The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Pacifica, CA
Pacifica is a city of 36,100 in San Mateo County, about 11 miles south of downtown San Francisco · Updated November 2026
Is Pacifica, CA safe?
Yes, crime in Pacifica is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Pacifica sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 46% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Pacifica run from A to B, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods 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 Pacifica as a whole, and 54% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pacifica 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 Pacifica, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Pacifica, 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 Pacifica
One part of Pacifica stands out for vehicle theft. Car thefts in Westview & Fairmont, in northeast Pacifica, run at more than double the rate in the rest of the city.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Pacifica, 54% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Pacifica
Every part of Pacifica where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Pacifica run from A to B; 42% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Vallemar, southeastClose to the rest of Pacifica on most crimes.A859
2Linda Mar, southwestThefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Pacifica.A848
3Westview & Fairmont, northeastThefts run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Pacifica.B+768
5Sharp Park, centralSimple assaults run about 50% higher here than in the rest of Pacifica.B+737
Neighborhood areas of Pacifica, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is crime going up in Pacifica?
Since 2019, reported violent crime in Pacifica is down 32%, while property crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.1 to 1.4 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 14 to 13 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 23%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
PacificaUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Pacifica. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Pacifica
Violent, US
Property, Pacifica
Property, US
2016
-19%
+4%
-9%
+15%
2017
+7%
+4%
-2%
+12%
2018
-11%
+0%
-25%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
+4%
+4%
+34%
-8%
2021
+30%
+6%
+22%
-10%
2022
+17%
+5%
+5%
-6%
2023
-11%
+2%
-6%
-7%
2024
-32%
-4%
-9%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Pacifica
CrimeGrade™ estimates Pacifica has about 27 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 27% less than the US as a whole and 32% less 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Pacifica, about 41% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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.
The Pacifica Police Department's 2024 count of burglary fell far below its usual level, a sign of a reporting break, so CrimeGrade™ used the department's earlier years instead.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Pacifica
Pacifica has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Pacifica, 30% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (30%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (58%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (54%)
Night (midnight to 6 am)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (35%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (50%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Pacifica compares with nearby cities
Pacifica has less crime than 6 of its 9 nearest cities.
Two things set Pacifica apart: it has 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 6.9 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 93% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Pacifica: D+ (23 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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. 67% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (26 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 75% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 81% of US city residents
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.65% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 81% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 80% 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 Pacifica
Crime costs Pacifica about $683 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 43% less 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 $22 million a year, or $617 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$660,000
$18
Rape
$690,000
$19
Robbery
$260,000
$7
Assault
$3.1 million
$87
Burglary
$630,000
$17
Theft
$2.0 million
$57
Vehicle theft
$730,000
$20
Arson
$63,000
$2
Vandalism
$940,000
$26
Total
$9.2 million
$254
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 Pacifica 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. Pacifica is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 Pacifica, CA average a SchoolGrade of A: 49% of students test proficient, against 49% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Pacifica on SchoolGrade
