Riverside County ranks among California’s Top 10 counties for reported hate crimes in 2025
Tommy Gallegos
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — Riverside County recorded 38 reported hate crime events in 2025, placing it among the 10 California counties with the highest number of reported incidents, according to the California Department of Justice’s annual Hate Crime in California 2025 report.
The report shows Riverside County documented 38 hate crime events, resulting in 48 criminal offenses, 48 victims, and 32 identified suspects. The county tied with Contra Costa County for the 10th-highest number of reported hate crime events statewide.
Within Riverside County, the City of Riverside reported the highest number of incidents, accounting for 11 hate crime events. Palm Springs followed with eight events, while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported six. Other jurisdictions reporting incidents included Hemet (three), Temecula (two), and Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Jurupa Valley, Murrieta, Palm Desert, Perris, Riverside City College, and the University of California, Riverside, each with one reported event.
Rank
County
Hate Crime Events
1
Los Angeles
795
2
Santa Clara
146
3
Orange
128
4
Alameda
107
5
San Diego
77
6
Sacramento
71
7
San Francisco
46
8 (tie)
San Bernardino
41
8 (tie)
Ventura
41
10 (tie)
Contra Costa
38
10 (tie)
Riverside
38
While Riverside County ranked in the state’s top 10, the figures were significantly lower than California’s largest urban counties. Los Angeles County led the state with 795 hate crime events, followed by Santa Clara County (146), Orange County (128), Alameda County (107), San Diego County (77), Sacramento County (71), and San Francisco County (46).
Statewide, California recorded 1,955 reported hate crime events in 2025 involving 2,402 victims. The overall number of hate crime events declined by 3.4% compared with 2024.
The Department of Justice emphasizes that hate crime statistics reflect incidents reported by law enforcement agencies and may not capture every hate-motivated offense, as some incidents go unreported or are not ultimately classified as hate crimes under California law.