Crime & Safety in San Marcos, CA

Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data

Crime Overview

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)

Violent Crime Rate

2.22

per 1,000 residents

-50% vs national

Property Crime Rate

6.60

per 1,000 residents

-70% vs national

Total Crimes

829

2024

Violent Clearance

79%

cases solved

+87% vs national

Property Clearance

19%

cases solved

vs Similar Cities

-34%

vs 50K-100K avg

-34% vs 50K-100K

YoY Change

+3.9%

violent crime rate

worsening vs 2023

How San Marcos Compares

Source: FBI (2024)

San Marcos vs Similar Cities

Source: FBI (2024)

Compared to cities with 50,000 - 100,000 residents. San Marcos is highlighted in green.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

Murder Rate (per 1,000)

Violent Crime Clearance Rate

Crime Rate Trends

Source: FBI
Violent 24.0%Property 58.5%20152024

Crime Composition

Source: FBI (2024)

Violent Crime Breakdown

Property Crime Breakdown

Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates

Source: FBI (2024)

San Marcos police solve 100% of murder cases but only 14% of motor vehicle theft cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.

Weapon Used in Violent Crime

Source: FBI (2024)

Crime Breakdown

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)
Crime TypeCategoryCountRate per 1KClearance %
MurderViolent10.01100.0%
RapeViolent60.0666.7%
RobberyViolent300.3280.0%
Aggravated AssaultViolent1721.8379.7%
BurglaryProperty1421.5122.5%
Larceny/TheftProperty3764.0018.4%
Motor Vehicle TheftProperty1021.0913.7%

San Marcos, CA reported 209 violent crimes and 620 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 2.22 per 1,000 residents is 50.4% below the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 79% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 376 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 9.3% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (50,000 - 100,000 population), San Marcos's violent crime rate is 34% lower. Violent crime has been trending upward.

Crime History

Source: FBI
YearViolentPropertyViolent RateProperty Rate
20242096202.226.60
20232037542.147.95
20222071,0082.1810.62
20212169112.189.21
20201949711.989.89
20191939551.969.69
20182021,0522.0610.73
20171951,1362.0011.68
20161971,1452.0812.07
20151711,5161.7915.91