Two Northern California Counties Lead the State in Gun Homicides

San Joaquin and Alameda counties continue to lead the state in firearm homicides, according to research published Monday by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

PPIC examined federal data from the state’s largest counties. 40% of violent crimes in San Joaquin and Alameda involve firearms. Among homicides, that figure is 90%. In Alameda, 48% of robberies involve a gun.

By comparison, 14% of violent crimes in Orange County and San Diego involve use of a firearm. San Diego also has the lowest rate of robberies involving guns (15%). In San Mateo, which has the lowest gun homicide rate, guns account for 38% of murders.

Here were some other highlights from the study:

• Violent crime has been on the rise in California since 2014 and increased 13.5% from 2019 to 2022.
• California’s homicide rate declined by 6.1% in 2022, but homicides are still up by 25.3% compared to 2019.
• Aggravated assaults are up by more than a quarter since 2019.
• Robberies have declined since the height of the pandemic but are still up 9.9% compared to 2019.
• The use of firearms in robberies has risen every year since 2019. Guns are now used in 28.8% of robberies. 
• Aggravated assaults and homicides involving a firearm have increased 61% and 38% respectively since 2019.

Read the full report here.