Resources
San Mateo crime statistics by year, 2019 to 2025
Year-by-year reported crime for the city of San Mateo from the state’s official file, with rates per 100,000 residents, a plain note on the 2022 reporting change, and how a property manager can use the numbers when planning guard and patrol coverage.
San Mateo’s reported crime at a glance
In 2025, the San Mateo Police Department recorded 170 violent crimes and 1,525 property crimes, according to the California Department of Justice file released on July 1, 2026. That works out to 162.9 violent and 1,461.3 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Both counts are the lowest of the seven years shown below, though the years on either side of the department’s 2022 reporting change are not strictly comparable.
Across the whole span, violent crime counts went from 266 in 2019 to 170 in 2025, and property crime from 2,217 to 1,525, a fall of about 36% and 31%. Read those changes as a rough guide only, since the series crosses the reporting change. The tables give every year by offense, a per-resident rate for each, and the notes a property manager needs to read them fairly. Last checked November 2026.
Violent crimes by year, 2019 to 2025
| Year | Reporting | Violent crimes | Homicide | Rape | Robbery | Aggravated assault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Summary | 266 | 2 | 45 | 68 | 151 |
| 2020 | Summary | 274 | 4 | 41 | 71 | 158 |
| 2021 | Summary | 248 | 4 | 38 | 58 | 148 |
| 2022 | Mixed (incident-based from Aug 2022) | 302 | 1 | 30 | 63 | 208 |
| 2023 | Incident-based | 343 | 4 | 31 | 102 | 206 |
| 2024 | Incident-based | 241 | 5 | 24 | 74 | 138 |
| 2025 | Incident-based | 170 | 0 | 31 | 39 | 100 |
Violent crime here means the four offenses the state counts in that family: homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Homicide, rape and aggravated assault are counted by victim; robbery is counted by incident. The Reporting column shows which method the department used each year, explained further down.
Property crimes by year, 2019 to 2025
| Year | Property crimes | Burglary | Vehicle theft | Larceny-theft | Arson |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2,217 | 516 | 178 | 1,523 | 9 |
| 2020 | 2,306 | 523 | 290 | 1,493 | 5 |
| 2021 | 2,146 | 483 | 376 | 1,287 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2,330 | 536 | 343 | 1,451 | 9 |
| 2023 | 1,898 | 225 | 271 | 1,402 | 8 |
| 2024 | 1,882 | 98 | 207 | 1,577 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1,525 | 80 | 122 | 1,323 | 8 |
Property crime is the total of burglary, vehicle theft and larceny-theft. Larceny-theft covers theft without breaking in, from shoplifting to items lifted from cars, and it is by far the largest share every year: 1,323 of the 1,525 property crimes in 2025. Burglary includes attempts. Arson is counted on its own and sits outside the property total.
Source: California DOJ OpenJustice, Crimes and Clearances (including Arson), 1985 to 2025 file, rows for the San Mateo Police Department.
Rates per 100,000 residents
| Year | Residents (Jan 1) | Violent | Property | Burglary | Vehicle theft | Larceny-theft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 105,875 | 251.2 | 2,094.0 | 487.4 | 168.1 | 1,438.5 |
| 2020 | 105,809 | 259.0 | 2,179.4 | 494.3 | 274.1 | 1,411.0 |
| 2021 | 105,174 | 235.8 | 2,040.4 | 459.2 | 357.5 | 1,223.7 |
| 2022 | 103,704 | 291.2 | 2,246.8 | 516.9 | 330.7 | 1,399.2 |
| 2023 | 104,104 | 329.5 | 1,823.2 | 216.1 | 260.3 | 1,346.7 |
| 2024 | 103,746 | 232.3 | 1,814.0 | 94.5 | 199.5 | 1,520.1 |
| 2025 | 104,361 | 162.9 | 1,461.3 | 76.7 | 116.9 | 1,267.7 |
We calculated these rates ourselves: each count divided by the city’s January 1 population from the California Department of Finance E-4 estimates, times 100,000. The state does not publish them in this form. A rate lets you compare years while the population moves, but it counts residents only, not the commuters, shoppers and visitors who are also in the city on a given day. Homicide and arson are too few to give a useful rate, so they appear above as counts only.
The 2022 change in how San Mateo reports crime
The FBI moved to incident-based reporting (NIBRS) for national data in 2021, and California’s version collects a little more. According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, the San Mateo Police Department began incident-based reporting on August 1, 2022. That makes 2019 to 2021 summary years, 2022 a mixed year, and 2023 the first full incident-based year. The state converts incident-based reports into the older summary format so the series can continue, but the two methods count some things differently.
Burglary shows the effect most plainly. It ran between 483 and 536 a year through 2022, then fell to 225 in 2023 and 98 in 2024. The drop lines up with the switch, and nothing in the data proves whether it reflects the new method, local recording practice or a real change on the ground. Treat a jump or fall that straddles 2022 with care, and compare years on the same side of the line where you can.
What these figures leave out
- Unreported crime: the counts include only what was reported to and recorded by police.
- Other agencies: incidents handled by the county sheriff, the Highway Patrol or BART police are reported under those agencies, not the city.
- Neighborhoods: the state file gives citywide totals, with no block, street or ZIP breakdown.
- Lesser offenses: only eight serious offense types are counted, and under the hierarchy rule an event with several offenses counts once, under the most serious one, except arson.
- 2026: the state releases each year the following July, so 2026 figures are expected around mid-2027. City year-to-date counts use different rules and are not mixed into this table.
The state can also revise figures after release; these are as of the July 1, 2026 file.
Turning the table into a coverage plan
Citywide totals cannot tell you what will happen at your address, but they can shape the questions you ask about it. Start with the offense type that matters for your kind of building:
- Larceny-theft is the bulk of every year’s property total. For stores and lobbies open to the public, that points at the entrance and the receiving door; HALO’s retail theft prevention places officers there.
- Vehicle theft peaked at 376 in 2021 and was 122 in 2025. Apartment garages and office lots are covered in our parking lot and garage security.
- Burglary is the after-hours concern for offices and storefronts. Mobile patrol adds lock checks between visits, and alarm response sends an officer when a sensor trips.
- Violent crime leads most planning toward a staffed post at the main entrance during open hours, with written orders for when to call police.
Set your own incident logs and camera footage beside the city figures; they describe your property in a way a citywide count cannot. For neighboring cities, see our Daly City figures and San Francisco trends by neighborhood.
Get help
HALO provides security guards and patrol in San Mateo on month-to-month contracts. Our on-site security review is free with a guard quote, and the cost calculator turns a draft plan into a monthly figure. To plan coverage for a San Mateo property, request a quote.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Where do these San Mateo crime figures come from?
From the California Department of Justice Crimes and Clearances file released on July 1, 2026, using the rows the San Mateo Police Department reports. Population for the rates comes from Department of Finance estimates for January 1 of each year.
Why did San Mateo burglaries fall so sharply after 2022?
Burglary went from 536 in 2022 to 225 in 2023 and 98 in 2024, right as the department finished moving to incident-based reporting on August 1, 2022. The timing matches the switch, and the data alone cannot show how much of the drop is method and how much is real.
Are the per-100,000 rates official?
No. HALO calculated them from the state’s counts and the Department of Finance population for January 1 of each year. They count residents only, not the people who work in or visit the city.
When will 2026 San Mateo figures be available?
The Department of Justice releases each year’s statewide file the following July, so 2026 figures are expected around mid-2027. This page adds the new year after that release.
Do these counts include BART or county sheriff incidents?
No. They cover incidents the San Mateo Police Department reports. Crimes recorded by the sheriff, the Highway Patrol or BART police appear under those agencies.
What security does HALO offer San Mateo properties?
On-site officers, mobile patrol, alarm response, parking lot and garage coverage and retail theft prevention, set to your hours on month-to-month contracts, with a free security review alongside a guard quote.