Walnut Creek is a city of 90,200 in Contra Costa County, about 20 miles northeast of downtown San Francisco · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Walnut Creek?
Property crime in Walnut Creek runs higher than in most US neighborhoods: a B+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live. Theft makes up 65% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B+, and vehicle theft grades B+.
B+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 721 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
36% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Walnut Creek 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-. Walnut Creek scores 721.
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 Walnut Creek, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Walnut Creek, 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 Walnut Creek
One part of Walnut Creek stands out for burglary. Burglaries in Downtown Walnut Creek & Buena Vista, in west Walnut Creek, run at about double the rate in the rest of the city.
Thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages far more often than nationally. In Walnut Creek, 63% of reported thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages, against 31% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Walnut Creek
Low property crime is the norm across Walnut Creek: 76% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 1% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Walnut Creek run from A to D+.
76%23%
A or B 76%C 23%D or F 1%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Northgate & Rancho San Miguel, eastBurglaries run at about half the rate in the rest of Walnut Creek.A854
2Woodlands, Diablo Shadows & Scottsdale, northeastCar thefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.A-787
3Parkmead & Saranap, southwestBurglaries run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B+755
4Walnut Heights, southBurglaries run about 30% higher here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B+706
5Diablo Hills, centralCar thefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B691
6Pleasant Valley & Bancroft Village, northCar thefts run about 90% higher here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B654
7Downtown Walnut Creek & Buena Vista, westCar thefts run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B-599
8Larkey Park, northwestThefts run about 90% higher here than in the rest of Walnut Creek.B-560
Neighborhood areas of Walnut Creek, 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 Walnut Creek?
Reported property crime in Walnut Creek has fallen 21% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 36 to 28 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
Walnut CreekUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Walnut Creek. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Walnut Creek
Property, US
2016
-14%
+15%
2017
-7%
+12%
2018
-10%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-18%
-8%
2021
-22%
-10%
2022
-14%
-6%
2023
-24%
-7%
2024
-21%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Walnut Creek
CrimeGrade™ estimates Walnut Creek has about 29 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 20% more than 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 Walnut Creek, about 65% 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.
Where and when property crime happens in Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Walnut Creek, 36% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often in parking lots and garages: 48% of them, against 23% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (43%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (48%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (63%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Parking lots and garages (36%)
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 Walnut Creek and nearby cities
Walnut Creek has more property crime than 6 of its 9 nearest cities. Diablo and Moraga have the least property crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Walnut Creek. 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, Walnut Creek has more property crime than 71% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Walnut Creek apart: it has 2.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 74 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. It also combines many jobs with busy transit: places with both tend to report more theft than places with only one of them, and it runs high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 89% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.74 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 89% 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. 79% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (20 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 59% 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 Walnut Creek: D+ (19 of 100).8 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 81% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 73% 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.30% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 68% 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 Walnut Creek
Property crime costs Walnut Creek about $17 million a year, or $194 per resident and about $428 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
$2.7 million
$30
Theft
$8.6 million
$96
Vehicle theft
$3.4 million
$38
Arson
$130,000
$1
Vandalism
$2.6 million
$29
Total
$17 million
$194
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.
