The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in San Luis Obispo, CA: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$30.0 million

Cost of Crime™ for San Luis Obispo, CA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,091 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo, CA Safe?

The C overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where San Luis Obispo's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. San Luis Obispo sits in the 42nd percentile, ahead of 42% of cities and behind 58%. The grade covers only San Luis Obispo's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in San Luis Obispo is 26.79 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the east part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 26 in the central neighborhoods to 1 in 62 in the east.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of San Luis Obispo, CA report the most crime, about 424 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 45 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in San Luis Obispo, CA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in San Luis Obispo for 2025 is $30,005,727, about $461 per resident and $1,091 per household. That equals 1.1% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 52.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 35.4%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.8%

How Much Does Crime Cost in San Luis Obispo Compared to Other Cities?

San Luis Obispo, CA:	$461
Lodi, CA:	$1387
Rescue, CA:	$213
California:	$491
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in San Luis Obispo is $461 per year, which is $3 less than the national average and $29 less than California's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to San Luis Obispo:

In Lodi, CA, crime costs $1,387 per person, which is $926 more than in San Luis Obispo.
In Rescue, CA, crime costs $213 per person, which is $248 less than in San Luis Obispo

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to San Luis Obispo	Cost per San Luis Obispo Resident
Murder	$7.87 million	$121
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.89 million	$29
Robbery	$3.62 million	$56
Assault	$6.39 million	$98
Kidnapping	$470,181	$7
Vehicle Theft	$2.06 million	$32
Burglary	$1.42 million	$22
Theft	$4.41 million	$68
Arson	$380,531	$6
Vandalism	$605,955	$9
Animal Cruelty	$13,833	$0
Drug Crimes	$734,669	$11
Identity Theft	$140,000	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$30,005,727	$461

The Intangible Cost of Crime in San Luis Obispo, 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 San Luis Obispo totals $64,935,291 ($998 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $94,941,018 ($1,460 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 city 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, of which San Luis Obispo has 17, do the same, and of San Luis Obispo's 65,036 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 San Luis Obispo, CA at ISP Reports.

San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.420
Robbery	1.770
Rape	0.4794
Murder	0.0644
Total Violent Crime	5.734 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	13.09
Vehicle Theft	2.048
Burglary	2.411
Arson	0.2423
Total Property Crime	17.79 (D+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1192
Drug Crimes	1.527
Vandalism	1.304
Identity Theft	0.2781
Animal Cruelty	0.0288
Total "Other" Rate	3.257 (A)

Individual San Luis Obispo Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in San Luis Obispo is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to San Luis Obispo.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Avila Beach, CA	C+	D	C-
Shell Beach, CA	B	D	B-
Pismo Beach, CA	C+	D+	C-
Los Osos, CA	B	C-	C+
Grover Beach, CA	C	C-	D+
Halcyon, CA	B	D-	B
Santa Margarita, CA	C+	D-	C
Arroyo Grande, CA	B-	C	C
Morro Bay, CA	C	D+	C-
Oceano, CA	C	D+	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

San Luis Obispo is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Blaine, MN	C+	A-	A-
Brentwood, CA	B	B-	B-
Casa Grande, AZ	C+	D+	D+
Gilroy, CA	B+	C-	C-
Hickory, NC	D	D+	D+
North Little Rock, AR	F	F	F
Wyoming, MI	C-	D-	D-
North Miami, FL	B+	C+	C+
North Richland Hills, TX	D+	C+	C+
Northglenn, CO	F	D+	D+

Considering only the crime rate, San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo, CA average SchoolGrade of B-, with 42% actual proficiency versus 40% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See San Luis Obispo 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.