San Francisco, CA vs Santa Maria, CA: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in San Francisco and Santa Maria, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Santa Maria is the safer city
Santa Maria scores 55/100 (grade D) versus 53/100 (grade D) for San Francisco — a 2-point gap. San Francisco's violent-crime rate is -22% vs Santa Maria. Across the 8 offense categories, Santa Maria has the lower rate in 4.
San Francisco, CA
Crime Index
- Population
- 815,330
- Violent / 100k
- 486
- Property / 100k
- 2,960
- In California
- #150 of 175
Santa Maria, CA
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 111,741
- Violent / 100k
- 622
- Property / 100k
- 1,809
- In California
- #148 of 175
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | San Francisco | Santa Maria | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 53D | 55D | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 486 | 622 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 2,960 | 1,809 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 3.4 | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 3,446 | 2,431 | 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 | San Francisco | Santa Maria |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 3.4 | 4.5 |
| Rape | 26.7 | 62.6 |
| Robbery | 202 | 120 |
| Aggravated assault | 254 | 435 |
| Burglary | 465 | 272 |
| Larceny-theft | 2,093 | 1,136 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 374 | 346 |
| Arson | 27.6 | 54.6 |
Crime trends
San Francisco
Santa Maria
Frequently asked questions
Is San Francisco or Santa Maria safer?
Which has more violent crime, San Francisco or Santa Maria?
What are the odds of violent crime in San Francisco vs Santa Maria?
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 San Francisco & Santa Maria
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