California

  • Taken from Crime Trends in California | By Magnus Lofstrom and Brandon Martin | October 2022 | Public Policy Institute of California 
  • The 2021 property crime rate of 2,178 per 100,000 residents remained low, but has ticked up 2.4% from 2020, when it reached the lowest level observed since 1960. 
  • After a 15.3% drop in 2020, larceny rose by 3.0% in 2021. Auto theft continued its 2020 climb, up an additional 7.6% now up by 28.4% compared to 2019. Burglaries dropped by 5.8% now down by 9.7% compared to 2019. 
  • Of all reported property crimes in California in 2021, 63% were larceny thefts, 16% were burglaries, and 21% were auto thefts. Larceny is the unlawful taking of someone else’s personal property, robbery is theft by violence or threat, and burglary is entering a structure with intent to commit a crime. 
  • Property crime rose in 24 counties in 2021 including 7 of the 15 largest. In 13 counties including 2 of the 15 largest the property crime rate jumped by at least 10%. San Francisco saw the largest increase, by 16.9%. 
  • While property crime fell in 8 of the 15 largest counties, the decreases were relatively modest, with Ventura’s 6.3% drop the largest.