County safety report
Santa Cruz County Crime & Safety Report
FBI UCR violent crime, property crime, total crime rate, and safety score for Santa Cruz County, California.
Primary safety signal
15
out of 100, higher means lower reported crime
Rating
Elevated Reported Crime
Total crime
2425.8
State rank
#36
Violent crime
448.7
per 100K residents
Near national average
Property crime
1977.1
per 100K residents
Near national average
Total crime
2425.8
per 100K residents
Near national average
State rank
#36
of 58 scored counties
1 = safest in state
Crime Statistics
Safety score
15
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.
2425.8
Near national average
National total crime benchmark: 2335.1 per 100K
Violent crime
448.7
National avg 380.7
Property crime
1977.1
National avg 1954.4
State rank
#36
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 Cruz County
These reads compare Santa Cruz County with California county averages and national FBI UCR benchmarks. They are county-level signals, not neighborhood-level guarantees.
Safety score
15/100
5 points below the California county average
State rank
#36
of 58 scored California counties, where #1 is safest
Safer than
38%
of scored counties in California by safety score
Reporting
Partial
11 agencies in the current record
Benchmark table
Rates are incidents per 100,000 residents.
| Metric | Santa Cruz County | California avg | U.S. benchmark | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total crime | 2425.8 | 2355.0 | 2335.1 | Within 5% of national benchmark. |
| Violent crime | 448.7 | 469.0 | 380.7 | 18% above national benchmark. |
| Property crime | 1977.1 | 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 1977.1 per 100,000 residents, compared with 448.7 for violent crime.
Reporting quality
Partial reporting coverage
Some local agencies are represented, but the dataset may not include every agency serving the county.
11 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.
Check violent-crime concentration
Violent crime often concentrates in small areas. Review city precinct, sheriff, or state incident maps before treating the county rate as uniform.
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 Cruz County, CA?
How does Santa Cruz County compare with the California average?
How does Santa Cruz County compare with the national benchmark?
What does the safety score mean for Santa Cruz County?
Is violent crime or property crime the larger signal in Santa Cruz County?
What does partial FBI coverage mean for Santa Cruz 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.