Violent Crime
New York has 56% less violent crime
New York records 319.6 violent incidents per 100k residents versus 499.5 in California (FBI UCR 2022).
Safety
California vs New York: Violent Crime Rate
New York has a lower violent crime rate than California.
National Rankings
Where They Rank Nationally
See where both states fall among all 50 states for violent crime rate.
California
#44 · 499.5 per 100k
New York
#25 · 319.6 per 100k
Best
Worst
10 Best States — Violent Crime Rate
Lower is better
#1
Maine
109.8 per 100k
Maine
#2
New Hampshire
164.4 per 100k
New Hampshire
#3
Connecticut
178.0 per 100k
Connecticut
#4
Vermont
187.6 per 100k
Vermont
#5
New Jersey
188.9 per 100k
New Jersey
#6
Virginia
195.2 per 100k
Virginia
#7
Rhode Island
215.5 per 100k
Rhode Island
#8
Wyoming
216.5 per 100k
Wyoming
#9
Kentucky
218.6 per 100k
Kentucky
#10
Idaho
224.7 per 100k
Idaho
Selected states
#44
California
499.5 per 100k
California
#25
New York
319.6 per 100k
New York
California ranks 44th and New York ranks 25th nationally for violent crime rate.
Safety Context
Violent Crime Rate in context
Economic and demographic factors behind the violent crime rate difference.
Poverty
California has a lower poverty rate
Economic stress and crime are closely tied. California's poverty rate is 12.0%, compared with 14.2% in New York.
See full data →Income
California has higher household income
States with stronger median incomes tend to have lower crime rates. California leads at $84,097 vs $78,609 in New York.
See full data →Population Density
New York is more densely populated
Urban density often correlates with higher crime rates. New York is more densely populated at 370.3 per sq mi vs 241.5 in California.
See full data →Safety snapshot
CaliforniaSafety
- Violent crime rate / 100k
- 499.5
Contributing factors
- Poverty rate
- 12.0%
- Median household income
- $84,097
- Population density
- 241.5 / sq mi
- Unemployment rate
- 5.5%
New YorkSafety
- Violent crime rate / 100k
- 319.6
Contributing factors
- Poverty rate
- 14.2%
- Median household income
- $78,609
- Population density
- 370.3 / sq mi
- Unemployment rate
- 4.6%
What stands out
- New York has the lower violent crime rate at 319.6 per 100k.
- California has the lower poverty rate.
- California has the higher median household income.
Related pages
What this means
California vs New York: Violent Crime Rate in context
New York's violent crime rate is 319.6 per 100k, compared with 499.5 per 100k in California. Violent crime incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR 2022).
California
499.5 per 100k
New York
319.6 per 100k
Difference
179.9 per 100k
People also ask
California vs New York Violent Crime Rate — common questions
QWhat is California's violent crime rate?
California's violent crime rate is 499.5 per 100k.
QWhat is New York's violent crime rate?
New York's violent crime rate is 319.6 per 100k.
QWhich state has a lower violent crime rate — California or New York?
New York has a lower violent crime rate than California.
More comparisons: California vs New York
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Data source and freshness
Primary source
Data period
2022 UCR data
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
Reported offenses per 100,000 residents; reporting coverage can vary.