Key takeaways
- California’s homicide rate fell to 3.5 per 100,000 residents in 2025, the lowest on record (down from 4.3 in 2024).
- Violent crime fell 10.2%, property crime 14.3%, and motor vehicle theft 25.8% from 2024 to 2025.
- Los Angeles recorded 230 homicides in 2025, its fewest in about six decades.
California recorded some of its lowest crime rates in modern history in 2025, according to the annual criminal justice statistics released by Attorney General Rob Bonta on July 1, 2026. The state’s homicide rate fell to 3.5 per 100,000 residents, down from 4.3 the year before and the lowest rate since statewide reporting began.
The headline numbers
The California Department of Justice report shows declines across every major crime category between 2024 and 2025:
- Homicides: 1,374 in 2025, down from 1,666 in 2024. The homicide rate fell 18.6%.
- Violent crime rate: down 10.2%, from 480.3 to 431.1 per 100,000 residents.
- Robbery rate: down 19.9%.
- Property crime rate: down 14.3%, from 2,082.7 to 1,785.8 per 100,000 residents.
- Motor vehicle theft rate: down 25.8%, the largest decline of any major category.
Firearms remained a major factor: about two-thirds (66.9%) of 2025 homicides involved a gun. Of the 46,288 crime guns logged by the state, 6,940 were identified as unserialized “ghost guns,” a number that has fallen every year since peaking in 2021.
Arrests went up while crime went down
One notable trend: the total arrest rate rose 3.6% in 2025, even as reported crime fell. Juvenile arrests moved the other way, dropping 7.0%. Reported assaults on officers increased, from 13,547 to 14,345.
Los Angeles follows the statewide trend
Closer to home, Los Angeles ended 2025 with its fewest killings in roughly six decades. The LAPD’s 2025 crime data report counted 230 homicides, down from 284 in 2024, and officials credited in part the more than 8,000 firearms the department seized during the year.
A caution about the data
The Department of Justice notes that not every law enforcement agency submitted a full year of data for 2025, as departments transition to a new statewide reporting system. Year-over-year comparisons should be read with that in mind.
What it means for everyday Californians
Lower crime rates are good news, but they are little comfort to the thousands of people who were still assaulted, robbed, or hurt in 2025. Many crimes that cause physical injury, from assaults to DUI crashes to dangerous conditions that enable attacks, can also give victims the right to pursue a civil claim, separate from any criminal prosecution.
Hurt by someone else’s crime or reckless driving? A criminal case and a civil injury claim are separate. Even when the state prosecutes the person responsible, victims may have the right to seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. The Law Office of Sean Keshishyan in Glendale offers free consultations for injury victims. Call (818) 246-6934 or send us a message.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change and every situation is different. Please speak with a qualified attorney about your specific circumstances.
