Irvine crime rate: the official numbers
Every California police agency reports crimes to the state Department of Justice, which publishes them on OpenJustice. The table shows offenses reported by the Irvine Police Department in the DOJ's Crimes and Clearances file for 1985 to 2025 (published July 2026, the latest available in November 2026). UC Irvine has its own police department, which reports separately and is not included in these counts.
| Year | Violent crimes | Property crimes | Arson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 144 | 3,868 | 8 |
| 2019 | 188 | 3,823 | 9 |
| 2020 | 152 | 4,452 | 8 |
| 2021 | 200 | 4,657 | 8 |
| 2022 | 234 | 4,611 | 19 |
| 2023 | 274 | 4,888 | 16 |
| 2024 | 267 | 4,402 | 15 |
| 2025 | 251 | 3,676 | 16 |
What made up Irvine's 2025 total
The 251 violent crimes in 2025 were 0 homicides, 41 rapes, 57 robberies and 153 aggravated assaults. The 3,676 property crimes were 547 burglaries, 168 motor vehicle thefts and 2,961 larceny-thefts, so about four in five property crimes were thefts such as shoplifting, package theft or theft from cars. Irvine police cleared (usually by arrest) 160 violent crimes and 734 property crimes in 2025.
Irvine crime rate per 100,000 residents
Dividing the 2025 counts by the Census Bureau's population estimate for Irvine (311,690, American Community Survey 2020-2024) gives about 81 violent crimes and 1,179 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Using the same DOJ file and the same Census source, all agencies in Orange County together reported about 264 violent and 1,325 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, and California about 434 and 1,797. These are our calculations; the population estimate is a five-year average, so treat the rates as approximate.
The trend since 2019
Between 2019 and 2025 Irvine's violent count rose 34% (from 188 to 251) and its property count fell 4% (from 3,823 to 3,676). Aggravated assaults drove the violent increase, more than doubling from 69 to 153. Over the same years, violent crime rose 23% across all Orange County agencies and fell 2% statewide, while property crime fell 29% in the county and 23% statewide. From 2024 to 2025, Irvine's counts fell: violent by 6% and property by 16%. Irvine's population also grew over the period, from 273,157 in the 2015-2019 Census estimate to 311,690, so part of the rise in counts reflects more residents.
What the Irvine numbers do and do not tell you
Crime counts are a starting point, not a verdict on any street. Keep these limits in mind:
- Reported crime only. The DOJ file counts offenses reported to police. Changes in reporting habits or online reporting can move the totals.
- Where crime is reported, not where people live. Shopping centers, offices and event venues generate many theft reports. Irvine has large retail and employment centers, such as the Irvine Spectrum and the Irvine Business Complex, which add to the city's property crime count without saying anything about a nearby residential street.
- Small numbers move a lot. With about 250 violent crimes a year, a handful of incidents changes the percentage noticeably.
- City-wide, not neighborhood. The state publishes Irvine's figures for the whole city. It does not publish counts by village, so we do not rank Irvine neighborhoods by crime.
We do not label any part of Irvine safe or unsafe. Use the tools below to look at reported incidents near a specific address and judge for yourself.
How to check crime near an Irvine address
These official and police-linked tools let you look at a specific street or village.
Irvine Police Department crime map
The Irvine Police Department's Crime Analysis and Real Time Crime Center page links to the LexisNexis Community Crime Map, where you can search an address and see recent reported incidents by type and date. Look at several months, not one week, and note whether incidents cluster at a shopping center or on residential streets.
Irvine police patrol areas and Neighborhood Watch
The department divides the city into three geographic patrol areas, Crossroads, University and Portola, according to its geographic policing map, which also has a locator to find the area and contact for an address. The city's Neighborhood Watch hub shows where watch groups are organized.
California DOJ OpenJustice
Download the Crimes and Clearances file from OpenJustice to compare Irvine with Tustin, Lake Forest, Newport Beach or any other agency, using the same definitions. The UC Irvine Police Department appears as its own agency: it reported 15 violent and 571 property crimes in 2025, mostly larceny-theft on campus.
FBI Crime Data Explorer
The FBI Crime Data Explorer shows Irvine's reported offenses in the national format, which is useful if you are comparing with a city in another state. The FBI and DOJ counts can differ slightly because of reporting systems and timing.
Megan's Law registry
The California DOJ's Megan's Law site lets you search registered sex offenders near an address. For what sellers must tell buyers, see our California seller disclosure guide.
Fire, flood and earthquake are risks for Irvine homes too
For most Irvine buyers, natural hazards and insurance cost matter as much as crime.
Wildfire hazard zones in Irvine
Irvine's hillside villages border large open space preserves; the City says it protects more than 6,500 acres of open space. The State Fire Marshal maps fire hazard severity zones in local responsibility areas, and the City publishes that map on its GIS site. Check an address against the zone map and read the natural hazard disclosure, because a high or very high zone can affect insurance offers and defensible space rules. Our California wildfire zones guide and homeowners insurance guide explain the rules.
Flood and earthquake checks in Irvine
Look up the flood zone on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, especially for homes near the San Joaquin Marsh and other low-lying areas, and use Cal OES MyHazards to see earthquake, flood and fire layers for an address at once. Ask your insurer whether a policy covers earthquake damage and what a separate policy would cost; see our earthquake insurance guide.
A checklist before you buy or rent in Irvine
- Search the address on the Community Crime Map for at least six months of reports.
- Find the patrol area with the Irvine PD locator and ask the area team about recent trends.
- Ask the HOA about gate access, patrols and any recent incidents in common areas, and read the minutes.
- Search the Megan's Law site for the address.
- Check the fire hazard zone, FEMA flood zone and MyHazards results, and get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies.
- Visit at different times of day, including a weekday evening and a weekend.
- If the home is near a shopping center, school or event venue such as the Great Park, look at traffic and parking at peak times as well as incident reports.
For prices and areas, see the Irvine neighborhoods guide and the Irvine homes overview.