By Jordona Hertz 路 November 5, 2026 路 5 min read
Thank you for all the love on our city ranking reel this week! So many of you shared where you live and asked about your own city, and we read every comment 馃槉 The reel used MyTownView's ranking. For this post we went straight to the source, the California Department of Justice's own crime file, and ranked every city in the county to find the safest cities in Riverside County by the numbers. This time it's not just 15, it's all 28. Here is where yours landed.
How we ranked them, in plain English
For every city we added up the violent and property crimes reported to its police in 2024, the same categories the state tracks everywhere, from break-ins to stolen cars. Then we divided by how many people live there. That gives you reported crimes per 1,000 residents, so a town of 11,000 and a city of 320,000 get compared fairly.
The crime counts come from the DOJ's OpenJustice "Crimes and Clearances" file, released in July 2025. 2024 is the newest year the state has published. Population is the California Department of Finance estimate for January 1, 2025. Same file, same year, same math for every city.
The safest cities in Riverside County, ranked (2024)
| Rank | City | Crimes per 1,000 | Violent per 1,000 | Property per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canyon Lake | 8.1 | 0.5 | 7.6 |
| 2 | Menifee | 9.9 | 1.8 | 8.1 |
| 3 | Wildomar | 11.2 | 1.0 | 10.1 |
| 4 | Murrieta | 11.3 | 1.8 | 9.5 |
| 5 | Beaumont | 12.3 | 2.1 | 10.3 |
| 6 | Banning | 14.3 | 4.8 | 9.5 |
| 7 | Indio | 15.2 | 2.9 | 12.3 |
| 8 | Cathedral City | 15.3 | 2.9 | 12.4 |
| 9 | Indian Wells | 16.3 | 2.1 | 14.3 |
| 10 | Desert Hot Springs | 17.0 | 4.9 | 12.1 |
| 11 | Blythe | 17.2 | 4.6 | 12.5 |
| 12 | Temecula | 18.0 | 1.5 | 16.5 |
| 13 | Coachella | 18.2 | 3.0 | 15.2 |
| 14 | Eastvale | 18.4 | 0.9 | 17.5 |
| 15 | Calimesa | 19.3 | 1.2 | 18.1 |
| 16 | Moreno Valley | 19.6 | 2.8 | 16.9 |
| 17 | Corona | 19.9 | 2.5 | 17.4 |
| 18 | San Jacinto | 20.2 | 2.6 | 17.6 |
| 19 | Lake Elsinore | 20.3 | 1.7 | 18.6 |
| 20 | Hemet | 20.9 | 4.3 | 16.6 |
| 21 | La Quinta | 21.5 | 1.8 | 19.8 |
| 22 | Perris | 21.7 | 3.3 | 18.4 |
| 23 | Rancho Mirage | 27.2 | 2.0 | 25.2 |
| 24 | Norco | 27.3 | 1.5 | 25.8 |
| 25 | Jurupa Valley | 27.5 | 1.9 | 25.6 |
| 26 | Palm Desert | 31.8 | 3.3 | 28.6 |
| 27 | Riverside | 34.1 | 5.9 | 28.2 |
| 28 | Palm Springs | 39.3 | 6.2 | 33.1 |
The top five
1. Canyon Lake, 8.1. For everyone in the comments asking "what is Canyon Lake," yes, it is its own city, and has been since 1990. It is a gated lake community of about 11,000 people, and it had the lowest rate in the county in 2024.
2. Menifee, 9.9. Second out of 28, and the lowest rate of any city in the county with more than 100,000 people. Full disclosure, this is our backyard. Jordona is the #1 and top realtor in Menifee, so we were pretty happy to see it. But the numbers are the state's, not ours.
3 and 4. Wildomar, 11.2, and Murrieta, 11.3. Practically a tie. Wildomar has the lower violent rate, Murrieta the lower property rate.
5. Beaumont, 12.3. A few of you were surprised by this one, and the state's numbers do have it fifth.
The questions you asked most
Indio above Palm Desert?
This was the most asked question. Their violent crime rates are close (2.9 for Indio, 3.3 for Palm Desert). The gap is property crime: 12.3 per 1,000 in Indio against 28.6 in Palm Desert. Remember this is a per resident number, and a theft gets counted in the city where it happens. One likely reason Palm Desert lands lower is that a city with a big shopping district and a lot of visitors for its size can post a high property number without its neighborhoods feeling any different. Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage sit near the bottom for much the same reason.
Temecula at 12?
Temecula's violent crime rate, 1.5 per 1,000, is one of the lowest in the county. Its property crime rate is what pulls the total down the list, and Temecula is a favorite place for the whole valley to shop and taste wine.
Eastvale
Eastvale lands at 14 overall, but its violent crime rate, 0.9 per 1,000, is the second lowest in the county after Canyon Lake.
Where are Winchester, French Valley and Redlands?
Winchester and French Valley are not cities. They are unincorporated parts of Riverside County, patrolled by the Sheriff, so the state does not report a city number for them. Redlands and San Bernardino are over the line in San Bernardino County, so they are not on this list.
A few things to keep in mind
A chart like this is a starting point, not a verdict. It counts crimes that were reported, for a whole city, for one year. Things change street to street and year to year, not every crime gets reported, and a small city can swing a lot on a handful of incidents.
If you are thinking about where to live, do your own homework too. Drive the street at night, look at your police department's crime map, and talk to the neighbors. We will never steer you toward or away from a neighborhood. We will happily show you every home that fits what you want and tell you what it is really worth.
Thinking about a move?
If this list has you browsing, search every home for sale in the valley, or start with our guides to Menifee, Canyon Lake, Murrieta, Wildomar and Temecula. Already own? Find out what your home is worth in today's market.
Is your city where you expected? Tell us in the comments on Instagram, we love hearing from you 馃槉
About this information: The figures in this post are reported crime statistics published by the California Department of Justice (OpenJustice, 2024) and population estimates from the California Department of Finance (January 1, 2025), shown as published and not independently verified by The Hertz Group. They count crimes reported to law enforcement for each city as a whole, and they may not reflect conditions in any neighborhood, on any street or today. This post is general information only, not advice or a recommendation about where to live. The Hertz Group supports fair housing and does not steer anyone toward or away from any community. For current information, contact your local police department or visit openjustice.doj.ca.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest city in Riverside County?
By reported crimes per 1,000 residents in 2024, Canyon Lake had the lowest rate in Riverside County at 8.1, followed by Menifee at 9.9, Wildomar at 11.2, Murrieta at 11.3 and Beaumont at 12.3. The figures come from the California Department of Justice OpenJustice data and Department of Finance population estimates.
Is Menifee a safe place to live?
Menifee reported 9.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2024, the second lowest of Riverside County's 28 cities and the lowest of any city in the county with more than 100,000 people, according to California Department of Justice data. Crime varies by street and by year, so visit the area and check the police department's crime map too.
Why does Palm Desert rank lower than Indio?
Their violent crime rates are similar, 3.3 per 1,000 in Palm Desert and 2.9 in Indio. Palm Desert's property crime rate is much higher, 28.6 per 1,000 against 12.3. The rate is per resident and thefts are counted where they happen, so a city with a large shopping district and many visitors for its size can show a higher rate.
Why aren't Winchester and French Valley on the list?
Winchester and French Valley are unincorporated areas of Riverside County patrolled by the Sheriff, so the state does not publish a separate city crime figure for them.
Where does this crime data come from?
Crime counts are from the California Department of Justice OpenJustice Crimes and Clearances file for 2024, released in July 2025. Population is the California Department of Finance estimate for January 1, 2025. The rate adds violent and property crimes and divides by residents.
Questions about how any of this applies to your own move? Call (714) 865-6569, or find out what your home is worth.
