Is Anaheim Safe? Everything You Need To Know (Crime Rates And Crime Stats)


Disneyland is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Anaheim. And while Disneyland prides itself on the safety records of its visitors, how does the city fare in securing the safety of its residents?

If you are thinking about visiting Anaheim and have some qualms about the safety of the city, we got you covered.

We are going to deep dive into the statistics, look at some maps, graphs and talk to the residents of the city to give you a better understanding of how safe Anaheim really is.

Is Anaheim Safe?

Looking at the crime statistics, Anaheim is a safe place to visit. In 2019, Anaheim had a violent crime rate of 320.03 per 100,000 people. Out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, Anaheim’s violent crime rate ranked 79th. San Diego, Fort Wayne and Laredo all have similar crime rates as Anaheim.

is anaheim safe

(photo: Ken Lund)

Anaheim’s Population

The population for the Anaheim in 2019 is 349,964

Anaheim Crime Stats

Here’s a breakdown of all the crimes in Anaheim for 2018 and 2019.

2018

2019

2018 vs 2019

Murder

7

8

-14.3%

Rape

142

141

-0.7%

Robbery

407

396

-2.7%

Aggravated Assault

636

575

-9.6%

Burglary

1,408

1,123

-20.2%

Larceny/Theft

5,921

5,904

-0.3%

Motor Vehicle Theft

1,373

1,231

-10.3%

Arson

27

44

63.0%

TOTAL

9,921

9,422

5.0%

*All data is from the FBI UCR

Anaheim Violent Crime Rate

In 2019 Anaheim reported 1,120 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 320.03 per 100,000 people. The national average for violent crime is 366.7 per 100,000 residents. Anaheim’s violent crime rate is 14.6% lower than the national average.

*Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults and the violent crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.

Anaheim Property Crime Rate

In 2019 Anaheim reported 8,302 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 2,372.24 per 100,000 people. The national average for property crime is 2,109.9 per 100,000 residents. Anaheim’s property crime rate is 12% higher than the national average.

Out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, Anaheim’s property crime rate ranked 73rd.

**Property crimes include; arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft are classified as property crimes. The property crime rate is calculated by dividing the number of reported crimes by the total population; the result is multiplied by 100,000.

Anaheim Murder Stats

In 2019 Anaheim reported 8 homicides, which gives it a murder rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents. The national murder rate is 5 per 100,000 people. Anaheim’s murder rate is 2.19 times less than the national average.

To put it in perspective, St. Louis had a murder rate of 86.87 in 2020. Anaheim’s murder rate is 38 times LESS than St. Louis.

Anaheim vs The Rest Of California

Here’s a table showing you violent crime rate and property crime rate of the top 20 most populous cities in the state of California.

Anaheim’s violent crime rate of 320.03, places it in 16th place behind San Jose.

City

Population

Violent Crime Rate

Property Crime Rate

Stockton

313,604

1,396.67

3,943.51

San Bernardino

216,715

1,318.78

4,190.30

Oakland

434,036

1,271.78

6,420.67

Modesto

216,542

811.85

3,317.14

Los Angeles

4,015,546

732.15

2,383.34

San Francisco

886,007

669.63

5,505.60

Sacramento

513,934

627.12

3,182.12

Long Beach

467,974

506.22

2,414.02

Riverside

333,260

505.91

2,937.65

Bakersfield

388,080

455.06

4,141.93

San Jose

1,040,008

438.36

2,419.60

Santa Ana

333,664

436.6

2,040.38

San Diego

1,441,737

361.72

1,882.52

Fontana

215,883

342.32

1,433.18

Chula Vista

275,230

328.45

1,386.48

Anaheim

353,915

320.03

2,333.33

Fremont

240,887

166.05

1,877.64

Santa Clarita

218,103

127.00

944.05

Irvine

292,673

64.24

1,306.24

*All data is from the 2019 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Datasets

Anaheim vs The Most Dangerous Cities In The United States

Here’s a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rate. It can give you some perspective on Anaheim’s violent crime rate, which is 320.03 per 100,000 people.

Anaheim’s violent crime rate is 7.55 times LESS than Memphis, the most dangerous city on the list.

City Population Number of violent crimes in 2020 Rate per 100,000 people
Memphis 633,104 15,310 2,418.24
Detroit 639,111 14,370 2,248.44
Baltimore 2,707,064 9,273 2,027.01
St. Louis 301,578 6,017 1,995.17
Little Rock 202,591 3,657 1,805.11
South Bend 103,453 1,765 1,706.09
Cleveland 372,624 6,281 1,685.61
Milwaukee 577,222 9,407 1,629.70
Kansas City 508,090 7,919 1,558.58
Lansing 112,644 1,699 1,508.29
Springfield 169,176 2,545 1,504.35

*All data is from the 2019 FBI Crime Stats Report**

What do residents of Anaheim say about its safety

  1. "Orange County is one of the safest regions in the country and Anaheim gets a bad rap when compared to its neighbor but if you compare it on a national leve, it is really safe."
  2. "People that claim Anaheim is dangerous have never left their cul-de-sac."
  3. "If you are comparing Anaheim to Irvine, its probably unsafe by those standards. Compared to Los Angeles or San Francisco, Anaheim is a lot safer."
  4. "There’s a few bad neighborhoods here and there, but it is not bad overall."
  5. "People who call it ‘Anacrime’, have seriously never left Orange County and have never really experienced a place where crime is rampant."
  6. "As long as you stay away from Beach ave and Ball rd you will be fine."
  7. "I live in a not so great area of Anaheim and it’s still not unsafe. There are parts taht are unsightly and there are some homeless people who hang out at the park but it’s nothing serious. The things we worry about are thieves stealing packages or bikes that aren’t locked. There is not really any violence or gang banging or anything like that."
  8. "It’s no Irvine, but then again its not Detroit. It’s way closer to Irvine in terms of safety than it is closer to Detroit in terms of danger."

Is Downtown Anaheim Safe?

Downtown Anaheim is safe to visit at night. There is a lot of investment into the downtown area right now and it is being slowly gentrified. You will find a lot of hip bars, restaurants and shops in the area.

Is Anaheim safe at night?

Anaheim is safe at night. Avoid walking alone around sketchy areas at night and you should be able to mitigate your chances of becoming a victim.

Is it safe to visit alone?

Anaheim is a safe place to visit alone. You can mitigate your chances of becoming a victim if you learn the layout of the city, avoid the sketchy areas and follow the safety tips posted below.

Tips To Stay Safe In Anaheim

  • Don’t leave valuables in plain sight in your car.
  • Always be aware of your surroundings.
  • Don’t walk alone at night, especially in unlit or desolate areas.
  • Do not make extended eye contact with people.
  • Trust your instincts. It something feels off, it probably is. Remove yourself from that situation.
  • Don’t wear flash jewelry, watches or purses. Doing so makes you a walking advertisement for thieves.
  • Drink responsibly and never to excess. Being overly drunk can make you a target for scammers and thieves.

Final Thoughts

Anaheim is a safe place to visit. It’s crime statistics are low and even lower than the national average. You will be fine in most places in Anaheim and even the worst parts of Anaheim are relatively mild compared to nearby Los Angeles.

Quick Facts About Anaheim

Fact

Anaheim, California

United States

Population, Census, April 1, 2010

336,265

308,745,538

Population, Census, April 1, 2020

346,824

331,449,281

White alone, percent

66.4%

76.3%

Black or African American alone, percent

2.7%

13.4%

Asian alone, percent

16.8%

5.9%

Hispanic or Latino, percent

54.3%

18.5%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent

24.2%

60.1%

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2015-2019

$575,600.00

$217,500.00

Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2015-2019

$2,473.00

$1,595.00

Median gross rent, 2015-2019

$1,651.00

$1,062.00

High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019

76.8%

88.0%

Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019

25.5%

32.1%

In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2015-2019

67.3%

63.0%

Total accommodation and food services sales, 2012 ($1,000)

1,589,090

708,138,598

Median household income (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019

$71,763.00

$62,843.00

Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019

$28,465.00

$34,103.00

Persons in poverty, percent

14.8%

11.4%

*All data is from the U.S. Census

Other Cities You Might Be Interested In:

Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Baltimore, Barstow, Brooklyn, Bronx, Compton, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Gary, Harlem, Houston, Indianapolis, Inglewood, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Reno, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Jose, Seattle, Slab City, St. Louis, Stockton

Recent Posts

Skip to content