Pismo Beach is a city of 8,430 in San Luis Obispo County, about 9 miles south of downtown San Luis Obispo · Updated November 2026
Is Pismo Beach, CA safe?
With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+, Pismo Beach has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 63% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A- against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Pismo Beach run from A+ to B, so check the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 755 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
37% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Pismo Beach as a whole, and 63% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pismo Beach scores 755.
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 Pismo Beach, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Pismo Beach, 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 Pismo Beach
Car thefts are less common than the crime level suggests. Crime overall in Pismo Beach runs 45% above the US rate, but car thefts run at about half that rate: 1.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
Aggravated assault stands out among B-graded cities. For the typical resident of a B-graded US city, the figure is 3.1 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; Pismo Beach has 8.3.
Crime rates and types in Pismo Beach
CrimeGrade™ estimates Pismo Beach has about 54 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 45% more than the US as a whole and 36% 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.
Assault is the most common crime in Pismo Beach, about 34% of everything reported, and it also accounts for 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.
The Pismo Beach Police Department's 2024 counts of aggravated assault and burglary fell far below their usual levels, 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.
How Pismo Beach compares with nearby cities
Of the 6 cities closest to Pismo Beach, 4 have less crime. Arroyo Grande and Nipomo have the least.
One thing sets Pismo Beach apart: it has 33.2 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft; here theft sits near the national middle.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.33.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% 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.9.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher 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. 52% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (27 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 77% 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.71% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 77% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.56 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 70% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.0 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 60% 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 Pismo Beach
Crime costs Pismo Beach about $1,337 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 11% 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 $19 million a year, or $2,278 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$350,000
$42
Rape
$470,000
$56
Robbery
$230,000
$27
Assault
$2.6 million
$311
Burglary
$290,000
$34
Theft
$740,000
$88
Vehicle theft
$160,000
$19
Arson
$71,000
$8
Vandalism
$660,000
$78
Total
$5.6 million
$664
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 Pismo Beach 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 Pismo Beach, CA average a SchoolGrade of A: 52% of students test proficient, against 43% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Pismo Beach on SchoolGrade
