The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Orange County, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$1.2 billion

Cost of Crime™ for Orange County, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,115 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Orange County 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 Orange County, CA Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Orange County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Orange County sits in the 59th percentile, ahead of 59% of counties and behind 41%. The grade covers only Orange County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Orange County is 27.42 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the east part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 26 in the southeast areas to 1 in 54 in the east.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southeast parts of Orange County, CA report the most crime, about 25,290 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 2,724 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Orange County, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Orange County for 2025 is $1,194,847,266, about $365 per resident and $1,115 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): 56.3%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 32.7%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Orange County Compared to Other Counties?

Orange County, CA:	$365
San Francisco County, CA:	$1016
Placer County, CA:	$320
California:	$491
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Orange County is $365 per year, which is $100 less than the national average and $126 less than California's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Orange County:

In San Francisco County, CA, crime costs $1,016 per person, which is $652 more than in Orange County.
In Placer County, CA, crime costs $320 per person, which is $45 less than in Orange County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Orange County	Cost per Orange County Resident
Murder	$106.8 million	$33
Rape/Sexual Assault	$95.1 million	$29
Robbery	$90.5 million	$28
Assault	$270.2 million	$82
Kidnapping	$20.1 million	$6
Vehicle Theft	$196.2 million	$60
Burglary	$111.1 million	$34
Theft	$194.5 million	$59
Arson	$20.3 million	$6
Vandalism	$40.8 million	$12
Animal Cruelty	$433,897	$0
Drug Crimes	$37.1 million	$11
Identity Theft	$11.7 million	$4
Total Cost of Crime	$1,194,847,266	$365

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Orange County, 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 Orange County totals $1,287,436,864 ($393 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $2,482,284,130 ($758 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 southeast part of the county 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, of which Orange County has 1, draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Orange County has 481, do the same, and of Orange County's 3,276,808 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 Orange County, CA at ISP Reports.

Orange County 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 Orange County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.871
Robbery	0.8780
Rape	0.4784
Murder	0.0173
Total Violent Crime	4.245 (C)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	11.46
Vehicle Theft	3.868
Burglary	3.738
Arson	0.2564
Total Property Crime	19.32 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1012
Drug Crimes	1.532
Vandalism	1.744
Identity Theft	0.4624
Animal Cruelty	0.0179
Total "Other" Rate	3.858 (A+)

Individual Orange County Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Orange County is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Orange County.

Nearby County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Los Angeles County, CA	C-	D	D
San Bernardino County, CA	C	C-	D+
Riverside County, CA	B-	C	C-
Ventura County, CA	B-	C	C-
La Paz County, AZ	D-	F	F
Maricopa County, AZ	B-	C+	C
Gila County, AZ	B-	C-	C
Catron County, NM	D-	F	D
Socorro County, NM	F	F	D-
Lincoln County, NM	D+	D-	C

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Orange County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
San Diego County, CA	C	C-	C-
Los Angeles County, CA	C-	D	D
Maricopa County, AZ	B-	C+	C+
Miami-Dade County, FL	A-	B	B
Cook County, IL	C	C+	C+
Harris County, TX	D	D	D
Baltimore City, MD	D-	F	F
Hall County, GA	B+	B	B
Dutchess County, NY	A-	B-	B-
Bradley County, TN	C	C	C

Considering only the crime rate, Orange County 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 Orange County, CA average SchoolGrade of B-, with 41% actual proficiency versus 40% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Orange County 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.