National City is a city of 60,500 in San Diego County, about 5 miles southeast of downtown San Diego · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in National City?
Property crime is high in National City: a C+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Theft makes up 40% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B+, and vehicle theft grades D.
C+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 529 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
22% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than National City as a whole, and 78% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. National City scores 529.
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 National City, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in National 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 National City
Theft is a strength. National City grades C+ for property crime, but theft grades A-, better than in the neighborhoods where 56% of Americans live.
Car thefts run high. National City has car thefts at more than double the US rate: 6.3 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in National City
High property crime is widespread across National City: 56% of residents live in areas graded D or F, and 9% in areas graded A or B. Property crime grades across National City run from A- to F.
35%56%
A or B 9%C 35%D or F 56%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Is property crime going up in National City?
Reported property crime in National City peaked in 2021 and has fallen 21% since, back near its 2019 level. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts stayed at about 18 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
National CityUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves National City. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, National City
Property, US
2016
+22%
+15%
2017
+3%
+12%
2018
+4%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+3%
-8%
2021
+25%
-10%
2022
+16%
-6%
2023
+9%
-7%
2024
-1%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in National City
CrimeGrade™ estimates National City has about 24 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as 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.
Theft is the most common property crime in National City, about 40% 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.
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 National City
National City has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In National City, 28% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 54% of them, against 27% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (54%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (45%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (32%)
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.
Property crime in National City and nearby cities
National City has more property crime than 8 of its 10 nearest cities. Bonita and Coronado have the least property crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from National 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, National City has more property crime than 57% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set National City apart: it has 17.1 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 73% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.17.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 93% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.73% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 91% 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+ (44 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 89% of US city residents
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for National City: C- (32 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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 83% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.5 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 58% 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 National City
Property crime costs National City about $13 million a year, or $211 per resident and about $733 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
$1.2 million
$20
Theft
$3.0 million
$49
Vehicle theft
$5.9 million
$97
Arson
$290,000
$5
Vandalism
$2.4 million
$40
Total
$13 million
$211
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.
