California's construction industry is among the largest in the country, and commercial real estate (CRE) activity across the state is constant. That level of growth and development is a positive sign for the state's economy, but it also means there are more jobsites, high-value materials, and vulnerable properties at any given time, all of which can become attractive targets for opportunistic property crime.
California statistics show that the overall crime rates have dropped over the years. But even with those declines, California's numbers sit above the national average, and certain industries and property types continue to face a higher risk of exposure than others. For businesses operating in the Golden State, that reality cannot be ignored.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at California's latest property crime data, explore the property types most targeted, and discuss how WCCTV's mobile surveillance can help property owners protect their assets.
California’s Latest Property Crime Statistics
According to the California Department of Justice, property crime rates fell by 8.5% in 2024. The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice expands on this claim in a 2024 report, acknowledging that property crime rates have now reached their lowest levels in 60 years of statewide crime reporting.
What this means for business owners
While this is objectively good news for California residents and business owners overall, the statistics for specific categories of property crime deserve closer attention. For example, shoplifting offenses increased by 14.2% in 2024, which is 48% higher than in 2019. On top of that, law enforcement agencies solved less than 10% of property crimes during this time.
Construction site theft alone has serious consequences for California jobsite managers, with the average cost per single theft incident reaching $45,000 in 2022. The same data also shows that California accounts for 25% of all construction site thefts in the United States. Handheld tools are the most commonly stolen items in the country, making up 40% of all stolen items on jobsites.
Although the overall crime trends are heading in the right direction, the crimes most likely to affect commercial properties and active jobsites haven't gone away. Business owners who fall victim to property crimes are unlikely to have them solved or even prevented without the right security infrastructure in place.
California vs other US states
California ranked number 7 among all 50 states for property crime rates in 2024, with 2,078 crimes per 100,000 residents, which is 18.1% above the national average. The violent crime rate was 486 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2024, which is higher than the national average of 359.1 incidents per 100,000 residents.
Running a business or managing a construction jobsite in California, where crime rates are still above national averages, means that proactive security planning remains a necessity rather than an optional extra.
Which Areas of California Have the Highest Property Crime Rates?
California's crime rates vary dramatically depending on where you're operating. The difference between the highest and lowest-risk regions is significant enough that your location will determine your security strategy from the ground up.
The highest property crime rate in 2024 was recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area, at 2,678 per 100,000 residents, while the lowest property crime rate was in the Sierra region, at 976 per 100,000 residents.
Since property and violent crime rates can be closely linked depending on the type of offense, it's also important to note that the lowest violent crime rate was recorded on the Southern coast and border, across Imperial, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties.
Los Angeles
In 2022, Los Angeles County reported the highest rate of commercial robberies in California, with 60 incidents per 100,000 residents, putting it above other large counties, including:
-
San Joaquin Valley (58)
-
Sacramento (56)
-
Kern (52)
Property crime decreased by 12% in 2024 compared to the previous year, although it was still 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. Because of the size and scale of construction and commercial activity across LA County, even a lower rate of property offenses is still considerable.
San Francisco and the Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area recorded the highest general property crime rate of any other region in California in 2024. San Francisco itself saw an 18% decline in property crime between 2023 and 2024. While it's a meaningful change, the region's average number of property offenses is still the highest in the state.
Across California, shoplifting continued to rise throughout 2024 and is now 48% above pre-pandemic levels, with the Bay Area's commercial density making it one of the more challenging areas for retail and commercial property managers.
Fresno and the Central Valley
The San Joaquin Valley had the highest violent crime rate in California in 2024, with 603 violent incidents per 100,000 residents. Fresno's property crime rates are also concerning, with residents facing roughly a 1 in 30 chance of becoming a victim of a property offense. These rates are also linked to persistent gang activity, with between 22,000 and 25,000 active gang members adding to the city's risk factor.
San Bernardino
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, San Bernardino County saw a 14.9% decrease in property crime in 2024. Still, it has a history of being one of Southern California's most crime-affected regions, and it still reports significant levels of property crime, with roughly 6,735 property crimes per year.
Property Types Facing the Highest Crime Risk in California
Some property types have a higher level of exposure to crime in California than others, which can be attributed to their layouts and operational hours. The average value of assets on jobsites and other commercial properties also contributes to their overall risk exposure.
Construction jobsites
California consistently ranks as one of the top 3 states affected by jobsite theft, together with Florida and Texas.
Both the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the National Equipment Register have reported that construction jobsite crime costs the U.S industry up to $1 billion annually, with California among the hardest-hit states. The recovery rate for stolen construction equipment is below 25%, which means most stolen assets are never seen again.
Active jobsites have a unique combination of vulnerabilities, making them perfect targets for property crime. They are open, temporary, contain high-value materials (including copper and heavy machinery), and are usually unattended after hours.
The financial loss of equipment is just one consequence of property theft. Offenses can have a domino effect, causing project delays and higher insurance premiums.
Read more:
-
Construction Jobsite Theft in California: How Big Is the Problem?
Parking lots and structures
California had the highest motor vehicle theft rate in the country in 2025, making up more than 20% of the nation's total. Parking lots contributed to a significant number of those incidents. Over 20% of auto thefts occur in parking lots and garages, and around 35% of car break-ins happen in commercial parking lots during daytime hours.
Parking lots often have the perfect conditions for opportunistic criminals, including poor lighting and structural blind spots. With long periods of low (or no) supervision, it stands to reason that 65% of drivers report feeling unsafe in parking garages at night.
Read more: A Complete Guide to Parking Lot Security
Vacant properties
Vacant properties are some of the most commonly exploited property types by criminals across the state because they combine high-value assets with minimal active surveillance. Weaknesses like unsecured access points and visible signs of inactivity present strong signals to thieves and trespassers that the likelihood of getting caught is low.
Vacant property owners in Los Angeles are required (under Los Angeles Municipal Code LAMC 98.0716) to protect against vandalism and trespassing, with non-compliance carrying major fines of up to $1,000 per day. That means the regulatory risk stacks on top of the direct financial risk for any unsecured site.
Surveillance solutions for vacant properties can address both these risks at once, deterring crime while also supporting compliance with local laws.
Commercial properties
Of all the reported property crimes in California in 2023, 65% were larceny-thefts and 15% were burglaries. Commercial properties like retail locations and office complexes account for a large portion of that total.
Although commercial burglaries decreased by 12.5% in 2024 and are now 6.5% below pre-pandemic levels, the [rise in organized retail crime] means that commercial property owners in areas with high foot traffic are still at significant risk.
What Property Crime Costs California’s Property Owners and Construction Managers
The real cost of property crime is more than what shows up on a police report. The National Equipment Register puts the average cost of a single equipment theft incident at up to $30,000, which doesn't include the financial impact of project delays or increased insurance costs.
For construction managers, a single theft can stop work entirely and trigger contractual penalties. Insurance premiums also typically climb after repeated claims, and in some cases, coverage may be reduced or denied altogether.
Worker safety is another major concern. A jobsite where perimeter security has been breached presents a direct risk to personnel, not just to equipment and materials.
For commercial property owners, repeat incidents can erode tenant confidence and have a serious impact on a property's market value. In situations where harm was caused to someone on-site, it can create legal liabilities that may result in lawsuits and compensation payouts.
How Property Managers Can Protect Sites Against Crime in California
Protecting your California property means choosing a surveillance strategy and setup that can keep up with the way your property operates.
Fixed security systems may work well in permanent, controlled environments, but for active jobsites, commercial properties, parking lots, and vacant properties, a rapid-deployment solution that doesn't depend on existing infrastructure has far more practical advantages.
|
Solution |
Key Features |
Best For |
|
What it does: Rapid-deploy, self-contained mobile surveillance units that can operate without fixed power or network connections. |
|
|
|
What it does: Compact, relocatable surveillance cameras that mount onto existing poles or buildings for fast, targeted coverage. |
|
|
|
What it does: 24/7 remote monitoring by trained operators who verify alerts and intervene in real-time. |
|
Sites requiring active deterrence rather than passive recording. |
|
What it does: An automated license plate recognition (LPR) add-on that captures and logs vehicle movement in and out of your property. |
|
|
|
What it does: AI-powered analytics that add intelligent safety and security to our cameras, with no additional hardware required. |
|
Sites with:
|
Each of our smart surveillance solutions is built to integrate with Stellifii, a cloud-based platform for centralized monitoring and site management across your full property portfolio. All site footage, AI-generated alerts, real-time alerts from trained operators, LPR data, and detection events are integrated into a single, secure dashboard the moment they happen.
For property crime specifically, Stellifii helps you:
-
Respond faster to intrusions by consolidating real-time alerts from every jobsite into one place, so nothing gets missed across multiple locations
-
Build a stronger evidence trail with incident reports and historical footage
-
Access your mobile surveillance solutions from any device at any time, with no software to install
-
Deter repeat offenders using vehicle watchlists and LPR data that flag threats before an incident escalates
-
Stay ahead of compliance requirements by configuring custom detection zones and pulling an audit-ready report without leaving your desk
Protect Your California Property with WCCTV
Of all the reported crimes in California, property crime carries the highest financial and operational risk for anyone who runs jobsites or owns commercial real estate across the state. Although the overall crime rates in the Golden State are encouraging, the more specific data confirms that certain regions and property types have above-average exposure to crime.
The cost of a single property crime typically exceeds what a comprehensive prevention solution would have cost from the outset. WCCTV provides mobile surveillance solutions built for California's environment, with real-time monitoring and coverage that can scale to fit any site.
Protect your California assets the smart way; the WCCTV way.
