California’s Safest Small Cities

Rising crime is a top concern for voters. Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed $255 million in grants for local law enforcement and the creation of a new Smash and Grab Enforcement Unit to combat organized retail theft. Cities across the state are also taking measures to reduce crime by beefing up police patrols and studying the feasibility of having city attorneys prosecute misdemeanor crimes.

Smaller cities tend to feel relatively safe, but how much safer depends on where you go.

According to a new analysis from MoneyGeek, small cities and towns are about twice as safe as big cities. The median cost of crime in cities and towns with populations between 30,000 and 100,000 was $640. For cities with populations over 100,000, the median cost of crime was $1,320.

MoneyGeek also compiled rankings of the safest small cities in each state. See a list of California’s below.

California’s 25 Safest Small Cities

1. Rancho Santa Margarita
2. Danville
3. Yorba Linda
4. Mission Viejo
5. San Ramon
6. Los Gatos
7. Poway
8. Camarillo
9. Lincoln
10. Rancho Palos Verdes
11. Oakley
12. Dana Point
13. Folsom
14. Cupertino
15. Chino Hills
16. Diamond Bar
17. Cypress
18. La Quinta
19. Foster City
20. Manhattan Beach
21. Central Marin
22. Wildomar
23. Fountain Valley
24. Menlo Park
25. Laguna Niguel

List and data were compiled by MoneyGeek and do not reflect statistics on all California cities.