Fresno saw drops of about 10% in violent crime and nearly 13% in property crime in 2023, marking two of the largest declines among California’s major counties, according to a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California.

In comparison, violent crime rose by 1.7% in California — continuing an upward trajectory since the pandemic. The state’s violent crime rate has increased to 503 incidents per 100,000 residents, up 15.4% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Violent crime was highest in the San Joaquin Valley, with 641 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Aggravated assaults and robberies were key drivers, with robberies rising by 3.8% and aggravated assaults by 1.7%, according to the report.

Homicides and rapes, however, saw decreases of 13.7% and 3%, respectively.

Property crime dropped by 0.8% statewide from 2022, with 46 of the 58 counties reporting declines. However, large counties like Alameda and Los Angeles saw spikes of 28% and 4.7%, respectively.

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Shoplifting Rose by Nearly 40% in California

Larceny thefts and burglaries dropped by 2.4% and 6.7%, respectively, and both remained below their 2019 levels. However, auto theft surged by 8.6%, now 42.9% higher than pre-pandemic numbers.

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Shoplifting continued to rise sharply, with a 39.9% increase in 2023, and commercial burglaries, though down by 8.3%, remain 6.8% above pre-pandemic rates.

Regionally, crime rates varied significantly. The San Francisco Bay Area had the highest property crime rate at 3,167 per 100,000 residents, while the Sierra region reported the lowest at 1,166 per 100,000.

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Read the full report at the Public Policy Institute of California.