Novato, CA crime & safety
Novato's reported crime rate is below California's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 109 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Novato compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
Novato’s Safety Grade: C+
Novato reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 62% report less. Within California, it does better than 63% of towns.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over the FBI’s latest 3 years (2023–2025). Violent crime counts four times as much because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind our Safest towns in CA ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town and city with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years (6,620 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone.
- Trend compares 2025 with 2023 and only says “improving” or “rising” when the change is bigger than normal year-to-year swings.
- Not graded: towns under 1,000 people, and towns missing any of the 3 years.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. Towns with a campus, highway or big shopping center count incidents involving visitors. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
Novato at a glance
Reported crime per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025
Show as a table
| Year | Novato property | California property | Novato violent | California violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16.2 | 23.9 | 2.4 | 5 |
| 2023 | 16.8 | 23.7 | 3.2 | 5.3 |
| 2024 | 13.5 | 19.9 | 2.5 | 4.8 |
| 2025 | 12.9 | 18.2 | 2.1 | 4.3 |
2025, by type
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Local public safety
Novato and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novato | C+ | 2.1 | 12.9 | 2025 |
No town figures in the FBI's data: Black Point-Green Point, Lucas Valley-Marinwood.
What this data can and can't tell you
- It's reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- Small numbers swing. In a town of about 52,100, a handful of incidents moves the rate noticeably from year to year. The trend matters more than any one year.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don't live there, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn't report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Mostly inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage here is higher than in 89% of U.S. communities. 323 flood insurance claims paid since 1980.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. This isn't an official statement of public safety — in an emergency, call 911.