Is Long Beach Safe To Visit? (Crime Rates And Crime Stats)


On the footstep of Los Angeles, the city of Long Beach is its smaller, beach-side cousin. It’s home to the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and hosted part of of the 1932 Summer Olympics.

There are many reasons to go and visit Long Beach for a vacation, but there is some speculation to how safe it is.

Is Long Beach safe?

Long Beach is a safe city as indicated by its crime rates, which hovers above the national average. In 2021, Long Beach had a violent crime rate of 550.27 per 100,000 residents, which is 38% higher than the national average and its property crime rate of 2,759.70 per 100,000 residents is 41% greater than the national

The national average for violent crime is 366.7 per 100,000 residents and the national average for property crime is 2,109.9 per 100,000 residents.

Here’s a scale to give you some perspective on Long Beach’s crime rate:

long beach crime rate

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) breaks down its crime rating more specifically than many other cities.

Their report lists ten different subsections of property crime and four for violent crime.

The police department has an interactive map that plots crime incidents across the city.

There is hardly a section of the map that is not filled in, though there are some small gaps without reported incidents.

is long beach safe

Long Beach Crime Stats

The most recent, complete set of crime statistics comes from the FBI UCR and cross referenced with the Long Beach PD and are for 2020 and 2021:

Violent Crime Stats

2021

2020

%

Murder

37

37

0.0%

Rape

256

242

5.8%

Robbery

765

721

6.1%

Agg Assault

1516

1341

13.0%

TOTAL

2574

2341

10.0%

Property Crime Stats

2021

2020

%

Residential Burglary

1244

1220

2.0%

Garage Burglary

227

353

-35.7%

Comm Burglary

745

980

-24.0%

Auto Burglary

2006

2025

-0.9%

Grand Theft

2020

1677

20.5%

Petty Theft >$50

295

630

-53.2%

Petty Theft <$50

2598

2749

-5.5%

Bike Theft

234

292

-19.9%

GTA

3382

2738

23.5%

Arson

158

126

25.4%

TOTAL

12,909

12,790

0.9%

Violent Crime Rate

In 2021 Long Beach reported 2,574 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 550.27 per 100,000 residents. Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults.

Long Beach’s violent crime rate is 38% greater than the national average.

Year over year violent crime has increased 10%.

You have a 1 in 182 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Long Beach.

Property Crime Rate

In 2021 Long Beach reported 12,909 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 2,759.70 per 100,000 residents. Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Long Beach’s property crime rate is 41% greater than the national average.

Year over year property crime has increased 1%.

You have a 1 in 36 chance of becoming a victim of property crime in Long Beach.

Murder Rate

In 2021 Long Beach reported 37 murders and had a murder rate of 7.9 per 100,000 residents. Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Long Beach’s murder rate is 21% greater than the national average.

You have a 1 in 12,642 chance of becoming a victim of property crime in Long Beach.

Long Beach Crime Graph

Here’s a graph showing you how crime has trended over the year in Long Beach.

long beach crime graph

Long Beach’s crime rate vs other cities in California (2020)

Here’s how Long Beach’s crime rate compared to other cities in California. Long Beach had the lowest crime rate for all cities listed.

 

Population

Violent Crime Rate (2020)

Oakland

440,646

1,347.34

Stockton

320,804

1,254.04

Los Angeles

3,898,747

727.39

Sacramento

524,943

675.69

Fresno

542,107

656.70

San Francisco

873,965

556.89

Long Beach

466,742

501.99

Bakersfield

403,455

497.45

San Jose

1,013,240

431.78

San Diego

1,386,932

382.35

Anaheim

346,824

357.82

(Related: The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In California)

Long Beach’s Crime Rate Comparison

Here’s a list of the top 23 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates. Long Beach’s violent crime rate is more than 12 times less than Monroe, Louisiana, the most dangerous city on the list.

City

Population

Violent Crime Rate per 100,000 people

Monroe

47,702

2,932.79

Memphis

633,104

2,418.24

Atlantic City

38,497

2,335.25

Saginaw

44,202

2,327.95

Detroit

639,111

2,248.44

St. Louis

301,578

1,995.17

Alexandria

45,275

1,877.42

Pine Bluff

41,253

1,808.35

Little Rock

202,591

1,805.11

Milwaukee

577,222

1,733.13

South Bend

103,453

1,706.09

Cleveland

372,624

1,689.10

Camden

71,791

1,632.52

Birmingham

200,733

1,577.22

Kansas City

508,090

1,558.58

Baltimore

585,708

1,460.11

Albuquerque

564,559

1,406.41

Chattanooga

181,099

1,382.67

San Bernardino

222,101

1,365.59

New Orleans

383,997

1,358.08

Oakland

440,646

1,347.34

Long Beach

71,576

233.32

Neighborhoods To Avoid

Here are two crime maps showing you where the concentration of violent crimes and property crimes are in Long Beach (March to August 2021).

Violent Crime Map

long beach crime map

Property Crime Map

long beach crime map

Is Downtown Long Beach Safe?

Though a popular tourist destination with plenty of hotels, bars and restaurants – even the aquarium – Downtown isn’t rated very highly on the safe neighborhood list.

Residents don’t seem to think it’s dangerous, though. The best bet is that if you’re vacationing here, be sure to keep your wits about you and not be a clueless tourist or easy target. Also be weary when walking around at night.

Which Neighborhoods Are Safe?

According to actual residents, safe neighborhoods include:

  • Los Altos
  • Belmont Shore
  • El Dorado Park
  • Carson Park
  • Lakewood Village
  • Old Lakewood City
  • Bixby Village
  • East Side
  • Rancho Estates
  • Alamitos Heights

What Do Residents Say About Long Beach?

  1. "Long Beach is a block by block city. Unsafe one block, safe the next, unsafe again, then safe for several blocks."
  2. "Avoid North Long Beach and any areas off the 91 fwy."
  3. "Many locals will tell you to stay south of 4th and east of Cherry."
  4. "A good guideline of the good areas of Long Beach is east of Alamitos and south of 7th."
  5. "A general rule of thumb is the further east of Long, the better."
  6. "East Long Beach is the better area, North Long Beach is spotty and is the not-so-great area."

Is It Safe At Night?

Long Beach is generally a safeat night as long as you avoid the problem areas and avoid walking through areas that are desolate and unlit.

Be aware that streets and squares that are perfectly safe to visit in the daytime can be questionable and sketchy at night.

Is It Safe To Visit Alone?

Long Beach isn’t a very public transport-friendly city, visiting it alone may not be the best idea.

Unless you’re renting a car, it’s hard to get around Long Beach, let alone closer to tourist destinations and greater Los Angeles.

You could try to navigate the bus system, but be careful not to get lost in an unfamiliar city.

Tips For Staying Safe

Long Beach PD have a whole page of links to various safety tips based on situation. They’re mostly helpful for residents wanting to protect themselves from identity theft, burglary, hate crimes, scams, and your business. As a visitor, safety tips are pretty straight forward:

  • Don’t walk alone at night or in unknown neighborhoods.
  • Always lock anything: your accommodation, your car, etc.
  • Let friends or family know your plans. Even if they’re not in the city, they’ll know where you meant to be in case something bad happens.
  • Don’t get drunk alone. No matter how confident you are in yourself, an unfamiliar city is not a safe place to be inebriated in.

Final thoughts

Long Beach is a city like any other in that it will have its potential dangers. Its crime statistics shouldn’t scare you away from visiting, though. As long as you exercise caution when visiting you should be able to have a very nice visit.

Other Cities You Might Be Interested In:

Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Barstow, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, Long Beach, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Jose, Slab City, St. Louis, Stockton

Mariska Lee

Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit. She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since.

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