The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Templeton, CA
Templeton is an unincorporated community of 11,100 in San Luis Obispo County, about 18 miles north of downtown San Luis Obispo · Updated November 2026
Is Templeton, CA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Templeton has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 934 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Templeton as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Templeton scores 934.
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 Templeton, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Templeton, 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 Templeton
One weak spot: aggravated assault. It grades B+ in Templeton, worse than in the neighborhoods where 66% of Americans live, against A+ for violent crime as a whole.
Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Templeton, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 2.9 thefts and 1.8 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Templeton
Every part of Templeton where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Templeton run from A+ to A-; 74% 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.
Within Templeton, the southeast side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in Templeton
CrimeGrade™ estimates Templeton has about 14 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 63% less than the US as a whole and 65% 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.
Assault is the most common crime in Templeton, about 38% 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.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Templeton compares with nearby cities
Templeton has more crime than 4 of its 7 nearest cities. Creston and Garden Farms have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, night lighting and walkability in Templeton
Two things set Templeton apart: it has 2.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 54% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 93% 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.54% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 85% 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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (11 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 74% 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
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 81% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.36 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 59% 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 Templeton
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Templeton about $693 a year per household, 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 $10 million a year, or $917 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$230,000
$21
Rape
$260,000
$23
Robbery
$44,000
$4
Assault
$1.2 million
$112
Burglary
$130,000
$12
Theft
$160,000
$15
Vehicle theft
$300,000
$27
Arson
$9,700
$1
Vandalism
$170,000
$15
Total
$2.6 million
$230
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 Templeton 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. Templeton 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 Templeton, CA average a SchoolGrade of B: 39% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Templeton on SchoolGrade
