The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Contra Costa County, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Contra Costa County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Contra Costa County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Contra Costa County, CA Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

C+
C-
Other Crime Grade
A+

$568.7 million

Cost of Crime™ for Contra Costa County, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,378 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Contra Costa County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Contra Costa County, CA Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Contra Costa County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Contra Costa County sits in the 58th percentile, ahead of 58% of counties and behind 42%. The grade covers only Contra Costa County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Contra Costa County is 27.70 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 32 in the northwest areas to 1 in 63 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the south parts of Contra Costa County, CA report the most crime, about 5,850 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 1,719 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Contra Costa County, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Contra Costa County for 2025 is $568,708,533, about $474 per resident and $1,378 per household. That equals 0.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 50.6%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 38.3%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.1%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Contra Costa County Compared to Other Counties?

Contra Costa County, CA: $474
San Francisco County, CA: $1016
Placer County, CA: $320
California: $491
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Contra Costa County is $474 per year, which is $9 more than the national average and $17 less than California's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Contra Costa County:
  • In San Francisco County, CA, crime costs $1,016 per person, which is $543 more than in Contra Costa County.
  • In Placer County, CA, crime costs $320 per person, which is $154 less than in Contra Costa County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Contra Costa County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Contra Costa County
Cost per Contra Costa County Resident
Murder
$172.4 million
$144
Rape/Sexual Assault
$35.3 million
$29
Robbery
$42.8 million
$36
Assault
$70.6 million
$59
Kidnapping
$9.79 million
$8
Vehicle Theft
$89.6 million
$75
Burglary
$31.2 million
$26
Theft
$72.6 million
$60
Arson
$7.61 million
$6
Vandalism
$19.4 million
$16
Animal Cruelty
$104,587
$0
Drug Crimes
$14.3 million
$12
Identity Theft
$3.15 million
$3
Total Cost of Crime
$568,708,533
$474

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Contra Costa County, CA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Contra Costa County totals $1,352,618,147 ($1,126 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,921,326,681 ($1,600 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The south part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Contra Costa County has 123, do the same, and of Contra Costa County's 1,201,012 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Contra Costa County, CA at ISP Reports.

Contra Costa County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Contra Costa County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
2.045
Robbery
1.134
Rape
0.4845
Murder
0.0764
Total Violent Crime
3.740 (C+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
11.67
Vehicle Theft
4.817
Burglary
2.865
Arson
0.2623
Total Property Crime
19.61 (C-)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1345
Drug Crimes
1.608
Vandalism
2.256
Identity Theft
0.3391
Animal Cruelty
0.0118
Total "Other" Rate
4.349 (A+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Contra Costa County is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Contra Costa County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C
D+
D+
C+
C-
D+
F
F
F
C
D+
D
C+
C
D+
C-
D-
D
D+
F
D-
B
C-
C-
C
D
D+
B
C
C

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Contra Costa County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
D+
B-
B-
B-
A+
A+
D
C
C
B-
C
C
C
C
C
B+
A+
A+
B+
B
B
A+
A+
A+
D+
C+
C+
D-
D-
D-

Considering only the crime rate, Contra Costa County is safer than the California state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Contra Costa County, CA average SchoolGrade of B-, with 40% actual proficiency versus 42% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Contra Costa County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 15 minutes in Contra Costa County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Contra Costa County, CA

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.