Concord’s east-Bay reputation sits somewhere between family-friendly suburb and practical commuter hub. Most weekends you’ll see strollers rolling past Todos Santos Plaza farmers’ stalls while BART trains unload Giants-cap crowds.
But headlines about theft spikes can make newcomers wonder: is Concord, CA safe?
Below is a numbers-first look at crime patterns, neighborhood ratings, and resources.
Overview of Crime in Concord
The most recent full-year NIBRS dashboard logged 4,471 reportable crimes during 2024, a tally that works out to about 4,471 incidents per 100,000 residents—roughly 48 percent above the national composite of 2,834 per 100k.
Those figures bundle everything from a purse snatch on Clayton Road to an aggravated assault outside a Monument Boulevard bar, so the top-line number can feel scarier than day-to-day life often does. Still, that higher-than-average baseline makes Concord a “situational-awareness required” town rather than a “leave the bike unlocked” place.
Statistics on Violent Crime & Property Crime
Zoom in and two trends pop. First, violent offenses—aggravated assaults, robberies, rare homicides—totaled 621 in 2024, giving Concord a violent-crime rate of about 501 per 100k. Second, property crimes dominated the ledger at 3,850 incidents; that breaks down to 2,363 thefts, 787 vehicle thefts, and 700 burglaries per 100k.
In short, you’re statistically six times more likely to battle a catalytic-converter bandit than a mugger. Concord lands in the 33rd national percentile for overall safety: safer than one-third of U.S. cities.
Compare Nearby Cities
Context matters. Drive ten minutes south and Walnut Creek posts 38 percent fewer violent crimes and a modest 5 percent dip in property crime. Compare Concord to Oakland and the violent-crime pace more than triples Concord’s.
Pleasant Hill, by contrast, mirrors Concord’s theft numbers but edges lower on assaults. Bottom line: Concord lives in the East-Bay middle—a bit rowdier than its upscale neighbors, calmer than the big metro core.
Living in Concord: Safety and Community
Is Concord a Safe Place to Live?
Crunch the math and your yearly odds of any reported crime sit around 1 in 28; for a violent offense, 1 in 160. That’s higher risk than “average American suburb” but not the “lock the doors at noon” narrative social media sometimes paints.
Daytime farmers’ markets in Todos Santos feel almost Mayberry-quiet. Residents who treat Concord like a biggish city—lock the car, light the porch, know the neighbors—tend to move through seasons without an incident report.
Buying a home in Concord means you’re getting safety and peace.
Crime Rate in Concord: Historical Trends
Numbers didn’t explode overnight. Internal police ledgers show 9,043 total crimes in 2023 and 9,241 in 2024—an uptick of about two extra calls a week. Aggravated assaults barely budged, burglary actually dipped, but shoplifting jumped 250 cases.
Meanwhile, license-plate readers installed on Willow Pass shaved 157 vehicle-theft cases year-over-year.
Translation: shifts in a single category (recently retail theft) can nudge the chart even when overall neighborhood danger feels steady.
Neighborhood Safety Ratings
Heat-map tools grade Concord block by block. Downtown scores a D- on composite risk, resting in only the 10th percentile nationally, while Cambridge Park, Turtle Creek, and Ellis Lake hover around B grades, meaning residents there face about one-third the theft odds of denser parts of town.
Concord Crime Resources
How to Use Crime Statistics for Home Security
Start by overlaying Concord PD’s live crime map on your commute. Park daily at North Concord BART? Bolt on a wheel lock—vehicle-theft counts there hit 190 through April 2025. Renting downtown? Swap to motion-trigger LED bulbs; the first four months of 2025 logged 250 theft-from-vehicle reports inside a six-block grid.
Homeowners can book a free Security Through Environmental Design audit—an officer walks the yard, flags blind corners, and even checks door hardware. Small tweaks such as trimming olive-tree branches or elevating front-porch lighting often slash break-in risk.
Resources for Victims of Crime in Concord
If trouble still finds you, help lines light up fast. The Contra Costa County Victim-Witness Assistance Program (925-957-8650) handles restitution forms, court escorts, and trauma counseling.
And for smash-and-grab headaches, CPD’s online portal lets you file a property-crime report in about ten minutes—no need to miss work waiting at Parkside Drive HQ.
Population and Crime Rates
Concord's Population Demographics
Fresh Census tables list Concord’s 2024 head-count at 124,016, a mild 0.7 percent bump from 2023. Median household income cleared $100,442, and roughly 39 percent of adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Age wise, Concord skews younger than Contra Costa overall, thanks to logistics jobs, a community college pipeline, and relative affordability compared with Walnut Creek condos.
Crime Per Capita in Concord
Put crime over population and the picture sharpens. With 9,241 total incidents in 2024, Concord recorded about 74 crimes per 1,000 residents—roughly 62 percent above the national average and nine percent above California’s statewide mean. The violent slice sits at 5.0 per 1,000, property at 69 per 1,000. While those ratios overshadow sedate suburbs, they still trail the infamy of Vallejo or Stockton’s fringe neighborhoods.
Conclusion: Safety in Concord, California
Final Thoughts on Living in Concord
So, is Concord safe? Stat sheets lean “be cautious,” not “hunker down.” Residents who treat the city like an urban-suburban hybrid—lock doors, light porches, ask neighbors to grab Amazon boxes—usually avoid starring in next month’s blotter.
Future Trends in Concord Crime Rates
Early 2025 figures show 2,912 incidents through April, tracking six percent below 2024’s pace, even as catalytic-converter theft continues its cat-and-mouse climb. Concord PD credits the dip to plate readers and expanded retail-theft task forces.
National FBI briefs echo a three-percent slide in violent crime across mid-sized metros last year, so Concord’s modest “green arrows” align with broader trends.
Concord, CA Safety FAQs
Is Concord safer than Oakland or Richmond?
Yes. Oakland’s violent-crime rate sits nearly triple Concord’s, while Richmond runs about 60 percent higher on aggravated assault. Concord, however, trails Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill on most metrics.
What crimes are most common in Concord?
Property offenses dominate—especially theft-from-vehicle and shoplifting. Vehicle theft is the perennial headliner, though 2024 logged a 157-case drop versus 2023, likely tied to new plate readers.
Which Concord neighborhoods post the lowest crime rates?
Recent heat maps give B-grade safety to Cambridge Park, Ellis Lake, and much of Turtle Creek.
