Is San Jose, CA Safe?
San Jose, CA has a Safety Score of 71/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 30% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
Safety Context Score: 71/100 (Grade B)
CrimeContext scores San Jose on a 0-100 scale that weights per-capita violent crime against the national average (40%), per-capita property crime (30%), and the 5-year direction of total crime (30%). A grade of B means San Jose sits better than the typical U.S. city once population is taken into account. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
We never display raw crime counts. A large city will always log more total incidents than a small town; the only fair comparison is the rate per 100,000 residents, which is what every number on this page uses.
San Jose Crime Rates per 100,000 vs National Average
| Crime Type | San Jose | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 253.1 | 363.8 | -30% |
| Property Crime | 2043.9 | 1832.3 | +12% |
| Murder | 2.5 | 5.7 | -56% |
| Robbery | 55.7 | 73.0 | -24% |
| Aggravated Assault | 169.6 | 246.4 | -31% |
| Burglary | 286.1 | 269.8 | +6% |
| Larceny-Theft | 1573.8 | 1401.9 | +12% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 306.6 | 318.3 | -4% |
| 5-Year Trend | -8.0% | ||
| Population | 1,021,795 | ||
All values are incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR/NIBRS). Per-capita rates only — never raw counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
San Jose, CA has a Safety Score of 71/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 30% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
San Jose, CA has a violent crime rate of 253.1 per 100,000 residents (30% below the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 2043.9 per 100,000 (12% above the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
San Jose has a murder rate of 2.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 5.7. Like every figure here, this is a per-capita rate — raw homicide counts without population context can badly mislead.
Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years. Over the past 5 years, the total crime rate in San Jose has changed by -8.0%.
Violent crime in San Jose is 30% below the U.S. average and property crime is 12% above average. San Jose's overall Safety Context Score is 71/100 (grade B).
More about San Jose
San Jose, CA has a Safety Score of 71/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 30% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
The data source behind this answer is the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2026.