County safety report
Santa Barbara County Crime & Safety Report
FBI UCR violent crime, property crime, total crime rate, and safety score for Santa Barbara County, California.
Primary safety signal
16
out of 100, higher means lower reported crime
Rating
Elevated Reported Crime
Total crime
2351.4
State rank
#31
Violent crime
384.5
per 100K residents
Near national average
Property crime
1966.9
per 100K residents
Near national average
Total crime
2351.4
per 100K residents
Near national average
State rank
#31
of 58 scored counties
1 = safest in state
Crime Statistics
Safety score
16
Elevated Reported Crime
Higher scores indicate lower reported county-level crime.
Total crime rate
FBI UCR incidents per 100,000 residents, compared with the national benchmark.
2351.4
Near national average
National total crime benchmark: 2335.1 per 100K
Violent crime
384.5
National avg 380.7
Property crime
1966.9
National avg 1954.4
State rank
#31
of 58 counties, 1 = safest
State average safety score: 20/100. State average total crime rate: 2355.0 per 100K.
Local interpretation
What the crime data means for Santa Barbara County
These reads compare Santa Barbara County with California county averages and national FBI UCR benchmarks. They are county-level signals, not neighborhood-level guarantees.
Safety score
16/100
4 points below the California county average
State rank
#31
of 58 scored California counties, where #1 is safest
Safer than
47%
of scored counties in California by safety score
Reporting
Partial
15 agencies in the current record
Benchmark table
Rates are incidents per 100,000 residents.
| Metric | Santa Barbara County | California avg | U.S. benchmark | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total crime | 2351.4 | 2355.0 | 2335.1 | Within 5% of national benchmark. |
| Violent crime | 384.5 | 469.0 | 380.7 | Within 5% of national benchmark. |
| Property crime | 1966.9 | 1886.0 | 1954.4 | Within 5% of national benchmark. |
Crime mix
Property crime drives the profile
Property crime accounts for the larger reported rate at 1966.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 384.5 for violent crime.
Reporting quality
Partial reporting coverage
Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county.
15 reporting agencies are represented for 2022. Use the rates as a directional county benchmark and verify city-level police data before making a decision.
How to use this county report
Verify neighborhood property risk
County-level property crime is not a block-level measure. Check city or sheriff incident maps for the specific address area.
Read violent crime as a county benchmark
The violent-crime rate is useful for county comparison, but it does not replace neighborhood-level data or recent local incident trends.
Use the state rank as a first filter
The state rank helps screen counties quickly. Pair it with housing, schools, health, and risk data before making a move or investment decision.
Account for reporting limits
Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the reported crime rate in Santa Barbara County, CA?
How does Santa Barbara County compare with the California average?
How does Santa Barbara County compare with the national benchmark?
What does the safety score mean for Santa Barbara County?
Is violent crime or property crime the larger signal in Santa Barbara County?
What does partial FBI coverage mean for Santa Barbara County?
Counties with Similar Safety Profile
Data Sources
Crime data sourced from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (UCR) and County Health Rankings. Safety scores are derived composite metrics.
Data is informational only. Not legal or security advice. Coverage varies by county and reporting year.