Crime & Safety in Santa Maria, CA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
6.61
per 1,000 residents
+47% vs national
Property Crime Rate
18.83
per 1,000 residents
-13% vs national
Total Crimes
2,799
2024
Violent Clearance
33%
cases solved
-22% vs national
Property Clearance
11%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+46%
vs 100K-250K avg
+46% vs 100K-250K
YoY Change
+7.6%
violent crime rate
worsening vs 2023
How Santa Maria Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Santa Maria vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 100,000 - 250,000 residents. Santa Maria 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: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Santa Maria police solve 67% of murder cases but only 10% of larceny/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 Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 3 | 0.03 | 66.7% |
| Rape | Violent | 75 | 0.68 | 22.7% |
| Robbery | Violent | 191 | 1.74 | 22.5% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 458 | 4.16 | 39.3% |
| Burglary | Property | 344 | 3.13 | 10.8% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 1,265 | 11.49 | 9.6% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 463 | 4.21 | 13.2% |
Santa Maria, CA reported 727 violent crimes and 2,072 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 6.61 per 1,000 residents is 47.4% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 33% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 1,265 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 25.5% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (100,000 - 250,000 population), Santa Maria's violent crime rate is 46% higher. Violent crime has been trending upward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 727 | 2,072 | 6.61 | 18.83 |
| 2023 | 677 | 2,596 | 6.14 | 23.53 |
| 2022 | 717 | 3,050 | 6.55 | 27.85 |
| 2021 | 595 | 2,644 | 5.59 | 24.83 |
| 2020 | 834 | 2,472 | 7.71 | 22.86 |
| 2019 | 466 | 1,475 | 4.30 | 13.61 |
| 2018 | 498 | 1,932 | 4.61 | 17.87 |
| 2017 | 476 | 2,354 | 4.43 | 21.91 |
| 2016 | 506 | 2,638 | 4.76 | 24.84 |
| 2015 | 463 | 2,975 | 4.44 | 28.51 |