Poway is a city of 50,700 in San Diego County, about 19 miles north of downtown San Diego · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Poway?
Poway has less property crime than most US neighborhoods: an A, safer than the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live. Theft makes up 61% 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 907 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Poway as a whole, and 29% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Poway scores 907.
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 Poway, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Poway, 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 Poway
Car thefts are uncommon. Poway has car thefts at less than half the US rate: 0.90 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
Burglaries happen at stores and businesses far more often than nationally. In Poway, 54% of reported burglaries happen at stores and businesses, against 28% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Poway
Every part of Poway where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Poway run from A+ to B+.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Property crime rates and types in Poway
CrimeGrade™ estimates Poway has about 9.8 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 59% less than the US as a whole and 64% less 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 Poway, about 61% of the total, followed by vandalism 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.
The Poway Police Department's 2024 report to the FBI was missing some months of theft and vehicle theft; CrimeGrade™ filled them in from the department's own monthly pattern.
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 Poway
Poway has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Car thefts happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 25% of them, against 27% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (54%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (25%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (38%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (25%)
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 Poway and nearby cities
Poway has less property crime than 8 of its 9 nearest cities; only Rancho Santa Fe has less.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Poway apart: it has 2.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 70 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places with few empty homes tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and vandalism runs low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 92% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.70 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 86% 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. 90% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (14 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 62% 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 Poway: D (13 of 100).under 1 trip an hourUS: noneLower than for 66% 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.88% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 62% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.10.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 53% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Poway 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 Poway
Property crime costs Poway about $3.5 million a year, or $69 per resident and about $202 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
$590,000
$12
Theft
$1.6 million
$31
Vehicle theft
$700,000
$14
Arson
$72,000
$1
Vandalism
$550,000
$11
Total
$3.5 million
$69
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.
