Crime in East Palo Alto, California

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In East Palo Alto, however, property crimes account for only about 79% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in East Palo Alto than it is nationwide. There were 533 property crimes in East Palo Alto in 2019, or 1,796 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in East Palo Alto. There were 360 larcenies reported in East Palo Alto in 2019, or 1,213 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 67 break-ins reported in East Palo Alto in 2019, or 226 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In East Palo Alto, meanwhile, there were 106 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 357 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In East Palo Alto, however, violent offenses account for a larger 21% share of all reported crime.

At 485 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in East Palo Alto is above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in East Palo Alto reported a total of 144 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in East Palo Alto. There were 64 aggravated assaults reported in East Palo Alto in 2019, or 216 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is higher, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 57 robberies reported in East Palo Alto in 2019, a rate of 192 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 22 rapes reported in East Palo Alto in 2019, or 74 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There was one homicide reported in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in East Palo Alto is 3.4 for every 100,000 people, lower than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.