Sparks is the fifth-largest city in Nevada, with 114,400 residents in Washoe County, about 5 miles northeast of downtown Reno · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Sparks?
Property crime in Sparks runs higher than in most US neighborhoods: a B+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live. Theft makes up 62% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades A-.
B+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 718 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
36% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Sparks as a whole, and 64% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Sparks scores 718.
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 Sparks, NV at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Sparks, 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 Sparks
Car thefts run high in East Reno, Northeast & Crestgate Pyramid. In this part of west Sparks, they run at about triple the rate in the rest of Sparks.
Thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages more often than nationally. In Sparks, 48% of reported thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages, against 31% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Sparks
Low property crime is the norm across Sparks: 60% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 11% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Sparks run from A+ to F.
60%29%11%
A or B 60%C 29%D or F 11%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Foothill Meadows, northeastCar thefts run at a small fraction of the rate in the rest of Sparks.A-789
2Marina Landing & The Legends at Sparks Marina, southBurglaries run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Sparks.B+716
3Trammell Crow Victorian Square & Lincoln Park, southwestBurglaries run at more than double the rate in the rest of Sparks.B-595
4East Reno, Northeast & Crestgate Pyramid, westThefts run at about double the rate in the rest of Sparks.C+501
Neighborhood areas of Sparks, 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 Sparks?
Reported property crime in Sparks has risen 11% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 23 to 26 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime rose 14%.
Property crime, change since 2019
SparksUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Sparks. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Sparks
Property, US
2016
+8%
+15%
2017
+17%
+12%
2018
+2%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-16%
-8%
2021
+0%
-10%
2022
-11%
-6%
2023
-3%
-7%
2024
+11%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Sparks
CrimeGrade™ estimates Sparks has about 32 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 34% more than the US as a whole and close to Nevada.
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 Sparks, about 62% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
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 Sparks Police Department's 2024 report of burglary had a month far out of line with the rest, a sign of a data-entry error or a catch-up month, so CrimeGrade™ set it aside and used the other months.
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 Sparks
Sparks has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Sparks, 56% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often in parking lots and garages: 37% of them, against 23% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (56%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (37%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (48%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (34%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Sparks and nearby cities
Of the 7 cities closest to Sparks, 6 have less property crime. Cold Springs and Spanish Springs have the least.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, one sets Sparks apart: it has 3.3 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.3 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 89% 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.33% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 71% 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. 75% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (20 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 60% of US city residents
Show all 6
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.98% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 58% 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.6.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 57% 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 Sparks: D- (10 of 100).2 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 57% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Sparks 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 Sparks
Property crime costs Sparks about $25 million a year, or $219 per resident and about $583 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
$2.6 million
$23
Theft
$12 million
$102
Vehicle theft
$5.6 million
$49
Arson
$280,000
$2
Vandalism
$5.0 million
$43
Total
$25 million
$219
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.
