RSM Named No. 1 Safest Place To Live In CA, Report Finds

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Rancho Santa Margarita recently took the number one spot as the safest California city to live in, according to a recent study published by Moving Waldo.

The study, titled Top 10 Safest Cities in California With Best Quality of Life 2023, was released this month and the ranking of cities was based on three of the following criteria: violent-crime rate, property crime rate and total crime rate.

Statistics come from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program and Neighborhood Scouts, the study said.

According to the FBI, The UCR Program “includes data from more than 18,000 city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. Agencies participate voluntarily and submit their crime data either through a state UCR program or directly to the FBI’s UCR Program."

Rancho Santa Margarita clinched its place at the top of the list thanks to its violent and property crime rate of 1.32 per 1,000, which is significantly lower than that average violent and property crime rate in California, the study said.

"Living in Rancho Santa Margarita offers it's residents a quiet suburban feeling with many coffee shops and parks," the study said. "Most people are homeowners in Rancho Santa Margarita and the public schools are highly rated."

For the full rundown on the top 10 safest cities in California, read the full study on Moving Waldo.