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Salinas ranked No. 8 for crime in California report, but police data shows a different picture
Updated: 1:38 PM PDT Jul 9, 2026
Salinas ranked No. 8 on a list of California cities with the highest crime rates in a 2026 report published by home security company Reolink, which said the ranking was based on 2023 FBI crime data and crime-rate comparisons across the state.According to the report, Salinas recorded a violent crime rate of 6.53 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 31.12 per 1,000 residents. Reolink said the ranking was driven by elevated assault rates in agricultural worker communities and a 14% year-over-year increase in vehicle thefts, which the company said reached 10.3 per 1,000 residents.The report ranked Oakland No. 1, followed by Stockton, San Bernardino, Compton, Richmond, Modesto and Vallejo. Salinas came in ahead of Bakersfield and San Francisco, which rounded out the top 10.But the report did not make clear whether it was referring specifically to the city of Salinas or the broader Salinas metropolitan area. That distinction matters. The Salinas Metropolitan Statistical Area is coterminous with Monterey County, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The region spans more than 3,280 square miles along California’s Central Coast and includes not only the city of Salinas, but also coastal, inland and agricultural communities throughout the county.Salinas Police Department data, by contrast, reflects crime reported within the city of Salinas.Using the city’s estimated 2024 Census Reporter population of 160,779, Salinas police data shows a more detailed local picture than the Reolink summary.Salinas police recorded 1,719 total Part I crimes in 2023, 1,950 in 2024 and 1,774 in 2025, including murder, negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. That works out to about 493 Part 1 crimes per 100,000 residents. In the same year, the department recorded 2,374 property crimes, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, for a rate of about 1,477 per 100,000 residents.In 2024, Salinas recorded 830 violent crimes, or about 516 per 100,000 residents, and 2,739 property crimes, or about 1,704 per 100,000 residents.In 2025, Salinas recorded 778 violent crimes, or about 484 per 100,000 residents, and 2,251 property crimes, or about 1,400 per 100,000 residents.By comparison, California’s statewide crime rates were 497.4 violent crimes per 100,000 people and 2,262.5 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2023; 480.3 violent crimes and 2,082.7 property crimes in 2024; and 431.1 violent crimes and 1,785.8 property crimes in 2025, according to the California Department of Justice.That means Salinas’ police data shows the city was slightly below the statewide violent-crime rate in 2023, above it in 2024 and 2025, and below the statewide property-crime rate in all three years.The three-year trend in Salinas police data also differs from the broad impression left by the Reolink ranking. While the city did see elevated crime in some categories, the department’s numbers show 2024 was the peak year of the last three, followed by a decline in 2025.Salinas police recorded 1,719 total violent crimes in 2023, 1,950 in 2024 and 1,774 in 2025. The department’s broader total across listed categories was 4,093 in 2023, 4,689 in 2024 and 4,025 in 2025.Several categories rose in 2024 and then fell in 2025. Larceny-theft went from 1,578 in 2023 to 1,903 in 2024 before dropping to 1,528 in 2025. Motor vehicle theft rose from 518 to 595 and then fell to 497. Aggravated assault increased from 493 to 525 before declining to 480.Burglaries declined steadily over the three years, from 278 in 2023 to 241 in 2024 and 226 in 2025. Murders dropped from 11 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, then edged up to 7 in 2025. Robberies were relatively stable at 236, 230 and 234 over the same period. Salinas’ violent-crime rate, based on police data, was near or above the state average over the last three years, but its property-crime rate remained below the California average each year.Reolink is a home security company, and its report also included safety recommendations and promotions for surveillance products.This updated story includes more recent Salinas police data and additional context about the figures used in the rankingSalinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval said the ranking should be viewed cautiously because it was published in 2026 but relies on 2023 crime data, which he said could leave readers with the wrong impression about current conditions in the city.“The report is presented as a 2026 ranking, yet it is based on 2023 crime data,” he said. “I believe that distinction should have been made much clearer. Many readers will understandably assume the ranking reflects current conditions when it is based on data that is several years old.”Sandoval also said the department reported an 86% homicide clearance rate, which he noted was above both the California and national averages. Which is true CAL Matters reports, the homicide clearance rate went from 55% in 2021 to 64% in 2024 and 79% in 2025. Using the city’s estimated population of 160,779, Salinas’ homicide rate was about 6.8 per 100,000 residents in 2023, 3.7 in 2024, and 4.4 in 2025.California’s homicide rate fell from 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 4.8 in 2023, 4.3 in 2024 and 3.5 in 2025, according to California Department of Justice data.California’s homicide rate for 2025 stood at 3.5 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate recorded since statewide reporting began almost 60 years ago. “I respectfully encourage news organizations to verify the information they publish, clearly identify the years of the data being used, and include the most current publicly available information so readers receive the full picture,” he said in a statement sent to KSBW 8.
SALINAS, Calif. —
Salinas ranked No. 8 on a list of California cities with the highest crime rates in a 2026 report published by home security company Reolink, which said the ranking was based on 2023 FBI crime data and crime-rate comparisons across the state.
According to the report, Salinas recorded a violent crime rate of 6.53 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 31.12 per 1,000 residents. Reolink said the ranking was driven by elevated assault rates in agricultural worker communities and a 14% year-over-year increase in vehicle thefts, which the company said reached 10.3 per 1,000 residents.
The report ranked Oakland No. 1, followed by Stockton, San Bernardino, Compton, Richmond, Modesto and Vallejo. Salinas came in ahead of Bakersfield and San Francisco, which rounded out the top 10.
But the report did not make clear whether it was referring specifically to the city of Salinas or the broader Salinas metropolitan area. That distinction matters. The Salinas Metropolitan Statistical Area is coterminous with Monterey County, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The region spans more than 3,280 square miles along California’s Central Coast and includes not only the city of Salinas, but also coastal, inland and agricultural communities throughout the county.
Salinas Police Department data, by contrast, reflects crime reported within the city of Salinas.
Using the city’s estimated 2024 Census Reporter population of 160,779, Salinas police data shows a more detailed local picture than the Reolink summary.
Salinas police recorded 1,719 total Part I crimes in 2023, 1,950 in 2024 and 1,774 in 2025, including murder, negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
That works out to about 493 Part 1 crimes per 100,000 residents. In the same year, the department recorded 2,374 property crimes, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, for a rate of about 1,477 per 100,000 residents.
In 2024, Salinas recorded 830 violent crimes, or about 516 per 100,000 residents, and 2,739 property crimes, or about 1,704 per 100,000 residents.
In 2025, Salinas recorded 778 violent crimes, or about 484 per 100,000 residents, and 2,251 property crimes, or about 1,400 per 100,000 residents.
By comparison, California’s statewide crime rates were 497.4 violent crimes per 100,000 people and 2,262.5 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2023; 480.3 violent crimes and 2,082.7 property crimes in 2024; and 431.1 violent crimes and 1,785.8 property crimes in 2025, according to the California Department of Justice.
That means Salinas’ police data shows the city was slightly below the statewide violent-crime rate in 2023, above it in 2024 and 2025, and below the statewide property-crime rate in all three years.
The three-year trend in Salinas police data also differs from the broad impression left by the Reolink ranking. While the city did see elevated crime in some categories, the department’s numbers show 2024 was the peak year of the last three, followed by a decline in 2025.
Salinas police recorded 1,719 total violent crimes in 2023, 1,950 in 2024 and 1,774 in 2025. The department’s broader total across listed categories was 4,093 in 2023, 4,689 in 2024 and 4,025 in 2025.
Several categories rose in 2024 and then fell in 2025. Larceny-theft went from 1,578 in 2023 to 1,903 in 2024 before dropping to 1,528 in 2025. Motor vehicle theft rose from 518 to 595 and then fell to 497. Aggravated assault increased from 493 to 525 before declining to 480.
Burglaries declined steadily over the three years, from 278 in 2023 to 241 in 2024 and 226 in 2025. Murders dropped from 11 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, then edged up to 7 in 2025. Robberies were relatively stable at 236, 230 and 234 over the same period.
Salinas’ violent-crime rate, based on police data, was near or above the state average over the last three years, but its property-crime rate remained below the California average each year.
Reolink is a home security company, and its report also included safety recommendations and promotions for surveillance products.
This updated story includes more recent Salinas police data and additional context about the figures used in the ranking
Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval said the ranking should be viewed cautiously because it was published in 2026 but relies on 2023 crime data, which he said could leave readers with the wrong impression about current conditions in the city.
“The report is presented as a 2026 ranking, yet it is based on 2023 crime data,” he said. “I believe that distinction should have been made much clearer. Many readers will understandably assume the ranking reflects current conditions when it is based on data that is several years old.”
Sandoval also said the department reported an 86% homicide clearance rate, which he noted was above both the California and national averages.
Which is true CAL Matters reports, the homicide clearance rate went from 55% in 2021 to 64% in 2024 and 79% in 2025.
Using the city’s estimated population of 160,779, Salinas’ homicide rate was about 6.8 per 100,000 residents in 2023, 3.7 in 2024, and 4.4 in 2025.
California’s homicide rate fell from 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 4.8 in 2023, 4.3 in 2024 and 3.5 in 2025, according to California Department of Justice data.
California’s homicide rate for 2025 stood at 3.5 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate recorded since statewide reporting began almost 60 years ago.
“I respectfully encourage news organizations to verify the information they publish, clearly identify the years of the data being used, and include the most current publicly available information so readers receive the full picture,” he said in a statement sent to KSBW 8.