Berkeley, CA Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Berkeley, CA Crime

Is Berkeley safe?

Berkeley earns an overall crime grade of D city-wide, but that headline number tells only part of the story. When you break the city down by neighborhood, 68% of Berkeley's 19 analyzed neighborhoods receive an A or B safety grade — meaning the majority of the city is genuinely safe. Eight neighborhoods (42.1%) earned a straight Grade A, including Thousand Oaks, Claremont, Northbrae, and the University of California, Berkeley campus area. An additional five neighborhoods (26.3%) earned a Grade B. On the other end, only one neighborhood (5.3%) received a Grade D — Downtown Berkeley — and zero neighborhoods received an F. The practical takeaway: safety in Berkeley is highly location-dependent. Residents in the hills and north Berkeley neighborhoods experience conditions comparable to the safest cities in the Bay Area, while those near Downtown or South Berkeley face meaningfully higher risk and should take standard urban precautions.

What is the crime rate in Berkeley?

Across 19 analyzed neighborhoods, Berkeley's safety ratings span a wide range. 42.1% of neighborhoods grade A, 26.3% grade B, 26.3% grade C, and 5.3% grade D — with no neighborhoods reaching an F. The city-wide safety rating settles at a moderate C, reflecting that concentration of crime in a small number of areas pulls down an otherwise mixed picture. Higher-crime zones are concentrated in specific corridors: Downtown Berkeley (D) is the single lowest-rated neighborhood, followed by South Berkeley (C−) and Berkeley Oceanview (C−). West Berkeley grades a C and South Campus a C+. By contrast, the five safest neighborhoods — Thousand Oaks, Claremont, Northbrae, University of California Berkeley, and Kensington — all hold A or A− grades and serve populations with median household incomes ranging from roughly $155,000 to over $191,000, a pattern that reflects the strong correlation between income, density, and local crime levels in Berkeley.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Berkeley?

Based on 2026 neighborhood-level analysis, the ten safest areas in Berkeley are:

1. Thousand Oaks — Grade A (median income: $191,033; population: 4,327)
2. Claremont — Grade A (median income: $173,642; population: 3,819)
3. Northbrae — Grade A (median income: $155,904; population: 1,895)
4. University of California, Berkeley — Grade A (median income: $191,388; population: 2,235)
5. Kensington — Grade A− (median income: $170,951; population: 5,767)
6. Claremont Hills — Grade A− (median income: $203,055; population: 1,544)
7. Westbrae — Grade A− (median income: $118,695; population: 2,819)
8. Berkeley Hills — Grade A− (median income: $155,538; population: 18,416)
9. Panoramic Hill — Grade B+ (median income: $67,057; population: 1,910)
10. North Berkeley — Grade B− (median income: $81,664; population: 18,771)

Notably, Claremont Hills has the highest median income of any Berkeley neighborhood at $203,055, and Berkeley Hills is among the most populous safe neighborhoods at over 18,000 residents. Westbrae stands out as an A− neighborhood with a more moderate median income of $118,695, making it one of the more accessible safer options. Together, these ten neighborhoods account for the 68% of Berkeley's neighborhoods rated A or B.

Which neighborhoods in Berkeley have the most crime?

The highest-crime area in Berkeley is Downtown Berkeley, which is the only neighborhood to receive a Grade D — representing just 5.3% of analyzed neighborhoods. Below Downtown, the next tier of concern includes South Berkeley (C−) and Berkeley Oceanview (C−), both of which fall in the bottom quarter of neighborhood safety ratings. West Berkeley (C) and South Campus (C+) round out the five neighborhoods with elevated crime relative to the city's safer areas. These five neighborhoods collectively represent the 31.6% of Berkeley neighborhoods graded C or lower. If you live, work, or spend time in these areas, standard urban awareness practices — securing your vehicle, being mindful of surroundings at night, and keeping valuables out of sight — are especially relevant.

Is Berkeley a good place to live?

Berkeley presents a genuinely mixed picture for prospective residents. On the economic side, the city posts a median household income of $91,259 and a median home value of $1,058,240 — reflecting its position as one of the Bay Area's more affluent cities overall. The unemployment rate of 5.2% is moderate, though a poverty rate of 17.8% signals meaningful economic inequality within the city. With a population density of 4,554 people per square mile and a median rent of $1,767, Berkeley is dense and expensive by national standards. On safety, the answer depends almost entirely on which neighborhood you choose: 68% of neighborhoods earn an A or B grade, and areas like Thousand Oaks, Berkeley Hills, and North Berkeley offer genuinely low-crime environments. However, the city-wide crime grade of D reflects that Downtown Berkeley and a handful of adjacent neighborhoods experience significantly elevated crime. Families and individuals who prioritize safety should focus their search on the hills neighborhoods and north Berkeley, where grades consistently reach A or A−.

How does Berkeley's crime compare across its neighborhoods?

The spread between Berkeley's safest and highest-crime neighborhoods is striking. The top-graded neighborhoods — Thousand Oaks, Claremont, and Northbrae, all earning a Grade A — have median incomes between $155,000 and $191,000 and relatively small, stable populations. Meanwhile, Downtown Berkeley (Grade D) represents the sharpest contrast: it is the only neighborhood in the city to fall below a C grade. The grade distribution across 19 neighborhoods breaks down as: 42.1% Grade A, 26.3% Grade B, 26.3% Grade C, 5.3% Grade D, and 0% Grade F. This distribution suggests that while Berkeley has a real crime problem concentrated in specific corridors, the majority of its land area and residential neighborhoods are safe. The city-wide moderate rating of C reflects a balance between these high-performing residential areas and the elevated activity concentrated near downtown and the flatlands.