Santa Ana, CA vs Santa Clara, CA: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in Santa Ana and Santa Clara, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Santa Ana is the safer city
Santa Ana scores 73/100 (grade C) versus 72/100 (grade C) for Santa Clara — a 1-point gap. Santa Clara's violent-crime rate is 0.5× Santa Ana. Across the 8 offense categories, Santa Ana has the lower rate in 3.
Santa Ana, CA
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 317,439
- Violent / 100k
- 338
- Property / 100k
- 1,328
- In California
- #80 of 175
Santa Clara, CA
Crime Index
- Population
- 134,290
- Violent / 100k
- 171
- Property / 100k
- 2,589
- In California
- #81 of 175
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | Santa Ana | Santa Clara | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 73C | 72C | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 338 | 171 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 1,328 | 2,589 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 3.8 | 0 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 1,666 | 2,760 | 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 | Santa Ana | Santa Clara |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 3.8 | 0 |
| Rape | 38.1 | 26.1 |
| Robbery | 80 | 46.9 |
| Aggravated assault | 216 | 98.3 |
| Burglary | 217 | 316 |
| Larceny-theft | 885 | 1,979 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 216 | 286 |
| Arson | 9.5 | 7.4 |
Crime trends
Santa Ana
Santa Clara
Frequently asked questions
Is Santa Ana or Santa Clara safer?
Which has more violent crime, Santa Ana or Santa Clara?
What are the odds of violent crime in Santa Ana vs Santa Clara?
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 Santa Ana & Santa Clara
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