Pasadena, CA Crime Map

Pasadena, CA: Understanding a C- Overall Crime Grade Across a City of 142,017

Pasadena earns an overall crime grade of C-, a rating that reflects meaningful variation across its neighborhoods rather than a uniform safety picture. With 142,017 residents spread across a city where the median home value sits at $822,250 and the median household income reaches $85,129, Pasadena occupies an interesting middle ground — affluent by many measures, yet carrying a 14% poverty rate and 5% unemployment that contribute to pockets of elevated criminal activity. That contrast is precisely why drilling into neighborhood-level data matters more here than relying on citywide averages.

What the Data Reveals About Specific Neighborhoods

The city's safety profile is not evenly distributed. Because the available city data does not include a breakdown of individual neighborhood names, grades, or median incomes beyond the citywide figures, it would be inaccurate to assign specific letter grades or income figures to named districts. What the overall C- grade does confirm is that a substantial portion of Pasadena's neighborhoods fall at or below the midpoint of the safety scale, while a meaningful share perform considerably better. Residents researching areas like the Playhouse District, San Marino-adjacent blocks near the south side, or the corridors closer to the 210 freeway should consult the interactive crime map directly to see current, address-level incident data rather than relying on generalizations.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime: Two Different Conversations

In a city with a population density of 2,388 people per square mile and a median rent of $1,787, property crime tends to be the dominant concern. Vehicle break-ins, residential burglary, and theft from commercial areas typically account for the largest share of reported incidents in communities with Pasadena's economic profile — high asset values create targets, while income inequality creates opportunity. Violent crime, while present, generally registers at lower rates relative to property offenses in cities of this income bracket. That said, a C- overall grade signals that neither category should be dismissed. Residents in higher-density corridors and areas with lower median incomes relative to the city average face a different risk profile than those in the city's more established residential zones.

How the Interactive Crime Map Puts Data to Work

The crime map on this page is built for practical decision-making, not just curiosity. Home buyers evaluating whether a $800,000+ purchase makes sense in a given block can layer recent incident data over property listings to assess actual risk rather than relying on neighborhood reputation alone. Renters comparing apartments across different parts of the city can identify whether a lower-priced unit in one corridor comes with a trade-off in safety. Commuters who park on the street near the Metro A Line stations or who walk from parking structures to offices can check which routes have seen the highest concentration of vehicle-related incidents in recent months. Each of these use cases benefits from time-filtered, category-specific data — tools the map provides at the street level.

Putting Pasadena's C- Grade in Context

A C- is not a failing grade, but it is a clear signal that Pasadena requires informed navigation. The city's relatively strong median income and high home values do not insulate all of its residents equally — a 14% poverty rate means that economic stress is a real factor in certain areas, and that shows up in the crime data. The most useful thing any resident, buyer, or visitor can do is move past the citywide letter grade and engage with the block-by-block pattern the map reveals. Pasadena rewards that level of attention. The difference between a neighborhood graded A and one graded D can be a matter of a few streets, and knowing which side of that line a home or commute falls on is information worth having.