Huntington Beach, CA vs San Mateo, CA: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in Huntington Beach and San Mateo, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
San Mateo is the safer city
San Mateo scores 81/100 (grade B) versus 80/100 (grade B) for Huntington Beach — a 1-point gap. Huntington Beach's violent-crime rate is +9% vs San Mateo. Across the 8 offense categories, San Mateo has the lower rate in 5.
Huntington Beach, CA
Crime Index
- Population
- 191,856
- Violent / 100k
- 182
- Property / 100k
- 1,464
- In California
- #41 of 175
San Mateo, CA
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 102,362
- Violent / 100k
- 167
- Property / 100k
- 1,501
- In California
- #39 of 175
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | Huntington Beach | San Mateo | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 80B | 81B | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 182 | 167 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 1,464 | 1,501 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 1 | 0 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 1,646 | 1,668 | 1,802 |
Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.
By offense
Rate per 100,000 residents — the lower (safer) city is highlighted.
| Offense | Huntington Beach | San Mateo |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 1 | 0 |
| Rape | 30.2 | 31.3 |
| Robbery | 28.1 | 38.1 |
| Aggravated assault | 123 | 97.7 |
| Burglary | 131 | 79.1 |
| Larceny-theft | 1,195 | 1,294 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 124 | 119 |
| Arson | 13 | 7.8 |
Crime trends
Huntington Beach
San Mateo
Frequently asked questions
Is Huntington Beach or San Mateo safer?
Which has more violent crime, Huntington Beach or San Mateo?
What are the odds of violent crime in Huntington Beach vs San Mateo?
No area has zero risk
A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →
Protecting yourself in Huntington Beach & San Mateo
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