Los Angeles

Is Los Angeles safe?

For most visitors, yes, with caveats that have more to do with cars and nature than crime. The LAPD recorded 230 homicides in 2025, the fewest since 1966 and a rate of 5.9 per 100,000. That is higher than New York at about 3.6, and the killings are concentrated in parts of South LA and the eastern San Fernando Valley that tourists seldom see.

The bigger day-to-day risks are a smashed car window, a crash on a fast boulevard and, in some years, smoke or fire. We score Los Angeles 65.

Crime: what changed in 2025

Homicides fell 19% from 284 in 2024, and the department cleared 68% of the year's cases. Robberies were down about 16%, according to the Crosstown analysis of LAPD data. Property crime still makes up nearly four in five reported crimes. Through late December 2025 there were about 23,650 thefts from vehicles and nearly 20,000 cars stolen.

For a visitor, that means two things. Violent crime against tourists in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood or the Downtown arts district is uncommon. Your rental car is the most likely target. Trailhead car parks at Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon, beach lots in Venice and Santa Monica, and hotel garages all see break-ins.

Hollywood, Venice and Downtown

LA is spread out, and safety changes block by block.

• Hollywood Boulevard: busy and fine by day. Costumed characters expect a tip after photos, and people pushing "free" CDs then ask for money. It gets rougher after midnight.
• Venice Boardwalk: worth seeing, but keep your phone in a front pocket and leave by dusk, when the crowd thins and encampments are more visible.
• Downtown: the Arts District, Little Tokyo and the Crypto.com Arena area are lively. Skid Row, just east of the historic core, has the densest homeless encampments in the city and is not a place to walk through.
• Metro: the B and E lines are handy by day. Late at night, stations can be near-empty and disorder is common, so use a ride app instead.

Good areas to stay include Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and the Westside, all calm at night.

Streets kill more people than guns

LAPD data reported by LAist show 290 traffic deaths in the city in 2025, about 7.5 per 100,000 and 60 more than homicides. More than 150 of the fatal crashes involved pedestrians. The city's Vision Zero plan aimed for no deaths by 2025, but deaths remain well above the roughly 245 a year recorded when the plan began.

The danger comes from multi-lane boulevards built for speed, long gaps between signalled crossings and drivers turning right on red. If you drive, watch for people crossing mid-block at night. If you walk, use signalled crossings and do not assume a turning driver has seen you.

Smog, smoke and earthquakes

LA's air has improved for decades but still fails federal standards. The Downtown monitor on North Main Street averaged 11.7 µg/m³ of fine particlesPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary over 2023 to 2025, more than twice the WHO guideline, and the EPA classes the South Coast basin as an "extreme" breach of the ozone standard. Summer afternoons inland are the worst. Check AirNow before a hard hike if you have asthma.

Fire is the hazard that made headlines. The Palisades fire in January 2025 burned 23,448 acres, destroyed 6,845 structures and killed 12 people, according to CAL FIRE, while the Eaton fire hit Altadena at the same time. Fires are most likely in autumn and winter when Santa Ana winds blow. Follow evacuation orders at once and avoid canyon roads on red-flag days.

Earthquakes are the long-term risk. The city sits among active faults, and the 1994 Northridge quake was the last big one. Hotels are built to strict codes, so the main advice is to drop, cover and hold on, and to install the MyShake app for alerts.

How to stay safe

• Leave nothing in the car, ever, and choose hotels with staffed parking.
• After dark, take a ride app rather than the Metro or a long walk.
• Use signalled crossings on wide roads, and drive slowly on residential streets.
• Carry travel insurance with medical cover; an ER visit can cost thousands of dollars.
• In fire season, sign up for local alerts and know your hotel's exit routes.

For the rest of California, compare San Francisco, and read our United States page for country-wide advice on guns, healthcare and entry rules.

How we scored it

Violent crime (72) and health (72) are the strongest factors: killings are at a 60-year low, and hospitals are excellent despite the smog. Natural hazards (55) and traffic (60) are the weakest, reflecting the 2025 fires, earthquake exposure and roads that kill more people than guns. Car crime keeps theft at 62.