Downtown Waterford is a neighborhood of 3,530 residents in Waterford, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Downtown Waterford in Waterford safe?
Crime in Downtown Waterford is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 66% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Downtown Waterford. Violent crime grades A- and property crime B. Waterford as a whole grades A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A- to B+; see the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 729 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
34% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Downtown Waterford as a whole, and 66% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Downtown Waterford scores 729.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Downtown Waterford, Waterford, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Downtown Waterford in Waterford, 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
Crime rates and types in Downtown Waterford
CrimeGrade™ estimates Downtown Waterford has about 31 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 16% less than the US as a whole and 37% more than Waterford as a whole.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft makes up about 36% of crime reported in Downtown Waterford. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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.
How Downtown Waterford compares with nearby neighborhoods
Downtown Waterford has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only Crossroads-Riverbank and Mayfield have less.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Downtown Waterford. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, Downtown Waterford is safer than 63% of them.
Night lighting, empty homes and walkability in Downtown Waterford
One thing sets Downtown Waterford apart: it has 3.2% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, yet vandalism runs higher here than that would suggest.
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%Lower than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 86% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 and assault.B- (53 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 66% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Downtown Waterford: D+ (21 of 100).2 trips an hourUS: noneLower than for 83% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 crime costs Downtown Waterford
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Downtown Waterford about $1,169 a year per household, about the same as the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $3.7 million a year, or $1,054 per resident.
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Downtown Waterford means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
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.
Schools in Downtown Waterford, Waterford, CA average a SchoolGrade of C: 31% of students test proficient, against 27% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Downtown Waterford on SchoolGrade
