The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Foothill Ranch, CA
Foothill Ranch is a city of 19,600 in Orange County, about 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles · Updated November 2026
Is Foothill Ranch, CA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Foothill Ranch has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 911 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Foothill Ranch as a whole, and 29% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Foothill Ranch scores 911.
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 Foothill Ranch, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Foothill Ranch, 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 in Foothill Ranch
Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Foothill Ranch, each runs at less than half the US rate: 5.3 thefts and 3.0 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.
Burglaries happen at stores and businesses far more often than nationally. In Foothill Ranch, 50% of reported burglaries happen at stores and businesses, against 28% nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Foothill Ranch
Every part of Foothill Ranch where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Foothill Ranch run from A+ to A; every part of Foothill Ranch has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Foothill Ranch, the west side has the least crime and the south side the most.
Crime rates and types in Foothill Ranch
CrimeGrade™ estimates Foothill Ranch has about 14 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 62% less than the US as a whole and 65% less than California.
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 is the most common crime in Foothill Ranch, about 38% of everything reported, but assault 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.
Where and when crime happens in Foothill Ranch
The Lake Forest Police Department polices Foothill Ranch; these figures cover Lake Forest as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 51% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (50%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (43%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Parking lots and garages (28%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (40%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (44%)
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.
How Foothill Ranch compares with nearby cities
Foothill Ranch has less crime than 8 of its 9 nearest cities; only Trabuco Canyon has less.
Empty homes, density and walkability in Foothill Ranch
Two things set Foothill Ranch apart: it has 1.9% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 56% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with few empty homes tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and vandalism runs low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 96% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.56% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 86% 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 and assault. 88% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 57% of US city residents
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JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.67 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 85% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.12.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 72% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 67% 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 crime costs Foothill Ranch
Crime costs Foothill Ranch about $476 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 61% less than 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 $7.9 million a year, or $403 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$290,000
$15
Rape
$67,000
$3
Robbery
$310,000
$16
Assault
$970,000
$49
Burglary
$220,000
$11
Theft
$530,000
$27
Vehicle theft
$460,000
$24
Arson
$36,000
$2
Vandalism
$190,000
$10
Total
$3.1 million
$157
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 Foothill Ranch 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 Foothill Ranch, CA average a SchoolGrade of A+: 59% of students test proficient, against 59% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Foothill Ranch on SchoolGrade
