Walnut Creek crime: the official numbers
Every California police agency reports crimes to the state Department of Justice, which publishes them on OpenJustice. The figures below are the Walnut Creek Police Department's counts of the crimes the DOJ tracks: violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, motor vehicle theft and larceny-theft). They cover only crimes reported inside the city limit.
| Year | Violent crimes | Property crimes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 91 | 2,540 |
| 2016 | 78 | 2,120 |
| 2017 | 105 | 2,304 |
| 2018 | 109 | 2,249 |
| 2019 | 120 | 2,496 |
| 2020 | 91 | 2,063 |
| 2021 | 116 | 2,281 |
| 2022 | 161 | 2,157 |
| 2023 | 201 | 1,892 |
| 2024 | 193 | 1,995 |
| 2025 | 148 | 1,702 |
Walnut Creek's 2025 crimes by type
In 2025 the 148 violent crimes were 94 aggravated assaults, 37 robberies, 16 rapes and 1 homicide. The 1,702 property crimes were 1,338 larceny-thefts, 223 burglaries and 141 motor vehicle thefts. Larceny-theft, which includes shoplifting and theft from vehicles, made up 79% of property crime. The city's large retail district, including Broadway Plaza's more than 80 stores, is one reason a theft count can be high relative to the number of residents.
Walnut Creek's ten-year trend
Property crime in 2025 was 31.8% lower than in 2019 and 33.0% lower than in 2015. Violent crime moved the other way: 148 in 2025 against 120 in 2019, a rise of 23.3%, after a jump in 2022 and 2023 and declines in 2024 and 2025. Statewide, violent crime fell 1.6% and property crime fell 22.9% over the same six years. Counts in the low hundreds can swing a lot from year to year, so look at several years rather than one.
Walnut Creek crime rates compared with nearby cities
To compare places of different sizes, we divided each agency's 2025 counts by its population from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020-2024). These are our calculations, not official rates.
| Area | Violent per 1,000 residents | Property per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut Creek | 2.1 | 24.3 |
| Concord | 4.2 | 27.4 |
| Pleasant Hill | 2.1 | 34.3 |
| Lafayette | 0.6 | 10.9 |
| Danville | 0.6 | 4.3 |
| All agencies in Contra Costa County | 3.6 | 17.3 |
| California | 4.3 | 18.0 |
Walnut Creek's violent crime rate is below the county and state figures. Its property crime rate is above both, and a little below Concord's. A city with a major shopping district can record more theft per resident, because many shoppers and workers live elsewhere.
What the crime numbers do and do not tell you
Reported crimes in Walnut Creek, not all crimes
The counts include only crimes reported to police and classified under the state's definitions. Crimes that go unreported are missing, and a change in reporting practice can move the numbers without a real change on the street.
Who reports crime for a Walnut Creek address
The Walnut Creek Police Department covers the incorporated city. Parts of Walnut Creek's ZIP codes are unincorporated, including Saranap, Castle Hill, San Miguel, Shell Ridge, North Gate and Contra Costa Centre, and crimes there appear under the county Sheriff's Office in the DOJ data. BART Police report crimes on BART property, including the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre stations, under a separate Contra Costa BART line: 40 violent and 312 property crimes in 2025 across the county's BART system. See our Walnut Creek ZIP codes page for where the city limit runs.
No neighborhood ratings
The DOJ publishes counts by agency, not by neighborhood. We do not label any part of Walnut Creek as safe or unsafe. A city-wide count tells you little about one block; use the address tools below and visit at different times of day.
How many cases are solved
The DOJ also counts clearances, which usually means an arrest. In 2025 Walnut Creek police cleared 79 violent crimes and 297 property crimes. Comparing those with the year's crimes gives about 53% for violent crime and 17% for property crime, though some clearances relate to crimes from earlier years.
How to check crime near a Walnut Creek address
Ask Walnut Creek police for local data
The Walnut Creek Police Department is the source for incident data inside the city. Ask the department's records unit or crime analysis staff which public crime map or report it publishes, and how recent the data are. For unincorporated addresses, ask the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office instead.
Use OpenJustice for the long view
The California DOJ's OpenJustice site has the crimes and clearances files used on this page, plus arrest data, going back to 1985. Download the file and filter by agency to compare Walnut Creek with any other California city.
Check the FBI Crime Data Explorer
The FBI's Crime Data Explorer shows agency-level data reported to the national system, including more detailed offense types for agencies that report incident-level data. Use it to compare Walnut Creek with cities in other states, keeping in mind that definitions can differ from California's.
Search the Megan's Law registry
The California DOJ's Megan's Law website lets you search registered sex offenders by address or ZIP code. For the notices sellers must give, see our seller disclosure guide.
Visit and ask in person
Walk the street on a weekday evening and a weekend. Ask the HOA, if there is one, about any security patrols, gates or package-theft problems, and what they cost. In condo complexes near downtown and the BART stations, ask about garage access controls.
Fire, flood and earthquake risk in Walnut Creek
For most owners, natural hazards and insurance cost affect a purchase more than crime figures do. Check each one by address:
Wildfire zones on Walnut Creek's hillsides
Homes on the slopes toward Mount Diablo, Shell Ridge and the Lafayette and Alamo hills can sit in a state fire hazard severity zone, which affects disclosures, building rules and insurance. Look up the zone for the parcel and read our California wildfire zones guide and FAIR Plan guide if insurers decline.
Flood zones in Walnut Creek
Homes near the city's creek channels can fall inside a mapped flood zone, which can make flood insurance a lender requirement. Check the parcel on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and ask the seller about any past water intrusion.
Earthquake faults near Walnut Creek
The California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp app shows whether a Walnut Creek address is in a mapped earthquake fault, liquefaction or landslide zone. Our earthquake insurance guide explains coverage.
A checklist before you buy or rent in Walnut Creek
- Confirm whether the address is in the city or unincorporated, so you know which agency's data to read.
- Download the DOJ file and look at five or more years, not one.
- Ask the police department or Sheriff's Office for recent incident data near the address.
- Search the Megan's Law site by address.
- Check fire, flood and earthquake zones, and get an insurance quote before you remove contingencies.
- Visit at night and on a weekend, and talk to neighbors.
For prices by area, see the Walnut Creek neighborhoods guide.