If you are thinking about visiting Garden Grove and have qualms about the safety of the city, we got you covered. We deep dived into the statistics, crime rates and talked to the residents of the city to give you a better understanding of how safe the safe the city really is.
Is Garden Grove safe?
Statistically speaking, Garden Grove is a safe city as indicated by its crime rates. In 2020, Garden Grove had a violent crime rate of 297.76 per 100,000 residents, which is 25% greater than the national average. Garden Grove’s had a similar crime rate to Anaheim and San Diego.
Here’s a scale to give you some perspective on Garden Grove’s crime rate
Garden Grove Crime Rates And Crime Stats
The most recent, complete set of crime statistics comes from the FBI UCR and cross referenced with the Garden Grove PD and are for 2019 and 2020:
Garden Grove police reported a total of 4,467 offenses in 2020, compared with 4,431 in 2019, which is a 1% year-over-year increase.
2019
2020
% Change
Homicide
6
2
-67%
Rape
54
44
-19%
Robbery
185
152
-18%
Aggravated Assaults
260
314
21%
VIOLENT CRIME TOTALS
505
512
1%
Burglary
627
645
3%
Larceny
2,778
2,603
-6%
Motor Vehicle Theft
504
690
37%
Arson
17
17
0%
PROPERTY CRIME TOTALS
3,926
3,955
1%
TOTAL CRIME
4,431
4,467
1%
Violent Crime Rate
In 2020 Garden Grove reported 512 violent crimes and had a violent crime rate of 297.76 per 100,000 residents. Garden Grove’s violent crime rate is 25% less than the national average.
Year over year violent crime increased 1%.
You have a 1 in 336 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Garden Grove.
Violent crimes include; homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults.
Here’s a graph showing you how violent crime has trended in Garden Grove in the last 11 years.
Property Crime Rate
In 2020 Garden Grove reported 3,955 property crimes and had a property crime rate of 2,300.10 per 100,000 residents. Garden Grove’s property crime rate is 17% higher than the national average.
Year over year property crime increased 1%.
You have a 1 in 43 chance of becoming a victim of property crime in Garden Grove.
Property crimes include; burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
Murder Rate
In 2020 Garden Grove reported 2 murders and had a murder rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents.
Year over year murders decreased 67%.
You have a 1 in 85,975 chance of becoming a victim of property crime in Garden Grove.
Garden Grove Crime Map
Here’s a map showing you all the locations of violent crime (homicides, sexual assaults and robberies) in Garden Grove from 6/19/2021 – 6/19/2022 via Community Crime Map
Garden Grove’s crime rate vs other cities in California (2020)
Here’s how Garden Grove’s crime rate compared to other cities in California. Garden Grove had a similar crime rate to Anaheim and San Diego.
Here’s a list of the top 23 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates. Garden Grove’s violent crime rate is nearly 10 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
Garden Grove
171,949
297.76
Is the public transportation in Garden Grove, CA safe?
The public transportation system in Garden Grove is handled by the OCTA, which offers many routes that interweave throughout the entire city.
The OCTA is generally a safe option to use during normal commuting hours (6am – 8pm).
Is Downtown Garden Grove safe?
Downtown Garden Grove (Main St) is generally a safe during the day and at night. It is a well populated area with many shops, bars and restaurants.
The only thing you really need to worry about is some drunk idiot coming out of a bar and trying to start a fight. Other than that, we recommend that you not stray too far outside the area late at night.
Is Garden Grove, CA safe at night?
Garden Grove is safe at night as long as you stay in well populated and well lit areas at night. Walking through desolate areas late at night is a recipe for failure.
What do residents of Garden Grove say about it’s safety?
Garden Grove is average in terms of safety, relative to Orange County. It not as dangerous as the sketchiest parts of Santa Ana or Stanton but not as safe as Irvine or Aliso Viejo.
I grew up in Garden Grove and it’s perfectly fine. The only thing you have to worry about is the drivers.
Western Garden Grove is the more affluent area, whereas eastern Garden Grove is less affluent but still safe. Just don’t walk by yourself at night and you should be fine.
There are some pockets of bad areas in Garden Grove but most of the city is fine and safe. You will know when you are in a bad area and its pretty obvious.
Garden Grove is perfectly fine. There are some neighborhoods that have higher crime rates but they aren’t even that bad compared to the worst parts of Santa Ana, Stanton and Anaheim.
The most sketchy area is on Harbor blvd near the 22fwy. Don’t walk around there at night.
I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and I’ve never felt unsafe or in danger.
Garden Grove the city is safe but the drivers are extremely careless.
I’ve lived here for going on 2 decades now and never had issues with crime. I live by the Crystal Cathedral and there are lots of good and harworking families living there.
I don’t really fear for my safety living in Garden Grove. But then again I’m not walking down Harbor blvd in the middle of the night and doing stupid stuff that might set me up for trouble. Just exercise some common safety sense and you will be fine.
Tips to stay safe while visiting Garden Grove, CA
Familiarize yourself with the city before you arrive. Figure out what parts of the city are safe and what parts are sketchy and plan your trip with that knowledge
Avoid walking by yourself at night.
Don’t leave valuables in your car. Put anything worth value in your trunk. Make your car as uninviting to thieves as possible.
Always keep an eye on your drink. Don’t accept drinks from strangers unless it comes directly from the bartender.
Don’t engage with homeless people. Avoid them and keep walking.
Wait a second or two when the light turns green before crossing the street or driving through the intersection.
Facts about Garden Grove, CA
The population of Garden Grove in 2020 was 171,949 and is the 31st most populous city in California.
The city covers a land area of 17.96 sq mi .
The median age was 35.6 years.
75.1% of residents 25 and older is a high school graduate. 22.8% of residents 25 and older has a bachelors degree or higher.
The median income for a household in the city was $73,611. The per capita income for the city was $27,003.
12.9% of the population live below the poverty line.
The median home value in Garden Grove is $900,000 in 2022.
In 2022, the average rent for a Garden Grove 2-bedroom apartment is $2,377.
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