California Burglary Statistics by County
California residential burglary fell 56.8% between 2016 and 2024, from 108,783 to 47,013. Residential burglary was 57.8% of all California burglary in 2016 and is now 38.9%. Commercial burglary has overtaken home burglary. Across the four counties Aegis Luxury Real Estate serves, the residential decline runs from 40.8% in Santa Clara County to 82.2% in Monterey County.
Key California Burglary Statistics
California DOJ Criminal Justice Statistics Center- California recorded 120,717 burglaries in 2024, down from 188,162 in 2016. (CA DOJ)
- Residential burglary fell 56.8% over that period, from 108,783 to 47,013. (CA DOJ)
- Non-residential burglary fell only 7.1%, so the decline is almost entirely in homes. (CA DOJ)
- Residential burglary was 57.8% of California burglary in 2016 and 38.9% in 2024. (CA DOJ)
- San Mateo County has the lowest burglary rate of the four counties at 124 per 100,000 residents. (CA DOJ)
- Monterey County recorded the steepest residential burglary decline at 82.2% since 2016. (CA DOJ)
- Santa Clara County has the highest burglary rate of the four at 359 per 100,000, above the California rate of 306. (CA DOJ)
- In San Mateo County, 73.5% of burglaries in 2024 involved no forced entry. (CA DOJ)
- California shoplifting rose 34.0% over the same period residential burglary fell 56.8%. (CA DOJ)
- In San Mateo County shoplifting rose 118.2% while residential burglary fell 63.4%. (CA DOJ)
Which County Has the Most Burglary?
Santa Clara County, at 359 burglaries per 100,000 residents in 2024, above the California rate of 306. San Mateo County has the lowest of the four counties at 124, roughly a third of Santa Clara County's rate. Santa Cruz County recorded 159 and Monterey County 144. The gap is mostly non-residential. Santa Clara County recorded 4,068 non-residential burglaries against 2,667 residential, while San Mateo County recorded 404 non-residential against 497 residential.
| County | Burglaries | Per 100,000 | Residential burglaries | Residential per 100,000 | Total burglary change, 2016 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County market statistics hub | 6,735 | 359 | 2,667 | 142 | -10.5% |
| Santa Cruz County | 418 | 159 | 160 | 61 | -65.8% |
| Monterey County | 628 | 144 | 163 | 37 | -62.3% |
| San Mateo County | 901 | 124 | 497 | 68 | -70.1% |
| California | 120,717 | 306 | 47,013 | 119 | -35.8% |
Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances, 2024. Rates computed by Aegis Luxury Real Estate against California Department of Finance county population estimates. Burglary counts are reported offenses, not convictions.
Santa Clara County's burglary rate is 2.9 times San Mateo County's, and the gap is not residential. Santa Clara County recorded 4,068 non-residential burglaries in 2024 against 2,667 residential, while San Mateo County recorded 404 non-residential against 497 residential. The difference is concentrated in non-residential burglary. On residential burglary per capita the four counties sit much closer together.
Is Home Burglary Rising or Falling?
Falling sharply, everywhere. California residential burglary fell 56.8% between 2016 and 2024, from 108,783 to 47,013. Every one of the four counties fell by at least 40%. Monterey County fell 82.2%, Santa Cruz County 76.5%, and Santa Clara County 40.8%, the smallest decline of the four. The residential share of all California burglary dropped from 57.8% to 38.9% over the same period.
| County | 2016 | 2024 | Change | Residential share of all burglary, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County | 914 | 163 | -82.2% | 26.0% |
| Santa Cruz County | 680 | 160 | -76.5% | 38.3% |
| San Mateo County | 1,358 | 497 | -63.4% | 55.2% |
| Santa Clara County market statistics hub | 4,504 | 2,667 | -40.8% | 39.6% |
| California | 108,783 | 47,013 | -56.8% | 38.9% |
Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances, 2016 and 2024.
In 2016, residential burglary was 57.8 percent of all California burglary. In 2024 it is 38.9 percent. Non-residential burglary fell only 7.1 percent over the same period while residential fell 56.8 percent. Commercial burglary has overtaken home burglary in California and in three of the four counties reported here. Coverage of California property crime almost universally describes the total, which obscures the fact that the residential component, the one a homeowner cares about, has collapsed.
How Do Burglars Get In?
In California, 71.2% of 2024 burglaries involved forced entry and 28.8% involved no force. The four counties diverge sharply. Santa Clara County runs 71.1% forcible and Santa Cruz County 70.6%, both near the state figure, while San Mateo County is the outlier at 73.5% no force.
| County | Forcible entry | Share forcible | No force | Share no force |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County market statistics hub | 4,788 | 71.1% | 1,947 | 28.9% |
| San Mateo County | 239 | 26.5% | 662 | 73.5% |
| Monterey County | 399 | 63.5% | 229 | 36.5% |
| Santa Cruz County | 295 | 70.6% | 123 | 29.4% |
| California | 86,003 | 71.2% | 34,714 | 28.8% |
Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances, 2024. Forcible entry and no force are the two categories the Department reports; together they account for all recorded burglaries.
The no-force category records burglaries where entry occurred without forcible entry. The Department does not record the specific point of access, so this can include an unlocked door, an open window, an unsecured garage, or any other entry that did not require force. San Mateo County is the outlier: 73.5 percent of its 2024 burglaries required no force at all, against 28.8 percent statewide. That is the only figure on this page a homeowner can act on directly, and it costs nothing to act on.
What Replaced Home Burglary?
Shoplifting. California shoplifting rose 34.0% between 2016 and 2024 while residential burglary fell 56.8%. In San Mateo County shoplifting rose 118.2% over the same period residential burglary fell 63.4%. Santa Clara County shoplifting rose 83.9% and Monterey County 65.1%.
| County | Shoplifting change | Residential burglary change | Shoplifting, 2024 | Residential burglary, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo County | +118.2% | -63.4% | 3,668 | 497 |
| Santa Clara County market statistics hub | +83.9% | -40.8% | 7,270 | 2,667 |
| Monterey County | +65.1% | -82.2% | 1,364 | 163 |
| Santa Cruz County | -36.9% | -76.5% | 722 | 160 |
| California | +34.0% | -56.8% | 132,076 | 47,013 |
Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances, 2016 and 2024. Shoplifting is reported as a subcategory of larceny-theft and is not part of the burglary count.
Every one of the four counties except Santa Cruz shows the same pattern: shoplifting up substantially, residential burglary down substantially. San Mateo County is the extreme case at plus 118.2 percent and minus 63.4 percent. These are different offenses against different victims, and reporting that combines them into a single property crime figure describes neither. Aggregate property crime totals can therefore obscure the trend most relevant to a homeowner: residential burglary has fallen sharply even while shoplifting has risen.
The Ten Year California Record
California burglary has declined in every year since 2016 except 2022. The residential share of that total fell from 57.8 percent in 2016 to a low of 37.1 percent in 2021 and 2022, then edged back to 38.9 percent in 2024.
| Year | Total burglary | Residential | Non-residential | Residential share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 188,162 | 108,783 | 79,379 | 57.8% |
| 2017 | 176,638 | 95,942 | 80,696 | 54.3% |
| 2018 | 164,540 | 85,693 | 78,847 | 52.1% |
| 2019 | 151,596 | 72,710 | 78,886 | 48.0% |
| 2020 | 145,377 | 57,802 | 87,575 | 39.8% |
| 2021 | 136,275 | 50,579 | 85,696 | 37.1% |
| 2022 | 143,429 | 53,210 | 90,219 | 37.1% |
| 2023 | 132,583 | 50,604 | 81,979 | 38.2% |
| 2024 | 120,717 | 47,013 | 73,704 | 38.9% |
| 2025 (preliminary) | 109,596 | 41,443 | 68,153 | 37.8% |
Source: California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances, 2016 to 2025. Aegis Luxury Real Estate treats 2024 as the last complete reporting year. 2025 figures are shown for continuity and are marked preliminary because agency reporting for the most recent year is not final.
How These Figures Are Calculated
Every count comes from the California Department of Justice Criminal Justice Statistics Center, which collects Crimes and Clearances from every reporting law enforcement agency in the state as part of the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
| Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Source | California Department of Justice, Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Crimes and Clearances |
| Reporting framework | FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program |
| Burglary | Unlawful entry into a structure to commit a felony or theft |
| Residential and non-residential | As classified by the reporting agency at the time of the offense |
| Means of entry | Forcible entry or no force, the two categories the Department reports |
| Counts | Reported offenses, not arrests, charges or convictions |
| Rates | Per 100,000 residents, computed against California Department of Finance county population estimates |
| Reference year | 2024, the last complete reporting year. 2025 shown as preliminary. |
| Known gaps | Some agencies do not report in some months. Santa Clara County 2023 in particular is affected by missing San Jose Police Department data for November and December. |
Reported offenses measure what was reported to police, not what occurred. Burglary is generally well reported because an insurance claim requires a police report, but the figure is still a report count. No figure on this page comes from a home security company, an alarm vendor, or a crime mapping service.
Official Sources for California Crime Data
Every figure on this page can be checked at its origin. These are the primary agency records, not summaries of them.
Using these figures
Journalists, researchers, students, and other sites are welcome to reproduce any statistic on this page. No permission is required. Please cite the page and link to the permanent URL so readers can check the figure against its source and see the current version.
Timothy Alston. "California Burglary Statistics by County." Aegis Luxury Real Estate, DRE# 01328224, updated August 17, 2026. https://aegishomesre.com/burglary-statistics/
https://aegishomesre.com/burglary-statistics/
This URL does not change. The page is updated in place rather than republished, so a link placed today continues to resolve to the current figures. For data questions, contact Timothy Alston at aegishomesre.com/contact.
Santa Clara County Market Data by City
Aegis Luxury Real Estate publishes crime statistics at county and state level only. We do not publish crime data by city or by neighborhood, and no figure on this page describes any city, neighborhood, or individual property. For current listings, median sale prices, and local market conditions in each Santa Clara County city that Aegis Luxury Real Estate serves, see the individual city pages below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is burglary going up or down in California?
Down. California recorded 120,717 burglaries in 2024 against 188,162 in 2016, a decline of 35.8 percent. Residential burglary specifically fell 56.8 percent, from 108,783 to 47,013. Non-residential burglary fell only 7.1 percent, so almost the entire decline is in homes.
Which Bay Area county has the most burglary?
Of the four counties reported here, Santa Clara County has the highest burglary rate at 359 per 100,000 residents, above the California rate of 306. San Mateo County has the lowest at 124, Monterey County 144 and Santa Cruz County 159. Santa Clara County's higher figure is driven by non-residential burglary rather than residential.
How much has home burglary dropped in Santa Clara County?
Residential burglary in Santa Clara County fell 40.8 percent between 2016 and 2024, from 4,504 to 2,667. That is the smallest decline of the four counties. Monterey County fell 82.2 percent, Santa Cruz County 76.5 percent and San Mateo County 63.4 percent.
Do most burglars break in or walk in?
Statewide, 71.2 percent of California burglaries in 2024 involved forced entry and 28.8 percent involved no force, meaning an unlocked door, open window or unsecured garage. San Mateo County is the striking exception: 73.5 percent of its burglaries required no force at all.
If burglary is falling, why does California property crime seem worse?
Because shoplifting is rising while home burglary falls. California shoplifting rose 34.0 percent between 2016 and 2024 over the same period residential burglary fell 56.8 percent. In San Mateo County shoplifting rose 118.2 percent. Coverage that reports a combined property crime total can move on shoplifting while residential burglary falls.
Where does this burglary data come from?
The California Department of Justice Criminal Justice Statistics Center, which collects Crimes and Clearances from every reporting law enforcement agency in the state as part of the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Figures are reported offenses rather than arrests or convictions. 2024 is treated as the last complete reporting year.
Timothy Alston
Timothy Alston is a licensed California real estate Broker serving Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. This reference page is maintained as part of an ongoing statistical series and is updated in place when its source data or methodology materially changes.