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

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$381,937

Cost of Crime™ for Isla Vista, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,102 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista, 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 Isla Vista's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Isla Vista sits in the 50th percentile, ahead of 50% of cities and behind 50%. The grade covers only Isla Vista's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Isla Vista is 23.81 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the central part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 42 in the central neighborhoods to 1 in 42 in the central.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Isla Vista, CA report the most crime, about 19 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Isla Vista, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Isla Vista for 2025 is $381,937, about $471 per resident and $1,102 per household. That equals 3.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 50.1%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 37.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Isla Vista Compared to Other Cities?

Isla Vista, CA:	$471
Lodi, CA:	$1387
Rescue, CA:	$213
California:	$491
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Isla Vista is $471 per year, which is $7 more than the national average and $20 less than California's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Isla Vista:

In Lodi, CA, crime costs $1,387 per person, which is $916 more than in Isla Vista.
In Rescue, CA, crime costs $213 per person, which is $258 less than in Isla Vista

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Isla Vista	Cost per Isla Vista Resident
Murder	$121,720	$150
Rape/Sexual Assault	$27,505	$34
Robbery	$41,139	$51
Assault	$62,578	$77
Kidnapping	$11,958	$15
Vehicle Theft	$37,984	$47
Burglary	$12,159	$15
Theft	$47,689	$59
Arson	$5,538	$7
Vandalism	$7,767	$10
Animal Cruelty	$110	$0
Drug Crimes	$3,932	$5
Identity Theft	$1,856	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$381,937	$471

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Isla Vista, 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 Isla Vista totals $977,720 ($1,206 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,359,657 ($1,677 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 city holds few 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 do the same, and of Isla Vista's 811 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 Isla Vista, CA at ISP Reports.

Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.687
Robbery	1.613
Rape	0.5594
Murder	0.0799
Total Violent Crime	4.939 (D)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	11.35
Vehicle Theft	3.025
Burglary	1.653
Arson	0.2828
Total Property Crime	16.31 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.2432
Drug Crimes	0.6555
Vandalism	1.341
Identity Theft	0.2957
Animal Cruelty	0.0184
Total "Other" Rate	2.553 (A)

Individual Isla Vista Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Goleta, CA	C-	D+	D
Ellwood, CA	C	C	D+
Santa Barbara, CA	D+	D-	D
Montecito, CA	D	D	D-
Summerland, CA	C	D-	D+
Toro Canyon, CA	C-	D-	D
Carpinteria, CA	C	D	D+
Las Cruces, CA	D-	D-	F
Meiners Oaks, CA	D	D-	D-
Oak View, CA	C-	D	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Isla Vista is higher 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
Cimarron, NM	D	D-	D-
Bloomburg, TX	B	C+	C+
Bostwick, GA	A-	A+	A+
Braden, TN	C	D	D
Brandon, IA	A-	D	D
Buckner, KY	C-	A	A
Cannon Town, FL	A+	A+	A+
Carpendale, WV	A+	A+	A+
Chadwicks, NY	A-	B	B
Waxia, LA	D	D-	D-

Considering only the crime rate, Isla Vista 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 Isla Vista, CA average SchoolGrade of D, with 25% actual proficiency versus 40% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Isla Vista 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.