Updated April 2026 · 78 cities · 6 data sources
California Data Profile 2026: Crime, Schools, Water, Air, Hospitals & City Spending
Crime & Safety
California has an average safety score of 60.6/100 across 42 cities, below the national average of 61.5/100.
Safest Cities
Most Dangerous Cities
| City | Safety Score | Grade | Violent Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrieta | 42 | D | 680.9 |
| Corona | 43 | D | 675.7 |
| Simi Valley | 43 | D | 675.7 |
| Thousand Oaks | 46 | D | 660.1 |
| Concord | 47 | D | 654.9 |
School Quality
California cities average a school score of 69.1/100 across 9 cities.
Top School Districts
| City | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 71 | B |
| San Diego | 70 | B |
| Fresno | 69 | B |
| Los Angeles | 69 | B |
| Monterey | 69 | B |
Lowest-Rated Schools
| City | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Glendale | 68 | B |
| San Ramon | 68 | B |
| Fresno | 69 | B |
| Los Angeles | 69 | B |
| Monterey | 69 | B |
Water Safety
California cities average a water safety score of 98.8/100 across 5 cities.
Air Quality
California cities average a median AQI of 52.4 across 19 cities.
Best Air Quality
| City | Median AQI | Grade | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | 31 | B | 12 |
| San Francisco | 32 | B | 10 |
| Santa Cruz | 36 | B | 21 |
| Napa | 41 | B | 17 |
| Monterey | 42 | C | 17 |
Worst Air Quality
| City | Median AQI | Grade | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | 79 | D | 643 |
| San Bernardino | 71 | F | 690 |
| Tulare | 69 | D | 546 |
| Los Angeles | 67 | D | 501 |
| San Diego | 67 | D | 160 |
Hospital Quality
California cities have an average hospital quality rating of 2.6/5 across 76 cities with a total of 193 hospitals tracked.
Top-Rated Hospital Cities
| City | Avg Quality | Hospital Count |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara | 5/5 | 3 |
| Santa Cruz | 5/5 | 3 |
| Woodland | 5/5 | 1 |
| Encinitas | 5/5 | 1 |
| San Diego | 4.2/5 | 9 |
City Spending
California cities average $53,535.6 in per-capita spending with an average fiscal health score of 58.3/100.
Most Fiscally Efficient
| City | Fiscal Score | Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 90/100 | $17,934 |
| Chula Vista | 90/100 | $10,149 |
| Irvine | 90/100 | $12,561 |
| Elk Grove | 90/100 | $8,768 |
| Fontana | 87/100 | $12,317 |
Biggest Spenders (Per Capita)
| City | Per Capita | Fiscal Score |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | $807,303 | 50/100 |
| Alameda | $637,110 | 59/100 |
| Orange | $372,005 | 49/100 |
| San Bernardino | $238,232 | 40/100 |
| Riverside | $188,026 | 58/100 |
According to data compiled by CitySpend.org from 6 federal sources, California has 78 tracked cities with an average safety score of 60.6, school score of 69.1, and water safety score of 98.8.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on FBI crime data, Modesto is the safest city in California with a safety score of 82/100 (Grade A).
San Jose has the highest average school score in California at 71/100 (Grade B).
San Jose has the highest water safety score in California at 100/100 with 0 violations.
San Jose has the highest fiscal health score in California at 90/100 with per-capita spending of $17,934.
San Mateo has the best air quality in California with a median AQI of 31 (Grade B).
Cross-site data compiled from CrimeContext, WaterSafe, AirHistory, SchoolGrades, HospitalCosts, and CitySpend databases. Scores reflect the most recent federal data available for each dimension.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. municipal and county government finances distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. cities, counties, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.