The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In San Diego, CA

The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In San Diego For 2024

If you like to watch traffic on the Interstate, San Ysidro might represent your ideal spot. Most of the neighborhood exists as a triangle formed by I-805, I-5, and Highway 905. However, if asphalt and carbon monoxide fumes don’t rev you up, you might want to look somewhere else.

The main problem here stems from the economy. The unemployment rate stands at 6.6%. Meanwhile, even those locals who score jobs struggle to earn enough to make ends meet. Just look at the median home price, which equals$378,173…a tough mortgage when the median income only hits $65,404.

Mount Hope gets its name from a cemetery. If you’re superstitious, that’s probably a bad sign. The Mount Hope Cemetery itself dates back to the 19th century, with the graves of a few noteworthy people, such as famed crime novelist Raymond Chandler.

What about the living residents of the area? Mount Hope doesn’t provide such a peaceful resting place. In fact, many of the locals probably stay up all night worried about their finances. The unemployment rate stands at 8.0%, while the median income hovers at $37,060.

All this comes with rather expensive standard of living, with a median home value of $288,200.

No prizes for guessing where the Midtown District is located. That’s right, it’s in midtown. The neighborhood sits just north of downtown along I-5, bordering the airport.

Unlike many of the areas on this list, the economy in Midtown is actually very healthy. The unemployment rate hovers at a skimpy 3.2% and the median income comes in at $53,556.

So how did Midtown end up as the number 2 worst spot in San Diego for 2024? Well, there’s a catch. Real estate prices. Close access to prime parts of the city have pumped up the housing market, pushing the median home value to $274,430.

Ready to go shopping? Mission Valley is the place for you. The area features a series of malls, including Westfield Mission Valley and Fashion Valley. It’s the perfect place to spend some money.

Turns out, Mission Valley is also great place to earn some money. The area’s retail bonanza gives the area an economic boost. The unemployment rate sits at 5.5%. Meanwhile, the median income hovers at almost $75,000.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood also suffers from that San Diego curse: high prices. That makes affordability a stumbling block for the locals. Even the area’s high incomes pale in comparison to housing prices. The median home value comes in at $279,720.

Tucked into the intersection of the I-5 and the I-15, Memorial sits southeast of downtown San Diego, and only a few blocks away from the bay. This proximity to the heart of the city doesn’t do much to bolster the local economy, however.

Instead, “Memorial” might refer to a funeral eulogy spoken for the lost careers of the neighborhood’s residents. The unemployment rate stands just below 10%. Meanwhile, the median income comes in at a paltry $30,176. At the same time, median home prices approach $300,000, making it impossible for many of the locals to become homeowners.

It’s not all bad news, though. The area’s location gives it access to plenty of amenities. The neighborhood itself has its own pool and skatepark.

A name like “Palm City” promises a tropical paradise. And, in terms of pleasant green space, this neighborhood delivers. It’s dominated by a large park, highlighted by Fenton Pond. Meanwhile, a quick ride down I-5 will take you to San Diego Bay and great ocean views.

Sounds ideal. Unfortunately, day-to-day life in Palm City comes with significant challenges, turning this into the number 6 worst place to live in San Diego in 2024. The unemployment rate runs an elevated 6.3%. Meanwhile, the $193,100 median home value makes it difficult for many locals to afford, thanks to a median income of just $69,026.

Kearny Mesa is located about 15 minutes north of downtown, sandwiched between the I-805 and the I-15. Named for a fort that used to dominate the region, the area now features its own executive airport and a diverse cultural landscape. This is highlighted by the Convoy District, a haven for Asian restaurants and shops.

Nice place to grab a delicious meal. Not a great place to live.

A lack of money isn’t the problem, with a median income of $103,189. Instead, cost of living once again shows up to spoil the party. Want to buy a house in Kearny Mesa? Well, you’ll likely need to pay more than $300,000.

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous San Diego neighborhoods in 2024

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in San Diego:

• High crime (Estimated)
• High unemployment (Less jobs)
• Low median income (Less pay)
• Low population density (No things to do)
• Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in San Diego, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of San Diego.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in San Diego.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 83 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.