Crime
Costa Mesa's crime rate by year
Police in Costa Mesa, CA reported about 545 violent crimes per 100,000 people they serve in 2025 (U.S.: 329), down from a high of 810 in 1990, and 2.8 murders in 2025 (U.S.: 4.3), down from a high of 8.0 in 1992. Rates count only crimes police reported to the FBI.
Violent crime rate, 2025
545
per 100,000 people (U.S.: 329)
Murder rate, 2025
2.8
per 100,000 people (U.S.: 4.3)
Violent crime rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Murder rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Property crime rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Car theft rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Burglary rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Robbery rate in Costa Mesa and the U.S., each year
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
No figure for Costa Mesa in 2021 and 2023: its police didn't report a full year to the FBI. The line breaks there.
Violent crime and murder each year
Crimes per 100,000 people, as police reported them to the FBI, newest first.
| Year | Violent, Costa Mesa | Violent, U.S. | Murder, Costa Mesa | Murder, U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 545.1 | 329.3 | 2.8 | 4.3 |
| 2024 | 733.9 | 363.4 | 2.8 | 5.2 |
| 2022 | 589.3 | 398.2 | 0.9 | 6.9 |
| 2020 | 430.7 | 399.3 | 1.8 | 6.8 |
| 2019 | 273.6 | 381.0 | 0.0 | 5.2 |
| 2018 | 300.8 | 384.8 | 2.6 | 5.2 |
| 2017 | 318.7 | 397.5 | 0.9 | 5.4 |
| 2016 | 362.0 | 399.5 | 0.9 | 5.4 |
| 2015 | 340.2 | 384.6 | 0.9 | 5.0 |
| 2014 | 282.1 | 373.7 | 0.0 | 4.5 |
| 2013 | 223.9 | 378.2 | 0.9 | 4.6 |
| 2012 | 225.5 | 390.7 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| 2011 | 207.6 | 390.1 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| 2010 | 218.3 | 408.1 | 0.9 | 4.8 |
| 2009 | 276.0 | 436.8 | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| 2008 | 321.4 | 463.7 | 0.9 | 5.5 |
| 2007 | 234.9 | 477.9 | 0.0 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 276.1 | 486.9 | 5.4 | 5.9 |
| 2005 | 275.3 | 483.0 | 2.7 | 5.9 |
| 2004 | 256.3 | 478.6 | 2.7 | 5.7 |
| 2003 | 273.2 | 493.7 | 0.9 | 5.9 |
| 2002 | 239.5 | 512.9 | 1.8 | 5.9 |
| 2001 | 352.2 | 529.5 | 3.6 | 5.9 |
| 2000 | 252.9 | 534.4 | 1.8 | 5.8 |
| 1999 | 307.2 | 545.8 | 3.9 | 5.9 |
| 1998 | 280.9 | 603.8 | 1.0 | 6.6 |
| 1997 | 367.2 | 644.9 | 3.0 | 7.2 |
| 1996 | 375.6 | 658.8 | 1.0 | 7.8 |
| 1995 | 443.8 | 720.6 | 2.0 | 8.7 |
| 1994 | 449.4 | 740.4 | 6.1 | 9.2 |
| 1993 | 456.7 | 764.1 | 5.1 | 9.8 |
| 1992 | 467.3 | 785.4 | 8.0 | 9.7 |
| 1991 | 755.4 | 798.1 | 2.0 | 10.3 |
| 1990 | 809.5 | 749.8 | 6.2 | 9.7 |
| 1989 | 718.5 | 680.5 | 2.1 | 8.9 |
| 1988 | 530.1 | 630.2 | 4.3 | 8.5 |
| 1987 | 418.8 | 624.9 | 1.1 | 8.4 |
| 1986 | 400.6 | 633.6 | 3.3 | 8.7 |
| 1985 | 501.3 | 570.3 | 1.1 | 8.1 |
Property crime, car theft, burglary and robbery each year
Crimes per 100,000 people in Costa Mesa, with the U.S. rate after each, newest first.
| Year | Property crime, Costa Mesa | Property crime, U.S. | Car theft, Costa Mesa | Car theft, U.S. | Burglary, Costa Mesa | Burglary, U.S. | Robbery, Costa Mesa | Robbery, U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,095 | 1,552 | 257 | 200 | 246 | 195 | 73 | 50 |
| 2024 | 2,878 | 1,767 | 285 | 258 | 373 | 232 | 74 | 62 |
| 2022 | 3,577 | 1,999 | 348 | 290 | 492 | 276 | 127 | 70 |
| 2020 | 3,188 | 1,955 | 326 | 247 | 453 | 309 | 102 | 74 |
| 2019 | 3,293 | 2,109 | 311 | 221 | 395 | 334 | 91 | 83 |
| 2018 | 3,331 | 2,207 | 264 | 231 | 450 | 373 | 96 | 87 |
| 2017 | 3,805 | 2,372 | 459 | 239 | 547 | 427 | 113 | 99 |
| 2016 | 4,076 | 2,469 | 509 | 240 | 646 | 467 | 127 | 104 |
| 2015 | 4,178 | 2,495 | 412 | 223 | 615 | 490 | 108 | 103 |
| 2014 | 3,088 | 2,592 | 272 | 217 | 508 | 538 | 107 | 103 |
| 2013 | 3,171 | 2,759 | 263 | 224 | 455 | 611 | 84 | 111 |
| 2012 | 3,643 | 2,881 | 321 | 232 | 593 | 673 | 74 | 115 |
| 2011 | 3,189 | 2,926 | 240 | 232 | 471 | 702 | 75 | 115 |
| 2010 | 2,914 | 2,963 | 257 | 241 | 417 | 702 | 85 | 121 |
| 2009 | 3,028 | 3,077 | 225 | 264 | 469 | 722 | 104 | 136 |
| 2008 | 3,103 | 3,252 | 279 | 321 | 474 | 738 | 110 | 149 |
| 2007 | 3,046 | 3,316 | 365 | 372 | 463 | 731 | 70 | 152 |
| 2006 | 3,060 | 3,397 | 367 | 410 | 473 | 740 | 111 | 154 |
| 2005 | 3,469 | 3,518 | 499 | 434 | 536 | 741 | 107 | 147 |
| 2004 | 3,343 | 3,599 | 404 | 437 | 447 | 741 | 102 | 142 |
| 2003 | 3,235 | 3,704 | 364 | 455 | 464 | 757 | 101 | 150 |
| 2002 | 3,169 | 3,738 | 377 | 453 | 453 | 762 | 87 | 154 |
| 2001 | 3,292 | 3,802 | 435 | 456 | 500 | 766 | 140 | 159 |
| 2000 | 2,941 | 3,752 | 445 | 437 | 402 | 751 | 66 | 156 |
| 1999 | 3,184 | 3,873 | 366 | 446 | 471 | 790 | 102 | 160 |
| 1998 | 3,519 | 4,213 | 509 | 493 | 526 | 895 | 112 | 180 |
| 1997 | 4,229 | 4,495 | 539 | 542 | 607 | 952 | 144 | 203 |
| 1996 | 5,058 | 4,553 | 616 | 554 | 894 | 954 | 158 | 219 |
| 1995 | 5,985 | 4,797 | 811 | 596 | 1,123 | 1,025 | 173 | 239 |
| 1994 | 6,473 | 4,752 | 886 | 615 | 1,204 | 1,053 | 195 | 251 |
| 1993 | 7,374 | 4,814 | 1,003 | 628 | 1,286 | 1,108 | 189 | 269 |
| 1992 | 6,931 | 5,089 | 927 | 661 | 1,393 | 1,200 | 184 | 279 |
| 1991 | 8,386 | 5,388 | 1,184 | 699 | 1,296 | 1,297 | 233 | 292 |
| 1990 | 8,279 | 5,227 | 1,045 | 677 | 1,554 | 1,253 | 176 | 267 |
| 1989 | 8,155 | 5,212 | 1,060 | 649 | 1,572 | 1,298 | 177 | 243 |
| 1988 | 7,314 | 5,046 | 930 | 596 | 1,513 | 1,283 | 143 | 222 |
| 1987 | 6,922 | 5,090 | 809 | 544 | 1,591 | 1,356 | 127 | 221 |
| 1986 | 7,326 | 5,015 | 786 | 522 | 1,936 | 1,373 | 151 | 234 |
| 1985 | 6,526 | 4,780 | 582 | 473 | 1,739 | 1,310 | 199 | 216 |
Source and notes
FBI Crime Data Explorer, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (Public domain (U.S. government work); source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program).
These are the crimes the Costa Mesa police reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, per 100,000 people the department serves. Violent crime is murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; murder includes nonnegligent manslaughter. Property crime is burglary, theft and car theft. A year counts only when the department reported violent crimes in all 12 months, and not when its rate is far out of line with the years either side (under a quarter, or over 1.75 times, of both), which means it sent only part of its reports or some twice. In 2021 the FBI took only reports from its newer system (NIBRS), and many departments hadn't switched yet, so that year is often missing or less certain. NIBRS counts every crime in an incident, not just the most serious, so a jump or drop when a department switched can come from the change in counting rather than in crime. The FBI widened its definition of rape in 2013. A city's rate depends on where its borders fall, so compare cities with care. The U.S. rates count only the agencies that reported, so they differ a little from the FBI's national estimates.