Sacramento crime and neighborhood safety by the numbers.

We like to feel safe.  It’s one of humankind's most primal urges, especially if we are raising a family or making a big investment by purchasing a home.  But how can we really tell if a neighborhood is safe?  We can talk to our neighbors, or pay attention to the headlines in the newspaper, but is that really the kind of empirical evidence you need to find out how safe our community really is? 

At Blue Water Credit, we live, work, and raise our families in the same communities that you do.  We understand that for all of us to feel safe in greater Sacramento, it takes not only the effort of the police force and sheriffs department, but the vigilance and caring of every individual.  To be of assistance, we’ve compiled some accurate data on crime, safety reports, and resources for you to do your due diligence as a considered citizen. 

First off, let's look at a report that sets a crime index for each city in the country from 1-100.  Sacramento received only a 9, meaning it is safer than only 9% of the cities in the U.S.

In terms of violent crime, the national median is 3.9 instances per 1,000.  California is at 4.11 and Sacramento comes in at 7.18, meaning you have a 1 in 139 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Sacramento.

With property crime, the national median is 29.1, California 25.84, and Sacramento at 43.21, giving you a 1 in 23 chance you'll be the victim of a property crime in Sacramento.

What about the density of crime per square mile?  The national median is 39.6, California 85, and Sacramento a whopping 238 crimes per square mile!

Of course all these numbers need to be placed in context of if things are getting better or worse.  We see that crime has risen 83.22% since 1990, but declined 13.92 % in the last 5 years.  However in the last 12 months, a concerning number.  

To look at the appreciation rates of crime over a one year period (from May 2012 to May 2013) in Sacramento, we see that Motor Vehicle Theft, Larceny, Aggravated Assault, and Rape have gone down, while Homicide, Robbery, and Burglary have increased.  

Another study puts Sacramento's violent crime rates at 4.33 per 1,000 for assault, 2.48 for robbery, and .029 for rape, while the national average is 2.41, 1.14, and .27 per 1,000, respectively.

The same report on property crimes states that in Sacramento, motor vehicle thefts are at 9.22 per 1,000, theft 25.09, and burglary 8.90, while the national averages are 2.3, 19.77, and 7.02, respectively

Here's another quick snapshot of violent and property crime that compares Sacramento, Sacramento County, and California statistics.

But what about our individual neighborhoods?   There are some detailed crime mapping services available online, like SpotCrime.com and CrimeReports.com  They utilize Google Maps cross referenced with crime reports to deliver maps neighborhood safety and crime hotspots.  This is one that shows the clusters of crime in the city.

Here is a more detailed crime mapping report per instance, courtesy of the SacPD.com/crime/beats.com, and you can also go to Sacbee.com.crimemapper.com to research your individual neighborhoods.

In summary?  It looks like we have some work to do in order to keep our city safer.  Certainly awareness is the first step, and then getting involved with neighborhood watch groups, communication with the local police and politicians, common sense initiatives (like not leaving valuables in plain sight in your car,) becoming friendly with your neighbors, and coming together as a community.

Look for part 2 of this article coming soon, where we break down the safest neighborhoods in Sacramento.

Please contact Blue Water Credit if you'd like more information or need some help.