California City is a city of 14,400 in Kern County, about 65 miles east of downtown Bakersfield · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in California City?
Property crime in California City sits near the national middle: an A, safer than the neighborhoods where 60% of Americans live. Theft makes up 28% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A, and vehicle theft grades A.
A
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 868 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
60% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than California City as a whole, and 40% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. California City scores 868.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in California City, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in California City, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in California City
Car thefts happen at homes far more often than nationally. In California City, 59% of reported car thefts happen at homes, against 33% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in California City
Every part of California City where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across California City run from A+ to B.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Is property crime going up in California City?
Reported property crime in California City has fallen 18% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 20 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 15%.
Property crime, change since 2019
California CityUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves California City. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, California City
Property, US
2016
+45%
+15%
2017
+24%
+12%
2018
+40%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-22%
-8%
2021
-25%
-10%
2022
-32%
-6%
2023
-4%
-7%
2024
-18%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in California City
CrimeGrade™ estimates California City has about 28 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 17% more than the US as a whole and close to California.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Vandalism is the most common property crime in California City, about 45% of the total, followed by theft and burglary.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in California City
California City has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In California City, 65% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (65%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (59%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (57%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times; they are over one in five for burglary, car theft, vandalism.
Property crime in California City and nearby cities
California City has less property crime than 2 of its 4 nearest cities; only Boron and Edwards AFB have less.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from California City. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, California City is safer than 57% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set California City apart: it has 9 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 5.4 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.9 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.5.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 90% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 88% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 89% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.80% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 71% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.7.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 65% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs California City
Property crime costs California City about $3.3 million a year, or $227 per resident and about $713 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$480,000
$33
Theft
$570,000
$40
Vehicle theft
$760,000
$52
Arson
$180,000
$13
Vandalism
$1.3 million
$89
Total
$3.3 million
$227
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
