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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



La Mesa, CA crime analytics

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:   Reflects 2022 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2023 (latest available). Updated annually. Where is 2023 data?

Methodology:   Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. This is possible by associating the 9.4 million reported crimes in the U.S, including over 2 million geocoded point locations…. Read more about Scout's Crime Data

The crime rate in La Mesa is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 24 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in La Mesa is 1 in 41. Based on FBI crime data, La Mesa is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to California, La Mesa has a crime rate that is higher than 71% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

How does the crime rate in La Mesa compare to similar sized communities across America? When NeighborhoodScout compared La Mesa with other communities its size, we found that the crime rate was near the average for all other communities of similar size. So, whether La Mesa's crime rate is high or low compared to all places in the US, when we control for population size and compare it to places that are similar in size, it is near the middle of the pack in crime rate; not much more or less dangerous, and about what we would expect from the statistics.

Now let us turn to take a look at how La Mesa does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in La Mesa.

From our analysis, we discovered that violent crime in La Mesa occurs at a rate higher than in most communities of all population sizes in America. The chance that a person will become a victim of a violent crime in La Mesa; such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder; is 1 in 323. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that La Mesa's rate for property crime is 21 per one thousand population. This makes La Mesa a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in La Mesa is one in 47.

Importantly, we found that La Mesa has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in La Mesa is one in 286.

La Mesa Crime Data

total Crime Index

16

(100 is safest)


Safer than 16% of U.S. cities.

La Mesa Annual Crimes

  Violent Property Total

Number of Crimes

187

1,290

1,477

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

3.10

21.37

24.47

Violent Crime

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20 15 10 5 0
3.1
4.99
National Median: 4
    La Mesa
    California

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

1 in 323

in La Mesa

1 in 200

in California

La Mesa Violent Crimes

Population: 60,360
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 1 10 49 127
Rate per 1,000 0.02 0.17 0.81 2.10

United States Violent Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 21,156 133,294 220,450 893,980
Rate per 1,000 0.06 0.40 0.66 2.68

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

100 75 50 25 0
21.37
23.43
National Median: 20
    La Mesa
    California

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

1 in 47

in La Mesa

1 in 43

in California

Property Crimes

Population: 60,360
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 174 905 211
Rate per 1,000 2.88 14.99 3.50

United States Property Crimes

Population: 333,287,557
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 899,293 4,672,363 942,173
Rate per 1,000 2.70 14.02 2.83

La Mesa Crimes Per Square Mile

200 150 100 50 0
162
84
National Median: 27.0
    La Mesa
    California