Crime in San Diego, California

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In San Diego, property crimes account for only about 84% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in San Diego than it is nationwide. There were 27,141 property crimes in San Diego in 2019, or 1,883 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 San Diego. There were 18,426 larcenies reported in San Diego in 2019, or 1,278 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 3,543 break-ins reported in San Diego in 2019, or 246 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 San Diego, meanwhile, there were 5,172 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 359 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 San Diego, however, violent offenses account for a larger 16% share of all reported crime.

At 362 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in San Diego is below the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in San Diego reported a total of 5,215 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 San Diego. There were 3,258 aggravated assaults reported in San Diego in 2019, or 226 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 1,346 robberies reported in San Diego in 2019, a rate of 93 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 561 rapes reported in San Diego in 2019, or 39 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 50 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in San Diego is 3.5 murders for every 100,000 people, lower than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.