California experienced a 3.7% increase in violent crime last year, despite a 1.7% decrease nationwide. It was the second consecutive year of rising violent crime rates, captured by the latest FBI data. Since 2019, violent crimes have spiked by 13% in California.
Gun violence remains a particular issue of concern. 71.2% of homicides and 21.8% of assaults involved a firearm in 2022. In 2018, those figures were 68% and 16.9%, respectively.
Gun statistics vary widely by county. In Alameda and San Joaquin counties, 90% of homicides involved a gun last year, compared to 38% for San Mateo. Just 14% of violent crimes in Orange County and San Diego involved a gun, but in San Joaquin and Alameda, the percentage was 40%.
In addition to the violent crime increase in California, property crimes in the Golden State climbed 7.6% in 2022. Nationwide, property crimes rose by a comparable 7.1%.
Check out the FBI report here.