The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C-
Property Crime Grade	C+
Other Crime Grade	B+

Which crimes are included?

$5.13 million

Cost of Crime™ for Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,302 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Mesa 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 Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US neighborhood, where Mesa's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Mesa sits in the 55th percentile, ahead of 55% of neighborhoods and behind 45%. The grade covers only Mesa's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby neighborhoods.

The overall crime rate in Mesa is 34.09 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the neighborhood the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 22 in the south areas to 1 in 43 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the north parts of Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA report the most crime, about 111 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 6 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Mesa for 2025 is $5,128,356, about $539 per resident and $1,302 per household. That equals 0.7% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 52.0%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 37.0%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.9%

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

Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA:	$539
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 Mesa is $539 per year, which is $75 more than the national average and $49 more than Santa Barbara's city average. The comparison below uses neighborhoods similar to Mesa:

In New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA, crime costs $1,496 per person, which is $956 more than in Mesa.
In El Toro Marine Air Station, Ir, crime costs $200 per person, which is $340 less than in Mesa

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Mesa	Cost per Mesa Resident
Murder	$734,306	$77
Rape/Sexual Assault	$306,174	$32
Robbery	$299,674	$32
Assault	$1.23 million	$129
Kidnapping	$158,090	$17
Vehicle Theft	$1.03 million	$109
Burglary	$465,459	$49
Theft	$500,012	$53
Arson	$67,045	$7
Vandalism	$161,091	$17
Animal Cruelty	$1,775	$0
Drug Crimes	$157,827	$17
Identity Theft	$18,068	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$5,128,356	$539

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Mesa, Santa Barbara, 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 Mesa totals $6,820,584 ($718 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $11,948,940 ($1,257 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 do the same, and of Mesa's 9,506 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 Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA at ISP Reports.

Mesa 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 Mesa residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	4.489
Robbery	1.002
Rape	0.5312
Murder	0.0411
Total Violent Crime	6.064 (C-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	10.16
Vehicle Theft	7.019
Burglary	5.399
Arson	0.2921
Total Property Crime	22.87 (C+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.2743
Drug Crimes	2.245
Vandalism	2.372
Identity Theft	0.2456
Animal Cruelty	0.0252
Total "Other" Rate	5.162 (B+)

Individual Mesa Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Neighborhoods

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

Nearby Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Westside-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA	B+	D+	B+
Waterfront, Santa Barbara, CA	D-	F	F
Las Positas, Santa Barbara, CA	B+	C+	B
Lower East, Santa Barbara, CA	D+	D-	D
Eastside Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA	B+	C-	A-
Upper State, Santa Barbara, CA	C+	C	C
Riviera, Santa Barbara, CA	B	C	B-
Sea View Estates, Oxnard, CA	A-	A-	B+
Via Marina, Oxnard, CA	A	B	A-
Sierra Linda, Oxnard, CA	A	B+	A-

Crime Maps and Rates for Neighborhood with Similar Populations

Mesa is similar 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
Guajome, Oceanside, CA	A	A	A
Carmel Mountain, San Diego, CA	B	A-	A-
Downtown High Point, High Point, NC	C-	F	F
East San Gabriel, San Gabriel, CA	A-	B	B
Fairway Park, Hayward, CA	A-	B	B
Franklin To The Fort, Missoula, MT	D+	D+	D+
Argay, Portland, OR	D+	C+	C+
Kamuela, Waimea, HI	D+	B-	B-
North Broadway, Escondido, CA	B	B-	B-
Northwest, Manchester, NH	A-	A+	A+

Considering only the crime rate, Mesa is as safe as 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 Mesa, Santa Barbara, CA average SchoolGrade of F, with 10% actual proficiency versus 39% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Mesa 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.