Compton is a city of 98,300 in Los Angeles County, about 11 miles south of downtown Los Angeles · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Compton?
Property crime is high in Compton: an F, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 92% of Americans live. Theft makes up 38% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades C, and vehicle theft grades F.
F
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 0 of 1,000More property crime than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
8% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Compton as a whole, and 92% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Compton scores 0.
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 Compton, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Compton, 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 Compton
One part of Compton stands out for burglary. Burglaries in North West Long Beach, in southeast Compton, run at about double the rate in the rest of the city.
Car thefts and arsons both run high. In Compton, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 12.0 car thefts and 0.70 arsons a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 and 0.12 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Compton
High property crime is widespread across Compton: 97% of residents live in areas graded D or F, and the rest in areas graded C. Property crime grades across Compton run from C- to F.
97%
C 3%D or F 97%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Rancho Dominguez, southCar thefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Compton.D+302
2North West Long Beach, southeastCar thefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Compton.D229
3West Rancho Domingues, westCar thefts run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Compton.F0
Neighborhood areas of Compton, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is property crime going up in Compton?
Reported property crime in Compton has risen 25% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 25 to 31 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
ComptonUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Compton. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Compton
Property, US
2016
+5%
+15%
2017
+8%
+12%
2018
+8%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-4%
-8%
2021
-3%
-10%
2022
+11%
-6%
2023
+38%
-7%
2024
+25%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Compton
CrimeGrade™ estimates Compton has about 41 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 73% more than the US as a whole and 49% more than 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.
Theft is the most common property crime in Compton, about 38% of the total, followed by vehicle theft and vandalism.
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.
The Compton Police Department reports to the FBI in a format that leaves out vandalism, so CrimeGrade™ makes its own vandalism estimate.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Compton and nearby cities
Compton has less property crime than 7 of its 10 nearest cities.
Density, night lighting and walkability in Compton
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Compton apart: it has 86% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and a Walk Grade of C (35 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more car theft, and it runs high here.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.86% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 94% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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.C (35 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 85% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 78% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Compton: C- (30 of 100).6 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 76% 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.4.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 71% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Compton on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
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 Compton
Property crime costs Compton about $37 million a year, or $380 per resident and about $1,438 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
$3.6 million
$37
Theft
$7.8 million
$79
Vehicle theft
$18 million
$184
Arson
$1.6 million
$17
Vandalism
$6.2 million
$63
Total
$37 million
$380
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.
