Joshua Tree is an unincorporated community of 7,250 in San Bernardino County, about 60 miles east of downtown Riverside · Updated November 2026
Is Joshua Tree, CA safe?
Yes, crime in Joshua Tree is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Joshua Tree sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 46% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A against A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Joshua Tree run from A+ to C, so check the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 817 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
46% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Joshua Tree as a whole, and 54% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Joshua Tree scores 817.
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 Joshua Tree, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Joshua Tree, 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 Joshua Tree
Aggravated assault stands out among A-graded cities. For the typical resident of an A-graded US city, the figure is 1.2 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; Joshua Tree has 6.4.
Thefts are less common than the crime level suggests. Crime overall in Joshua Tree runs 27% above the US rate, but thefts run 45% below it: 7.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Joshua Tree
CrimeGrade™ estimates Joshua Tree has about 47 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 27% more than the US as a whole and 18% more 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.
The largest share of crime reported in Joshua Tree is assault, about 44% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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 Joshua Tree compares with nearby cities
Of the 7 cities closest to Joshua Tree, 5 have less crime. Landers and Homestead Valley have the least.
Density, empty homes and walkability in Joshua Tree
Two things set Joshua Tree apart: it has 15.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 22% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and vandalism runs high here.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.15.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 96% 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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (7 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 86% of US city residents
Show all 6
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.22% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 95% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.5 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 91% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.18 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 89% 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 Joshua Tree
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Joshua Tree about $1,632 a year per household, 35% more 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 $24 million a year, or $3,301 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.8 million
$250
Rape
$260,000
$36
Robbery
$76,000
$11
Assault
$2.1 million
$288
Burglary
$220,000
$31
Theft
$270,000
$37
Vehicle theft
$440,000
$61
Arson
$47,000
$6
Vandalism
$530,000
$73
Total
$5.7 million
$791
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 Joshua Tree 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 Joshua Tree, CA average a SchoolGrade of C-: 30% of students test proficient, against 29% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Joshua Tree on SchoolGrade
