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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



National City, CA crime analytics

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:   Reflects 2024 calendar year; released from FBI in October 2025 (latest available). Updated annually. Where is 2025 data?

Methodology:   Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. This is possible by associating the 9.4 million reported crimes in the U.S, including over 2 million geocoded point locations…. Read more about Scout's Crime Data

The crime rate in National City is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 25 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in National City is 1 in 40. Based on FBI crime data, National City is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to California, National City has a crime rate that is higher than 82% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

Importantly, when you compare National City to other communities of similar population, then National City crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how National City does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.

Now let us turn to take a look at how National City does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in National City.

For National City, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in National City is one in 152.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that National City's rate for property crime is 19 per one thousand population. This makes National City a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in National City is one in 54.

Importantly, we found that National City has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in National City is one in 158.

National City Crime Data

total Crime Index

11

(100 is safest)


Safer than 11% of U.S. cities.

National City Annual Crimes

  Violent Property Total

Number of Crimes

385

1,089

1,474

Crime Rate
(per 1,000 residents)

6.59

18.63

25.21

Violent Crime

Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

20 15 10 5 0
6.59
4.86
National Median: 4
    National City
    California

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime

1 in 152

in National City

1 in 206

in California

National City Violent Crimes

Population: 58,460
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 4 16 122 243
Rate per 1,000 0.07 0.27 2.09 4.16

United States Violent Crimes

Population: 340,110,988
Murder Rape Robbery Assault
Report Total 16,935 127,527 205,952 870,931
Rate per 1,000 0.05 0.38 0.61 2.56

Property Crime

Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents)

100 75 50 25 0
18.63
20.78
National Median: 18
    National City
    California

Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Property Crime

1 in 54

in National City

1 in 48

in California

Property Crimes

Population: 58,460
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 134 586 369
Rate per 1,000 2.29 10.02 6.31

United States Property Crimes

Population: 340,110,988
burglary theft motor vehicle theft
Report Total 779,542 4,326,531 880,327
Rate per 1,000 2.29 12.72 2.59

National City Crimes Per Square Mile

200 150 100 50 0
200
77
National Median: 24.5
    National City
    California