The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Downey, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D
Property Crime Grade	D
Other Crime Grade	A-

Which crimes are included?

$50.9 million

Cost of Crime™ for Downey, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,419 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Downey 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 Downey, CA Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Downey's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Downey sits in the 34th percentile, ahead of 34% of cities and behind 66%. The grade covers only Downey's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Downey is 30.10 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 25 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 38 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Downey, CA report the most crime, about 507 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 194 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Downey, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Downey for 2025 is $50,934,823, about $435 per resident and $1,419 per household. That equals 1.2% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 36.2%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Downey Compared to Other Cities?

Downey, CA:	$435
Lodi, CA:	$1387
Rescue, CA:	$213
California:	$491
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Downey is $435 per year, which is $29 less than the national average and $55 less than California's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Downey:

In Lodi, CA, crime costs $1,387 per person, which is $952 more than in Downey.
In Rescue, CA, crime costs $213 per person, which is $222 less than in Downey

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Downey for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Downey	Cost per Downey Resident
Murder	$7.28 million	$62
Rape/Sexual Assault	$3.52 million	$30
Robbery	$3.35 million	$29
Assault	$10.8 million	$92
Kidnapping	$804,827	$7
Vehicle Theft	$11.1 million	$95
Burglary	$2.22 million	$19
Theft	$7.59 million	$65
Arson	$519,251	$4
Vandalism	$1.77 million	$15
Animal Cruelty	$9,368	$0
Drug Crimes	$1.60 million	$14
Identity Theft	$373,350	$3
Total Cost of Crime	$50,934,823	$435

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Downey, 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 Downey totals $69,841,724 ($597 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $120,776,548 ($1,033 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 east part of the city 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 Downey has 17, do the same, and of Downey's 116,965 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 Downey, CA at ISP Reports.

Downey 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 Downey residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.215
Robbery	0.9113
Rape	0.4970
Murder	0.0331
Total Violent Crime	4.656 (D)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	12.54
Vehicle Theft	6.125
Burglary	2.088
Arson	0.1838
Total Property Crime	20.93 (D)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1135
Drug Crimes	1.853
Vandalism	2.117
Identity Theft	0.4124
Animal Cruelty	0.0108
Total "Other" Rate	4.506 (A-)

Individual Downey Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Downey is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Downey.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Bell Gardens, CA	C	D	C-
Santa Fe Springs, CA	D	D	D-
Paramount, CA	D+	D-	D
Cudahy, CA	C	D	D+
Bellflower, CA	C-	D	D
Norwalk, CA	C	C-	D+
South Gate, CA	D+	D	D
Bell, CA	C	D+	D+
Lynwood, CA	D+	D-	D
Pico Rivera, CA	C-	C-	D

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Downey is similar versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Philadelphia, PA	C+	B-	B-
Pharr, TX	D-	D-	D-
Modesto, CA	D	D	D
Mechanicsburg, PA	A	A+	A+
Minneapolis, MN	D+	C	C
Middletown, OH	C	B-	B-
Maryville, TN	B-	D+	D+
Mission, TX	D	D	D
Melbourne, FL	A	A-	A-
McKinney, TX	C	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, Downey is as safe as the California state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Downey, CA average SchoolGrade of D, with 25% actual proficiency versus 31% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Downey 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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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.