Vega Baja is an unincorporated community of 41,900 in Vega Baja Municipio, about 19 miles west of downtown San Juan · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Vega Baja?
Vega Baja earns an A for property crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 66% of Americans live. Theft makes up 38% 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 892 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
66% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Vega Baja as a whole, and 34% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Vega Baja scores 892.
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 Vega Baja, PR at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Vega Baja, 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 Vega Baja
Thefts and car thefts both run low. In Vega Baja, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 2.9 thefts and 0.76 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 2.7 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Vega Baja
Every part of Vega Baja where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Vega Baja run from A+ to A-.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Villa de la Playa, northwestClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A908
2Urbanizacion San Demetrio, Barriada Sandin & Urbanizacion Guarico, northClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A898
3Estancias de Tortuguero & Brisas de Tortuguero, westClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A893
4Alturas de Vega Baja & Parcelas Amadeo, southClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A891
5Brisas del Rosario, southeastClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A883
6Urbanizacion Ojo de Agua & Jardines de Vega Baja, centralClose to the rest of Vega Baja on most crimes.A876
Neighborhood areas of Vega Baja, 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.
Property crime rates and types in Vega Baja
CrimeGrade™ estimates Vega Baja has about 7.6 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 68% less than the US as a whole and close to Puerto Rico.
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 Vega Baja, about 38% 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.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Vega Baja and nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to Vega Baja, 9 have less property crime. Montebello and Morovis have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Vega Baja. 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, Vega Baja is safer than 81% of them.
Parking lots, empty homes and walkability in Vega Baja
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Vega Baja apart: it has 0.1 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 17.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with little parking-lot space tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 99% 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.17.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% 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. 78% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (22 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 66% 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.8.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 73% 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.86% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 65% 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.23% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 61% 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 Vega Baja
Property crime costs Vega Baja about $2.5 million a year, or $60 per resident and about $151 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
$660,000
$16
Theft
$620,000
$15
Vehicle theft
$490,000
$12
Arson
$120,000
$3
Vandalism
$600,000
$14
Total
$2.5 million
$60
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. Vega Baja is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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.
