mission Valley | 7,522 | $1,410,450 | $195,136 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 28 Fremont neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Fremont
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Fremont with 28 Palms landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Fremont are 28 Palms, Downtown, East Industrial, Cherry-Guardino, Grimmer, Sundale, Baylands, Canyon Heights, Niles, and Centerville.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Fremont aren’t all bad. Mission Valley takes the cake as the best place to live in Fremont.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Fremont FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Fremont?
28 Palms ranks as the worst neighborhood in Fremont for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Downtown and East Industrial are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Fremont?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Fremont are 28 Palms, Downtown, East Industrial, Cherry-Guardino, Grimmer, Sundale, Baylands, Canyon Heights, Niles, and Centerville. We scored all 28 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does 28 Palms rank as the worst?
28 Palms posts the roughest combined numbers in Fremont: a median household income of $137,455 and a median home value of $809,800, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
