Crime in California and some of the Bay Area’s biggest cities fell in 2024 after increases during the pandemic helped drive statewide approval last fall of a ballot measure to strengthen penalties in drug and property crimes and seat new prosecutors in Oakland and Los Angeles who promised tougher law enforcement, according to an analysis of annual state crime figures released Tuesday.
In the Bay Area, overall crime rates fell significantly last year in Oakland and San Francisco from the year before. Oakland’s overall crime rate remained about twice San Francisco’s and three times San Jose’s. Oakland continued to see violent crime surge even as overall crime rates and property crimes fell.
The rate rose measurably from 2023 to 2024 in San Jose, to a level similar to 2022.
In Oakland, restaurant owner Tuan Nguyen closed the Phở Vy, a family-owned spot known for its warm atmosphere and loyal customer base, this year, citing concerns about safety.
“There’s more sex work in the area now,” Nguyen said. “We’re a family-oriented place, and that pushes families away. And then there are the car break-ins. Even my own car’s been hit. Customers come in and can’t enjoy their meal because they’re constantly worried about their vehicles.”
Pho Vy Vietnamese Cuisine co-owner, Tuan Nguyen cleans up the almost vacant restaurant in Oakland on Thursday, May 22, 2025. After almost ten years running their family-owned business, the Nguyens decided to close to take care of their aging parents, in addition to other reasons such as break-ins, theft, crime, public safety concerns, and the sex trade on International Boulevard. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Statewide, the crime rate per 100,000 people dropped about 8% overall in 2024 from 2023. The violent crime rate fell 6% — to a level the Attorney General’s Office noted was less than half the state’s historic high in 1992. The property crime rate was 8.4% lower than the year before.
“While crime rates have declined over the past year, public safety in our communities remains priorities one, two, and three,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “The statistics reported today in the California Department of Justice’s annual crime reports are a critical part of understanding where we are, regulating our response, and ensuring policymakers and law enforcement have the tools they need to make informed decisions that keep millions of Californians safe.”
A look at 20 years worth of state justice department crime data by the Bay Area News Group shows Oakland’s rate of reported crimes per 100,000 people has consistently surpassed that of San Francisco and San Jose.
The figures also reveal that:
Oakland’s overall 2024 crime rate fell from 15% from 2023, but is still 40% higher than 2020, 6% above 2013, and 27% higher than 2003. The city’s violent crime rate climbed 48% since 2020 and 35% from 2003. Property crime, after a 2023 spike, dropped, but remains 39% above 2020, and 26% above 2003.
San Francisco’s overall 2024 crime rate plunged 17% from 2020 and 26% below 2003. The city’s violent crime rate is little changed from 2020, but is 26% below 2003. The city’s property crime rate dropped 19% from 2020 and 27% from 2003.
San Jose’s overall 2024 crime rate was 27% higher than its reported 2023 rate, but the justice department indicated data from that year was incomplete. The 2024 rate is up 8% since 2020 and up 11% from 2003. The violent crime rate was 33% higher than in 2020 and 52% higher than in 2003, but similar to San Francisco’s and far below Oakland’s. The property crime rate was 4% higher than in 2020 and 5% higher than in 2003.
Last year, the Oakland Police Department said it provided incorrect 2023 crime data to the California Department of Justice, which it attributed to “human error.”
The state’s 2024 report includes a notation that Oakland Police “identified some reporting discrepancies in their 2023 statistical data after DOJ released their annual reports.” It said to “use caution when comparing any data with 2023 data” and referred to the updated figures on Oakland Police Department’s website. The Bay Area News Group analysis used Oakland Police’s 2023 data.
Crime in California and many of its cities became a leading issue heading into last year’s elections. Statewide, voter frustration with video on newscasts of thieves ransacking stores across the state’s urban centers, and finding retailers locking up items to prevent thefts, helped drive approval in all 58 counties of Proposition 36, calling for tougher drug and theft penalties. The initiative, which Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed, toughened some provisions that were loosened in an earlier ballot measure, Proposition 47, approved a decade earlier.
Voters also replaced Los Angeles County’s progressive District Attorney George Gascon with Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who campaigned for tougher enforcement.
In Alameda County, voters recalled progressive District Attorney Pamela Price. Oakland voters also recalled Mayor Sheng Thao, indicted on alleged corruption charges, and have since replaced her with former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, while in San Jose, Mayor Matt Mahan was reelected.
The San Jose and Oakland police departments did not respond to requests for information from city and police officials about the 2024 crime rates.
Robert Rueca, spokesperson of the San Francisco Police Department, said the city’s officers work closely with the community and community leaders to help address public safety concerns and collaborate with other city agencies to tackle these issues.
“We attribute these crime rates to all the work our police officers and professional staff do daily to hold those accountable for their actions by investigating every crime,” Rueca said.