California homicide rate hit record low in 2025 as violent crime continues to fall
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- California’s homicide rate last year dropped to its lowest level on record.
- The overall violent crime rate in California decreased 10.2% in 2025.
- Reported hate crimes fell 3.4% in 2025 while racial or ethnic bias incidents rose 6.2%.
The homicide rate last year in California dropped to its lowest level on record as overall violent crimes showed a continued decline, keeping the state well below its peak in violence reached more than 30 years ago.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said transparent and accurate statewide crime data released each year leads to informed policy choices to help keep Californians safe. Among the data released Wednesday was a report on hate crimes reported statewide last year.
“These numbers prove that the investments in community violence intervention over recent years and the commitment to effective partnerships and collaboration between federal, state and local governments, law enforcement agencies, and community partners are working,” Bonta said in a news release. “Our policing has gotten smarter, more organized, and more coordinated. We’ve created successful organized retail theft programs, human trafficking and fentanyl task forces, and programs targeting violent criminals.”
The drops in homicides and violent crime were among the data released Wednesday by the California Department of Justice. The California Criminal Justice Statistical Reports for 2025 also showed that the property crime rate statewide decreased last year, while the state’s total arrest rate increased.
The information contained in the crime reports is based on statistics for 2025 submitted by California law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice entities throughout the state.
“These (crime-prevention) partnerships have led to more success, more accountability and more arrests, which we know is a much better deterrent than disproportionately lengthy and expensive sentences,” Bonta said in a news release.
The state’s crime rate is defined by the number of crimes reported per 100,000 people in the state.
California’s homicide rate decreased 18.6% from 4.3 per 100,000 people in 2024 to 3.5 per 100,000 people in 2025, which is its lowest level on record. Since 2020, the state’s homicide rate has dropped 36.4%. The total number of homicides last year, 1,374, was 17.5% decrease from the 1,666 homicides reported in 2024.
“Every Californian deserves to feel safe in their community,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said about the crime data in a news release. “These historic results show that when we invest in our communities, support law enforcement, crack down on organized crime, and expand prevention and intervention efforts, we can save lives and improve public safety. California is proving that smart, sustained investments are making a real difference for families across our state.”
Sacramento County also experienced drops in homicides and violent crimes last year.
The number of homicides in Sacramento County in 2025 fell to the lowest level in decades, according to Sacramento County sheriff’s officials. The 18 homicides investigated by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in 2025 were the fewest since the 1980s.
Decreases in crime were similar across the capital region, based on data collected and reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
The Sacramento Police Department investigated 36 homicides, 20% fewer than the 45 in 2024, a total that was revised after several victims died in 2025 from crimes committed in prior years. Police investigated 38 homicides in 2023 and 54 in 2022, according to department data.
Crime reported in the capital city dropped in all major categories in 2025 compared to 2024, according to Sacramento police data. The sharpest declines were in car thefts and burglaries, while police also marked declines in aggravated assaults, robberies, rape and homicides.
Closer look at California homicides
Last year, guns remained the most common weapon used in California homicides; 66.9% of homicides in 2025 involved a firearm.
Among homicides where the victim’s relationship to the suspect was identified, 49.4% of victims were killed by a friend or acquaintance; 27.4% by a stranger; and 18.0% by their spouse, parent or child, according to the DOJ’s data.
For homicides with a known contributing circumstance, 40.1% were the result of an unspecified argument, 19.8% were gang-related, 14.1% were domestic violence-related and 3.5% occurred in connection with the commission of a rape, robbery or burglary.
There were 1,269 homicide arrests last year in California, which is down 2.8% from the 1,305 homicide arrests reported in 2024.
The overall violent crime rate statewide last year decreased 10.2% from 480.3 per 100,000 in 2024 to 431.1 in 2025, which remains well below California’s historical peak of 1,103.9 reached in 1992. There also was drop in the property crime rate last year; down 14.3%, from 2,082.7 in 2024 to 1,785.8 in 2025.
The total arrest rate statewide increased 3.6% from 2,673.8 in 2024 to 2,770.4 in 2025.
The DOJ data shows that domestic violence-related calls for help decreased from 163,024 in 2024 to 157,416 in 2025, about a 3.4% drop.
The number of law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty in California increased from 13,547 in 2024 to 14,345 in 2025, about a 5.9% increase.
Reported hate crimes
Reported hate crimes in California decreased last year, down 3.4% from 2,023 in 2024 to 1,955 in 2025.
But reported hate crimes involving racial or ethnic bias increased by 6.2%, from 1,011 in 2024 to 1,074 in 2025.
Anti-Hispanic or Latino bias hate crimes increased by 30.3%, anti-citizenship status bias hate crimes increased from 16 in 2024 to 40 in 2025 as the Trump Administration deployed immigration agents into cities throughout the United States, including cities in California.
“There is absolutely no place for hate in California,” Bonta said in a news release. “While the overall number of reported hate crime events decreased in 2025, the data makes clear that too many Californians continue to be targeted because of who they are, where they come from, how they worship, who they love, or how they identify.”
The state DOJ data also showed reported hate crime events involving gender bias increased by 23.8% last year.
“Everyone has a part to play as we continue to fight intolerance in California, and I urge leaders up and down the state to review the data and resources available and recommit to standing united against hate,” Bonta said in the news release.
What to do if you suspect a hate crime
The state DOJ asked Californians to take these following steps after notifying law enforcement if they believe they or someone they know has been the victim of a hate crime:
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911 and, if needed, seek medical attention.
- Write down the exact words that were used and take note of any other relevant facts.
- If safe to do so, save all evidence and take photos.
- Get contact information for other victims and witnesses.
- Reach out to community organizations in your area that deal with hate crimes or incidents.
The Bee’s Darrell Smith contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 2:57 PM.
