La Mesa, CA vs Walnut Creek, CA: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in La Mesa and Walnut Creek, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Walnut Creek is the safer city
Walnut Creek scores 71/100 (grade C) versus 70/100 (grade C) for La Mesa — a 1-point gap. La Mesa's violent-crime rate is 1.9× Walnut Creek. Across the 8 offense categories, Walnut Creek has the lower rate in 4.
La Mesa, CA
Crime Index
- Population
- 60,686
- Violent / 100k
- 397
- Property / 100k
- 1,355
- In California
- #94 of 175
Walnut Creek, CA
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 70,970
- Violent / 100k
- 209
- Property / 100k
- 2,410
- In California
- #93 of 175
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | La Mesa | Walnut Creek | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 70C | 71C | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 397 | 209 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 1,355 | 2,410 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 1.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 1,752 | 2,618 | 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 | La Mesa | Walnut Creek |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 1.6 | 4.2 |
| Rape | 24.7 | 22.5 |
| Robbery | 72.5 | 50.7 |
| Aggravated assault | 298 | 131 |
| Burglary | 209 | 314 |
| Larceny-theft | 943 | 1,894 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 188 | 200 |
| Arson | 14.8 | 1.4 |
Crime trends
La Mesa
Walnut Creek
Frequently asked questions
Is La Mesa or Walnut Creek safer?
Which has more violent crime, La Mesa or Walnut Creek?
What are the odds of violent crime in La Mesa vs Walnut Creek?
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 La Mesa & Walnut Creek
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