The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Carson, CA
West Carson is an unincorporated community of 21,500 in Los Angeles County, about 16 miles south of downtown Los Angeles · Updated November 2026
Is West Carson, CA safe?
West Carson has more crime than most of the country: an overall CrimeGrade™ of C-, with more crime than the neighborhoods where 87% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, B against F. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within West Carson run from C to F, so check the map below.
C-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 339 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
13% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than West Carson as a whole, and 87% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. West Carson scores 339.
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 West Carson, CA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in West Carson, 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 West Carson
Theft is a strength. West Carson grades F for property crime, but theft grades B-.
Vehicle theft at more than triple the US rate. West Carson has 12.4 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of West Carson
High crime is widespread across West Carson: 76% of residents live in areas graded D or F, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across West Carson run from C to F; every part of West Carson has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
24%76%
C 24%D or F 76%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within West Carson, the northeast side has the least crime and the north side the most.
Crime rates and types in West Carson
CrimeGrade™ estimates West Carson has about 46 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 24% more than the US as a whole and 16% 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.
Vehicle theft is the most common crime in West Carson, about 27% 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 West Carson compares with nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to West Carson, 9 have less crime. Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates have the least.
Empty homes, parking lots and walkability in West Carson
Two things set West Carson apart: it has 2.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 0.4 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, yet burglary and vandalism run higher here than that would suggest.
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
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 92% 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. 74% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (24 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 71% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.68% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 89% 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 West Carson: C- (30 of 100).5 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 71% 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 West Carson
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs West Carson about $1,739 a year per household, 44% 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 $37 million a year, or $1,724 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.9 million
$89
Rape
$420,000
$20
Robbery
$560,000
$26
Assault
$3.3 million
$152
Burglary
$750,000
$35
Theft
$1.4 million
$63
Vehicle theft
$4.1 million
$190
Arson
$78,000
$4
Vandalism
$840,000
$39
Total
$13 million
$617
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 West Carson 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 West Carson, CA average a SchoolGrade of B: 39% of students test proficient, against 26% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in West Carson on SchoolGrade
