Located an hour south of Los Angeles, Irvine is a retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. This master planned community is often touted as one of the the ‘safest big cities in America’.
If you are thinking about visiting Irvine 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 Irvine really is.
Is Irvine Safe?
Irvine is one of the safest cities in America and it consistently tops the list of safest places in the US. In 2019, Irvine had a violent crime rate of 64.2 per 100,000 people. Out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, Irvine’s violent crime rate ranked 96th, meaning there were only 4 other cities on the list that were safer than Irvine.
Irvine’s Population
The population for the Irvine in 2019 is 292,673
Irvine Crime Stats
Here’s a breakdown of all the crimes in Irvine for 2018 and 2019.
|
2018 |
2019 |
2018 vs 2019 |
Murder |
0 |
1 |
|
Rape |
40 |
52 |
+30.0% |
Robbery |
53 |
66 |
+24.5% |
Aggravated Assault |
67 |
69 |
+3.0% |
Burglary |
621 |
574 |
-7.6% |
Larceny/Theft |
2,840 |
3,086 |
+8.7% |
Motor Vehicle Theft |
198 |
163 |
-17.7% |
Arson |
9 |
9 |
0.0% |
TOTAL |
3,828 |
4,020 |
+5.0% |
*All data is from the FBI UCR
Irvine Violent Crime Rate
In 2019 Irvine reported 188 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 64.2 per 100,000 people. The national average for violent crime is 366.7 per 100,000 residents.
Irvine’s violent crime rate is 5.7 times LESS 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.
Irvine Property Crime Rate
In 2019 Irvine reported 3,832 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 1,309.31 per 100,000 people. The national average for property crime is 2,109.9 per 100,000 residents. Irvine’s property crime rate is 1.6 times LESS than the national average.
Out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, Irvine had the lowest property crime rate of all cities.
**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.
Irvine Murder Stats
In 2019 Irvine reported only 1 homicide, which gives it a murder rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents. The national murder rate is 5 per 100,000 people. Irvine’s murder rate is 14.7 times LESS than the national average.
Out of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, Irvine’s had the lowest murder rate of all cities.
To put it in perspective, St. Louis had a murder rate of 86.87 in 2020. Irvine’s murder rate is 255 times LESS than St. Louis.
Irvine 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.
Irvine had the lowest crime rate of the most populous cities in California
City |
Population |
Violent Crime Rate |
Property Crime Rate |
313,604 |
1,396.67 |
3,943.51 |
|
216,715 |
1,318.78 |
4,190.30 |
|
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 |
513,934 |
627.12 |
3,182.12 |
|
467,974 |
506.22 |
2,414.02 |
|
Riverside |
333,260 |
505.91 |
2,937.65 |
Bakersfield |
388,080 |
467.29 |
4,377.68 |
1,040,008 |
438.36 |
2,419.60 |
|
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 |
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
Irvine 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 Irvine’s violent crime rate, which is 64.2 per 100,000 people.
Irvine’s violent crime rate is 37 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 Irvine say about its safety
- "Violent crime is pretty much non-existent in Irvine. If you get a traffic ticket, they send out like 3 patrol cars and a helicopter."
- "Very safe, yes. Very boring, yes as well."
- "Irvine is one of the safest cities, but there is a very real danger of being bored to death."
- "There is no where I feel unsafe. Irvine is safe pretty much everywhere."
- "The only thing you have to be worried about in Irvine are Karens, be wary of Karens."
- "Irvine is absolutely safe. The cops maybe di*ks but they get the job done."
- "Irvine is extremely nice and well kept. There are no riff-raff or homeless anywhere and crime is the last thing you have to worry about."
- "Irvine is incredibly safe. I have absolutely no qualms about walking my dog late at night."
- "Irvine is “boring” but also very nice and safe.
Is Irvine safe at night?
Irvine is a very safe place to visit at night. It’s one of the few places that you can walk anywhere in the city late at night and not feel in danger.
Is it safe to visit alone?
Irvine is a very safe place to visit alone. You shouldn’t have any concerns while visiting the city alone.
Tips To Stay Safe In Irvine
Irvine is a very safe city, however you shouldn’t throw all caution to the wind. Here are some tips to help you stay safe while visiting the city.
- Be aware of your surroundings at all times
- Don’t leave valuables in plain sight in your car. Take them with you or put it in the trunk.
- Walk with confidence and like you know where you are going. Don’t look like a lost tourist.
- Trust your gut. Walk away if something or someone doesn’t give you a good feeling.
Driving tour of Irvine
Final Thoughts
Irivne is an extremely safe place to visit. It’s one of the few places where violent crime is almost non-existent and where there are no sketchy areas. You can pretty much walk around any part of town and at any time of the day and not feel in danger.
Quick Facts About Irvine
Fact |
Irvine, California |
United States |
Population, Census, April 1, 2020 |
307,670 |
331,449,281 |
Population, Census, April 1, 2010 |
212,375 |
308,745,538 |
Black or African American alone, percent |
1.7% |
13.4% |
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent |
0.2% |
1.3% |
Asian alone, percent |
43.1% |
5.9% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent |
0.2% |
0.2% |
Hispanic or Latino, percent |
10.3% |
18.5% |
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent |
40.3% |
60.1% |
Foreign born persons, percent, 2015-2019 |
41.2% |
13.6% |
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2015-2019 |
$838,000.00 |
$217,500.00 |
Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2015-2019 |
$3,227.00 |
$1,595.00 |
Median gross rent, 2015-2019 |
$2,361.00 |
$1,062.00 |
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2015-2019 |
51.0% |
21.6% |
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 |
96.6% |
88.0% |
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 |
68.9% |
32.1% |
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2015-2019 |
63.1% |
63.0% |
Median household income (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019 |
$105,126.00 |
$62,843.00 |
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2019 dollars), 2015-2019 |
$50,016.00 |
$34,103.00 |
Persons in poverty, percent |
13.4% |
11.4% |
*All data is from the U.S. Census
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