10 California Cities Ranked As Safest In The State

CALIFORNIA — Out of the Golden State's 1,345 cities, 10 were named the state's safest cities in 2021, according to crime statistics analyzed by SafeWise.

SafeWise, a security product review platform, ranked more than 50 cities in 2021 using recent crime statistics and data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. SafeWise also included demographic information and the results of its State of Safety research study.

"California is one of just a handful of states that worries more about violent crime than any other safety issue," said Rebecca Edwards, lead safety reporter for SafeWise. "And the state’s violent crime rate is higher than the national average."

The rankings are intended to highlight cities with low crime rates and to inspire municipalities to talk about how they can make cities safer, according to the SafeWise website.

"The good news is that California’s safest cities boast much lower crime rates—76% of them reported fewer than 100 total violent crimes," Edwards said. "That’s especially impactful when you consider that the average population of these cities is around 76,000."

Here Are The 10 Safest Cities In California,

1. Danville
2. Rancho Santa Margarita
3. Moorpark
4. Rancho Palos Verdes.
5. Aliso Viejo
6. Lake Forest
7. Yorba Linda
8. Laguna Niguel
9. Mission Viejo
10. Lincoln

See if your city made the full list.

The top five on the list are nearly identical to last year's top five, according to Edwards.

"Rancho Palos Verdes is the only newbie, moving up to number four from six last year," she said. "It’s common to see a number one city repeat, but to have just about the whole top five hold onto their spots is impressive.”

Among Californians surveyed by SafeWise, 56 percent said that they feel a high daily level of concern for their safety. California — the most populous state — also ranked second in the country for the highest concern over the coronavirus, according to SafeWise.

Coronavirus seems to have taken a toll on residents and how safe they feel. Some 54 percent of Golden State residents said their personal safety was hindered by the pandemic.

The Golden State also ranked second in the nation for fears of gun violence and police violence, as well as fifth in the nation for concern over violent crimes.

Nevertheless, 40 percent of Californians surveyed said they feel safe in the state.

Violent crime is a concern for 54 percent of Californians, and for good reason. California has a higher violent crime rate than the United States as a whole, according to SafeWise data. Fortunately, in 2020, crime rates did dip slightly.

So what crimes do Californians most worry about?

The top concerns are package theft, property crime, violent crime and gun violence, according to SafeWise. Despite the fear, just about 25 percent use personal protection such as a stun gun or a pepper spray.

Across the Golden State, there were more than 105,000 cases of aggravated assault in 2020. And there was a higher percentage of rape in the safest cities (13 percent) than across the state (9 percent).

In 2020, some 61 percent said they worried about police violence daily; 48 percent of Californians said they had confidence in law enforcement. There were 294 California officer-involved shootings in 2020.

The good news is that all of the 50 safest cities in California ranked by SafeWise have violent crime rates below state, regional and national averages.

Check out the full report from SafeWise here.