Photo: SarahStierch · CC BY 4.0Per resident, Elk Grove records about as much crime as the typical place among U.S. towns
All told, Elk Grove grades B− for safety (#91 of 416 graded towns in California, and #35 of 325 U.S. cities over 100,000): close to the middle of U.S. towns, on crimes its police reported from 2023 to 2025. Annual rates stand at 1.8 violent crimes and 12.1 incidents of property crime for every thousand residents, next to 4.9 and 21.4 in the rest of California. The rate the grade counts held about level from 2023 to 2025.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of CA” is every other California city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in Elk Grove
Elk Grove reports less crime than every graded town next door
Of the 3 California towns on Elk Grove’s borders, 1 have a Safety Grade: Sacramento (D). Florin and Vineyard are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own. Neighbors ↓
Among California towns, closer to the middle
California’s cities and towns report more crime than most states’, so Elk Grove’s place among its own towns differs from its national one: it reports less crime than 78% of the 416 California towns we grade, against 48% nationally. Safety Grade ↓
Homicides: below U.S. cities overall
Elk Grove’s police reported 8 homicides to the FBI in 2025. Over 2023–2025 that is 2.2 per 100,000 residents a year, below the rest of California (4.2) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (5.7). Violent crime ↓
Robberies: below the rest of California
49.5 robberies per 100,000 residents a year over 2023–2025 (88 reported in 2025), below the rest of California (124) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (79.4). Violent crime ↓
Against other big cities
Among the 325 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, Elk Grove reports less crime per resident than 89% (#35). Places like it ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind Elk Grove’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Both violent and property crime are higher than in most U.S. towns; violent crime is the closer of the two to typical. Its violent rate (1.8) is below the FBI’s national estimate (3.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns. Its property rate (12.1) is below the FBI’s national estimate (17.6) but higher than in most individual towns: the national figure is weighted by people, and the grade counts towns.
Homicides and robberies
Show as a table
| Year | Elk Grove | Rest of California | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.6 | 5.6 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | 0.6 | 4.9 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 5.7 |
| 2025 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
Homicides per 100,000 residents
Show as a table
| Year | Elk Grove | Rest of California | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 39.9 | 136 | 95.5 |
| 2023 | 50.6 | 142 | 90.6 |
| 2024 | 50.3 | 128 | 81.9 |
| 2025 | 47.7 | 102 | 66.0 |
Robberies per 100,000 residents
Elk Grove’s police reported 8 homicides, 88 robberies and 297 violent crimes in all to the FBI in 2025. By year, against the rest of California and all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables.
Crime in Elk Grove per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 2 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
Reported crime is steady
Show as a table
| Year | Elk Grove property | Rest of California property | Elk Grove violent | Rest of California violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 13.1 | 24.9 | 2.0 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | 12.0 | 25.0 | 1.9 | 5.4 |
| 2024 | 12.3 | 20.9 | 1.9 | 4.9 |
| 2025 | 12.0 | 18.5 | 1.6 | 4.3 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident was steady from 2023 to 2025: the change is within ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of California.
2,505 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
297 violent and 2,208 property, as reported to the FBI by Elk Grove’s police.
36 people died in crashes on Elk Grove’s roads in 2019–2023
Elk Grove had 34 fatal crashes in five years, in which 36 people died; 11 were pedestrians and 2 were cyclists. 4 died in crashes on an Interstate.
That is 4.0 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, below the median for California towns of 100,000+ people (7.7, 76 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Elk Grove and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Grove | B− | 1.8 | 12.1 |
| Sacramento | D | 7.6 | 25.6 |
| Florin | — | — | — |
| Vineyard | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Florin and Vineyard are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
California towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Grove | B− | 1.8 | 12.1 |
| Huntington Beach | C | 2.0 | 18.2 |
| Santa Rosa | C | 3.2 | 14.0 |
| Ontario | C | 2.8 | 19.0 |
| Glendale | C | 2.5 | 20.4 |
| Oxnard | C− | 5.9 | 17.4 |
The five graded California towns closest to Elk Grove’s population (185,007), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of Elk Grove. A citywide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of the city to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Elk Grove’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (184,388 in 2025); our figure for Elk Grove is 185,007 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Elk Grove
Is Elk Grove, CA safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, Elk Grove reports more crime per resident than 52% of U.S. towns, a B− Safety Grade and #91 of 416 in California. Its police reported 1.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 4.9 in the rest of California and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in Elk Grove?
1.8 violent and 12.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of California reports 4.9 and 21.4; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
How many homicides were there in Elk Grove in 2025?
Elk Grove’s police reported 8 homicides to the FBI for 2025, 4.3 per 100,000 residents. Across U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables the 2025 figure was 4.6.
Is Elk Grove safer than Sacramento?
Sacramento reports more crime per resident than Elk Grove: Sacramento grades D for safety and Elk Grove B−. Sacramento’s police reported 7.6 violent and 25.6 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices Elk Grove?
Elk Grove’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Elk Grove”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
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Neighbors looking out for each other in Elk Grove.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.