The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Hillcrest, San Diego, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D-
Property Crime Grade	F
Other Crime Grade	B-

Which crimes are included?

$9.62 million

Cost of Crime™ for Hillcrest, San Diego, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,417 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest, San Diego, CA Safe?

The D- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US neighborhood, where Hillcrest's combined rate is much higher than the norm. Hillcrest sits in the 12th percentile, ahead of 12% of neighborhoods and behind 88%. The grade covers only Hillcrest's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby neighborhoods.

The overall crime rate in Hillcrest is 69.26 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the west part of the neighborhood the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 8 in the central areas to 1 in 23 in the west.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southeast parts of Hillcrest, San Diego, CA report the most crime, about 164 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 40 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Hillcrest, San Diego, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Hillcrest for 2025 is $9,617,758, about $839 per resident and $1,417 per household. That equals 1.1% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.6%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 31.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Hillcrest Compared to Other Neighborhoods?

Hillcrest, San Diego, CA:	$839
New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA:	$1496
El Toro Marine Air Station, Ir:	$200
California:	$491
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Hillcrest is $839 per year, which is $375 more than the national average and $348 more than San Diego's city average. The comparison below uses neighborhoods similar to Hillcrest:

In New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA, crime costs $1,496 per person, which is $657 more than in Hillcrest.
In El Toro Marine Air Station, Ir, crime costs $200 per person, which is $639 less than in Hillcrest

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Hillcrest	Cost per Hillcrest Resident
Murder	$1.35 million	$118
Rape/Sexual Assault	$323,341	$28
Robbery	$896,251	$78
Assault	$2.07 million	$181
Kidnapping	$71,854	$6
Vehicle Theft	$1.09 million	$95
Burglary	$871,025	$76
Theft	$2.20 million	$192
Arson	$74,815	$7
Vandalism	$358,688	$31
Animal Cruelty	$2,414	$0
Drug Crimes	$197,135	$17
Identity Theft	$110,941	$10
Total Cost of Crime	$9,617,758	$839

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Hillcrest, San Diego, 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 Hillcrest totals $11,546,704 ($1,007 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $21,164,462 ($1,846 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 central part of the neighborhood 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 Hillcrest has 14, do the same, and of Hillcrest's 11,465 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 Hillcrest, San Diego, CA at ISP Reports.

Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	6.289
Robbery	2.485
Rape	0.4651
Murder	0.0626
Total Violent Crime	9.301 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	37.09
Vehicle Theft	6.141
Burglary	8.376
Arson	0.2702
Total Property Crime	51.88 (F)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1034
Drug Crimes	2.325
Vandalism	4.379
Identity Theft	1.250
Animal Cruelty	0.0285
Total "Other" Rate	8.086 (B-)

Individual Hillcrest Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Neighborhoods

Compared to surrounding neighborhoods, the rate of crime in Hillcrest is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for neighborhoods close to Hillcrest.

Nearby Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
University Heights, San Diego, CA	C	D+	D+
Middletown, San Diego, CA	C-	C	D
Park West, San Diego, CA	D+	D	D-
Mission Hills-San Diego, San Diego, CA	D+	C-	D-
Cortez Hill, San Diego, CA	D-	D-	D-
North Park San Diego, San Diego, CA	C-	D	D
Little Italy, San Diego, CA	D-	D-	F
Mission Valley East, San Diego, CA	D-	D-	F
Columbia San Diego, San Diego, CA	F	F	F
Moreno Mission, San Diego, CA	B	C	B-

Crime Maps and Rates for Neighborhood with Similar Populations

Hillcrest is higher versus other neighborhoods of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in neighborhoods with comparable overall population in the neighborhood‘s boundaries.

Similar Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
McMurray-Huntingdon, Nashville, TN	D+	C-	C-
Alderwood Manor, Lynnwood, WA	C-	A-	A-
La Sierra Acres, Riverside, CA	B	B-	B-
Cheltenham, Chicago, IL	D+	D	D
College Hill, Providence, RI	A	A	A
Highland Hills, Henderson, NV	B+	C+	C+
Spenard, Anchorage, AK	D	F	F
Urbanizacion Puerto Nuevo, San Juan, PR	D-	D	D
University District, Portland, OR	F	F	F
Mondawin-Walbrook, Baltimore, MD	D-	F	F

Considering only the crime rate, Hillcrest is less safe than the California state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Hillcrest, San Diego, CA average SchoolGrade of D, with 25% actual proficiency versus 39% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Hillcrest 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.