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Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in California

Most Dangerous Cities in California 2026

California is home to many cities with different laws, social environments, and crime patterns. Because of these regional differences, crime rates and public safety conditions can vary significantly from one city or county to another.
Over the past decade, California has reduced its prison population, while crime trends have continued to shift across the state.
Some counties have experienced increases in violent crime and property crime, while others have remained stable or reported declines.
According to crime statistics released by state authorities, overall crime patterns continue to fluctuate between different regions and local communities.
Violent crimes typically include murder, rape, robbery, and assault, while property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
These offenses are commonly used to measure crime rates and rank the most dangerous cities in California.
To ease the countdown, we have created a formula, ((Violent crime+(Murders*10)+Rape+Robbery+Assault+Property crime+Burglary+Larceny-theft+Motor theft+Arson)/Population)*100) for a crime committed per 100 people, based on data by FBI report on 2018 crime statistics. These are the most dangerous cities in California:

10. San Bernardino

San Bernardino may not be one of the state’s largest cities, but it’s one of the places with the least community safety.
There are 217, 986 total population in San Bernardino, and there is a likelihood of violent and property crime, with odds of 1 in 77.
It’s because this region has no strict police protection or laws.
For years, San Bernardino was ranked one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the nation, along with high crime rates.
If you still want to live in this city, District Scout says Devore Heights is the best neighborhood.
Cajon, Arrowhead Springs, Devils Canyon Road, and Del Rosa are also safe areas.
While the local police have tried over recent years to turn things around, San Bernardino is still a hotbed for all kinds of crimes.
If we consider the poorest cities in California per capita, San Bernardino ranks at the bottom.

9. Barstow

It’s a dangerous, boring place, and the worst city without hope.
Barstow is actually three times more dangerous than the state average, which is far higher than the national average itself.
One in 25 people in Barstow gets robbed every year.
What’s more? Its water is contaminated by rocket fuel from the nearby military base.
Barstow can hang its hat on being mentioned in several notable films, including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the Hangover trilogy, not favorably, I guess.

8. Santa Monica

According to 2018 data, Santa Monica is the 8th most dangerous city in California. Although Santa Monica still has a chance of becoming a victim of property crime is 1 in 19.6.
But its crime rates have decreased consistently in both categories in recent years.

7. San Francisco

The second densely populated and fourth biggest city of California is San Francisco, with a population of 889,282.
Although it’s Northern California’s cultural and commercial center, it is also the seventh-worst city in California to live in.
Many people go to the bay area to enjoy the township and see the beauty of the city.
Every year in San Francisco, people in the city have 1 out of 18 likelihood of becoming victims of types of crimes.
This is far more than the national average of crime in the United States (4.9 per 100,000).
The Tenderloin region of the city has the highest overall crime rate, and the entire city is struggling with homeless people.

6. Red Bluff

The Red Bluff is situated at a location 125 miles north of the town of Sacramento, and Residents living in this town are prone to different types of crimes.
12 to 13 per 100 people are likely to be victims of property crime.
The rate of violent crime has also increased by almost 30% between 2017 and 2018.

5. Eureka

Eureka is yet another small town with a very fearsome reputation. You probably expect the city to be quite quiet with around 27,000 people.
Eureka, however, has a wide array of the highest crime rates in California, and 1 in 13 of the city’s population is likely to suffer.
In California, 30 miles north of Sacramento, between 2017 and 2018, Eureka experienced a rising rate of violent crimes.
This linked population has a probability of 1 in 137 of being the victim of violence and 1 in 18.2 of being the victim of robbery or arson in 2018.

4. Signal Hill

Signal Hill is a city-based in the city of Los Angeles County, California. Located high on a hill and completely surrounded by Long Beach City, the city is an enclave.
You have the potential to become a victim of aggravated assault with a probability of 1 in 187.
Murder, rape, robbery, and assault are some of the violent crimes committed. As far as property crime is concerned, you have a 1 in 16 chance from being victimized.

3. Oakland

The fight against crime has become a losing battle in the city over the years.
Although the overall crime rate has declined in recent years, violent crime remains a major problem for the city.
Oakland is not only California’s eighth biggest city but by far the most violent.
This city is also ranked for the most murders by city USA if we consider official murder records (70 in 2018).
1 In 78 of the residents are victims of assault crime in Bump City, a number that has steadily increased, and is ridiculously high.
Oakland’s residents have one in 7.6 odds of being a victim of violence.
Property crime in this city is also on the rise, which means that in the future, we can see Oakland up on the list.
You may wonder why anyone would live in this city with such high crime rates.

2. Commerce

Commerce is a city in southeastern California, Los Angeles County, United States of America.
Ironically, Commerce calls itself a “Model City” but is also one of the safest cities on this list. But this town in the southeast of Los Angeles is highly criminalized.
The good news is that in recent years, violent crimes have fallen by almost 30%, and property crime has also fallen slightly in 2018 to a rate of 1 in 13.

1. Emeryville

Emeryville is the most dangerous city in California. It’s a small city in California’s northwestern Alameda County and located on the border of the San Francisco Bay River, in a corridor between Berkeley and Oakland.
Probably most people will be surprised to see Emeryville as California’s most dangerous town.
But this is the third year in a row, which was at the top of FBI reports (report analysis ranked it at the top in 2015, 2016, and 2017).
It is also the smallest city on this list, with location-wise nearness to the north of Oakland and east of San Francisco.
People face insanely high property crimes at risk of 1 per 6 residents (9 times greater than Los Angeles).
Fortunately, between 2017 and 2018, violent crime decreased by 37%, but 1 in 70 incidents of violence is still disturbing.
The rate of overall violent crime or murder rate is “normal” compared to other towns.

There are many other towns which we could have included on the list.

Please do share this post with your friends on social media as a step towards awareness of your closed ones.

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