Danville Ranked Safest City In California: Report

DANVILLE, CA — For the fifth year in a row, Danville was ranked the safest city in California by security consulting website Safewise.

Using the most recent FBI crime report statistics, Safewise analyzed the number of reported violent crimes and reported property crimes, and calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city. See here to learn more about the methodology of the report, and here for the full rankings.

Danville, with a population of 44,800, had a violent crime rate of 0.5 crimes per 1,000 people in 2022, and a property crime rate of 5.3 per 1,000 people. Violent crime remained unchanged from 2021, while property crime decreased from 6.6 in 2021 to 5.3 in 2022.

Danville’s stellar ranking comes at an interesting time for the town. For the past few years, Danville has made headlines after a former police officer, Andrew Hall, was convicted of felony assault and sentenced to six years in prison for fatally shooting an unarmed, mentally disabled man in 2018. This was the first time a Contra Costa police officer was charged and found guilty in an on-duty shooting.

Hall also fatally shot Tyrell Wilson in 2021, who was holding a knife. Contra Costa County has paid a total of over $9 million to the families of both of Hall’s victims.

By contrast, Oakland, which ranked at #230, had a violent crime rate of 12.9, and a property crime rate of 51.65. San Francisco, ranked #223, had a violent crime rate of 5.4, and a property crime rate of 43.9. Richmond, ranked #225, had a violent crime rate of 9.6, and a property crime rate of 33.0.

A few miles away, Tri-Valley cities performed much better. Next door, San Ramon, ranked #11, climbing 14 spots from the previous year. Its violent crime rate is 0.7, and property crime rate is 10.4. Pleasanton ranked #33, with a violent crime rate of 1.1 and property crime rate of 14.3. Dublin ranked #36, with a violent crime rate of 1.6, and a property crime rate of 13.2.

Nearby Walnut Creek placed 133rd, with a violent crime rate of 1.3, and a property crime rate of 29.1.

Here are the top 2022 top 10 cities, with respective violent and property crime rates:

1. Danville (0.5, 5.3)
2. Rancho Santa Margarita (0.4, 5.9)
3. Moorpark (0.5, 0.7)
4. Aliso Viejo (0.5, 7.6)
5. Yorba Linda (0.5, 0.6)
6. Laguna Niguel (0.6, 8.7)
7. Poway (1.1, 7.4)
8. Mission Viejo (0.8, 9.0)
9. Rancho Palos Verdes (1.0, 8.1)
10. Thousand Oaks (0.6, 10.4)

Below are the bottom 10:

1. Bakersfield (5.2, 45.2)
2. Berkeley (4.4, 45.2)
3. San Francisco (5.4, 43.9)
4. Santa Monica (6.0, 42.6)
5. Compton (11.8, 23.5)
6. Richmond (9.6, 33.0)
7. Vallejo (9.9, 33.3)
8. Stockton (12.8, 29.8)
9. San Bernardino (14.0, 28.0)
10. Oakland (12.9, 51.65)

*Note: An earlier version of this story stated that Danville was named safest city in the state for the third year in a row. It was the fifth. Patch regrets the error.