Crime by type
San Diego Crime by Type
A category-by-category look at the offenses that make up San Diego's crime totals.
Overview
What drives crime in San Diego
Property crime forms the majority of what San Diego residents report, while violent offenses remain comparatively low for a city of its size. Here's how the major categories tend to play out across town.
By category
Rates and odds by crime type
Estimated annual rate per 100,000 residents and your everyday odds, with risk level relative to the U.S. average.
| Offense | Per 100k/yr | Annual odds | vs. U.S. | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theft / Larceny | 1,514 | 1 in 66 | +8% | Average |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 374 | 1 in 267 | +17% | Average |
| Aggravated Assault | 257 | 1 in 390 | -4% | Average |
| Burglary | 222 | 1 in 450 | -18% | Average |
| Robbery | 81 | 1 in 1,229 | +10% | Average |
| Rape | 29 | 1 in 3,404 | -13% | Average |
| Homicide | 5 | 1 in 19,639 | +2% | Average |
Drill down
What's actually reported in San Diego
The most common specific offenses behind each category, from reported incident descriptions.
Other 15,360 reports
Assault 10,135 reports
Theft 6,917 reports
Motor Vehicle Theft 5,243 reports
Drug Offense 4,775 reports
Vandalism 4,632 reports
Detail
Crime types in San Diego, explained
Motor Vehicle Theft
Vehicle theft occurs throughout the city but is most common near transit hubs, beach parking, and dense mid-city neighborhoods where cars sit on the street.
Theft / Larceny
Theft is the most frequently reported offense, including shoplifting in commercial districts and break-ins targeting items left in parked cars near beaches and trailheads.
Burglary
Residential and commercial burglaries are spread across the city but tend to be lower in gated coastal communities than in denser urban neighborhoods.
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assaults are most concentrated downtown and in parts of the mid-city area, with coastal and northern residential neighborhoods reporting relatively few.
Robbery
Robberies generally follow pedestrian traffic around the Gaslamp Quarter, transit stations, and commercial corridors rather than quiet residential blocks.
Homicide
Homicides are rare in San Diego compared with similarly sized cities and stay concentrated in a small number of higher-density areas.