registered sex offenders live in California — that's 1 in every 690 residents, or 14.5 per 10,000, 40% below the national average.
Registered sex offender counts for the 12 largest cities in California, with each city's rate per 10,000 residents. Raw counts track population — the per-capita column is the fair comparison, and the spread is dramatic: Sacramento's rate is 13× San Diego's. Click a city for its full breakdown, or a column header to sort.
| # | City | Registered offenders | Population | Per 10,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 3,899,449 | 11.9 | |
| 2 | Sacramento | 524,908 | 44.2 | |
| 3 | San Jose | 1,013,419 | 17.6 | |
| 4 | Fresno | 542,235 | 31.8 | |
| 5 | Bakersfield | 404,368 | 30.7 | |
| 6 | Stockton | 320,802 | 33.2 | |
| 7 | Oakland | 440,679 | 21.6 | |
| 8 | San Francisco | 878,392 | 10.7 | |
| 9 | Long Beach | 466,766 | 16.2 | |
| 10 | Riverside | 315,478 | 19.0 | |
| 11 | San Diego | 1,384,429 | 3.3 | |
| 12 | Anaheim | 346,810 | 11.2 |
Counts as of July 2026, compiled from official registry records. City populations from the 2020 U.S. Census. red = 1.5× the state rate or more · green = well below the state rate.
Every California city we track has its own page with neighborhood-level numbers, risk levels, and recent registrations:
Statewide numbers only tell you so much — what matters is who lives near your home, your kids' school, or the places your family spends time. The free Predator Map app searches any U.S. address and shows every registered offender around it on an interactive map, with photos, offense details, and registered addresses from official government registries. You can also search the official California Megan's Law website (CA DOJ) directly.
Three-tier registry since 2021. California (SB 384) places registrants in Tier 1 (10-year minimum), Tier 2 (20-year), or Tier 3 (lifetime). The Megan's Law site publishes most Tier 2 and Tier 3 registrants with home addresses or ZIP codes, while many Tier 1 offenders are excluded from public view — so the real total runs higher than a public search.
Blanket restrictions struck down. Jessica's Law's 2,000-foot rule can no longer be enforced as a blanket ban — the California Supreme Court (In re Taylor, 2015) requires case-by-case restrictions for parolees. Residency limits today come mainly from individualized parole conditions.
Registration & verification. Registrants must keep their address, employment, and schooling current with the registry, and verify in person on a recurring schedule — more frequently for higher-risk or higher-tier registrants. Failure to register or verify is itself a crime and commonly appears as a listed offense on registry records.
Current risk-level breakdown in California:
As of July 2026, there are 57,330 registered sex offenders in California — about 14.5 for every 10,000 residents, 40% below the national average. Counts change as offenders register, move, or are removed from the registry.
Los Angeles has the most registered sex offenders in California with 4,655. Raw counts track population, so the fairer comparison is per capita: adjusted for population, Sacramento has the highest rate among major cities at 44.2 per 10,000 residents, while San Diego has the lowest at 3.3.
Use the free Predator Map app to search any California address and see registered offenders around it on a map, with photos and offense details from official registry records. You can also search the official California Megan's Law website (CA DOJ) website directly.
Public registry websites only show what the state chooses to publish. California excludes many Tier 1 (lowest-tier) offenders from the public Megan's Law site, and shows some registrants by ZIP code only. Statistics on this page are compiled from aggregated official registry records, so they can differ from — and often exceed — what a manual search of the public site returns.
Blanket restrictions struck down. Jessica's Law's 2,000-foot rule can no longer be enforced as a blanket ban — the California Supreme Court (In re Taylor, 2015) requires case-by-case restrictions for parolees. Residency limits today come mainly from individualized parole conditions. Address-level monitoring matters more than assumptions about "safe" neighborhoods.
Since 2021, California assigns Tier 1 (10-year minimum registration), Tier 2 (20-year), and Tier 3 (lifetime) based on the offense and risk. Tier 3 offenders are always publicly listed; many Tier 1 offenders don't appear on the public site. There are currently 828 registrants at the highest classification in California.
Statistics on this page are compiled from official state registry records and refreshed monthly. This page was last updated in July 2026. Always verify individual records with the official state registry.
Yes. Predator Map Pro monitors up to 5 addresses daily and sends push and email alerts when a registered offender moves in nearby, a new offender registers, or someone moves away.
Yes. Registry information is public record under federal and state law (Megan's Law), and anyone may search it to protect themselves and their family. What the law prohibits is using registry information to harass, threaten, or commit a crime against a registrant — misuse can be prosecuted.
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Methodology: Statistics are compiled from aggregated official state registry records and refreshed monthly. City figures count the city listed on each registry record. Per-capita rates use 2020 U.S. Census populations. Aggregated counts can exceed what public registry websites display because some classification levels are excluded from public searches. Figures are estimates and change daily as registries update — always verify individual records with the official state registry.