Hayward's safest neighborhoods all sell for about $1M or less

Fairview, the semi-rural hills east of Hayward, has the highest safety score in the city, 4.7 out of 5 on Houseberry's Hayward safety ranking. Fairway Park and Whitman-Mocine follow at 4.6. In all three, the typical home sold for about $1 million or less in October 2026.

That is the Hayward story in one line. Seven of the city's 20 scored neighborhoods rate 4 or higher for safety, and every one of them has a typical home price at or under about $1.01 million. Hayward is one of the few places in the Bay Area where the safest blocks are not the expensive ones. The catch is schools, which score low across almost the whole list.

Hayward's 7 safest neighborhoods

1. Fairview, 4.7

2. Fairway Park, 4.6

3. Whitman-Mocine, 4.6

4. Burbank, 4.4

5. Cherryland, 4.4

6. Harder-Tennyson, 4.2

7. Santa Clara, 4.0

Seven, because seven neighborhoods score 4 or better. Two of them, Fairview and Cherryland, are unincorporated Alameda County with Hayward addresses, so the county Sheriff's Office patrols them rather than Hayward police.

Prices are Houseberry's typical home prices from each neighborhood page, as of October 2026.

1. Fairview, 4.7

Fairview is the hill country above Hayward, with big lots, horse properties, long driveways and views west to the bay. Don Castro Regional Recreation Area, the East Bay Regional Park District's swimming lagoon, sits at its edge.

It is the only top-seven neighborhood that scores above 3 on schools, at 3.2, and the most expensive at about $1.01 million. Prices fell about 6.6 percent over 12 months, from about $1.08 million in November 2025. The trade-off is distance. Groceries, BART and most of what you need are a drive downhill.

2. Fairway Park, 4.6

Fairway Park is a tidy grid of mid-century homes in south Hayward near the Mission Hills of Hayward golf course and Mission Boulevard. At about $994,000, it is the second-priciest entry on this list.

Schools score 2.2. Amenities score 3.6, among the best of the seven.

3. Whitman-Mocine, 4.6

Whitman-Mocine is the West Hayward neighborhood around Tennyson High School and Sorensdale Park, a mix of single-family homes and apartments. It ties Fairway Park on safety at about $200,000 less, roughly $795,000.

Its school score, 1.7, is the lowest of any neighborhood on this list. If schools are on your checklist, start somewhere else. If they are not, this is the best safety score per dollar in Hayward.

4. Burbank, 4.4

Burbank sits just west of downtown, with older Craftsman homes mixed in among postwar houses and an easy walk to the B Street restaurants. It scores 4.4 on safety at about $812,000. Downtown Hayward, a few blocks away, scores 1.9, which shows how fast the number changes block to block here.

5. Cherryland, 4.4

Cherryland is the unincorporated pocket on Hayward's northern edge, home to the historic Meek Estate Park. It ties Burbank at 4.4 and is the cheapest neighborhood in Hayward's 4-plus tier, about $740,000 in October 2026.

6. Harder-Tennyson, 4.2

Harder-Tennyson runs between Harder Road and Tennyson Road east of Interstate 880, a mix of apartment complexes and single-family homes that shares Sorensdale Park with Whitman-Mocine. Typical price: about $815,000. Schools score 2.0.

7. Santa Clara, 4.0

Santa Clara, not to be confused with the city, is the wedge of West Hayward along I-880, with Panhandle Park as its green space. It scores 4.0 at about $830,000.

Why Hayward's safest homes cost less

Most Bay Area cities line up the same way: higher safety scores, higher prices, better schools. Hayward breaks the pattern on two of the three. Its seven safest neighborhoods cost no more than the rest of the city, and some cost less. Mt. Eden, near the Hayward shoreline, runs about $985,000 and scores 2.3. Hayward Highland, the hills near Cal State East Bay, costs about $1.30 million and scores 3.8.

What does track with price is schools. That is the trade. Six of the seven safest neighborhoods score 2.4 or lower on Houseberry's school score, which reflects state test results. Hayward Highland, the priciest neighborhood, scores 3.1 on schools, better than six of the seven.

We think that makes Hayward the clearest safety bargain in the inner East Bay for a buyer whose school plans are settled. The city averages 3.3 on safety against 3.6 for its five nearest neighbors, but a buyer who picks the right street gets a 4.4 or 4.6 for well under $1 million. For comparison, see how San Leandro scores next door.

How Houseberry scores safety in Hayward

Houseberry's safety score rates each neighborhood from 1 to 5 using reported crime data, compared against California-wide averages, so a 4.6 in Hayward means the same thing as a 4.6 in Fremont or Oakland. Scores were updated in November 2026. Several Hayward neighborhoods, including Whitman-Mocine, Burbank and Cherryland, use city-level data for their value figures, which does not change their safety scores.

Citywide, the trend is down. Hayward reported that in 2025 all crime fell 16 percent, property crime fell 31 percent, robbery fell 21 percent and residential burglary fell 14 percent, in a March 2026 city release that credited patrol redeployment, hot-spot policing and expanded license plate readers.

Questions people ask about Hayward safety

Is Hayward a safe place to live? It depends on the neighborhood. Seven of Hayward's 20 scored neighborhoods rate 4 or higher on Houseberry's scale, and three rate 1.9. The citywide average is 3.3.

What is the safest neighborhood in Hayward? Fairview, at 4.7. Fairway Park and Whitman-Mocine follow at 4.6.

Is downtown Hayward safe? Downtown Hayward scores 1.9, tied for last. Burbank, a few blocks west, scores 4.4.

What is the cheapest safe neighborhood in Hayward? Cherryland, at 4.4 and about $740,000 in October 2026. Whitman-Mocine scores 4.6 at about $795,000.

Is Hayward getting safer? Overall crime fell 16 percent in 2025 and vehicle theft fell 44 percent, according to the city.

Before you tour, look up the exact street on Hayward's safety ranking or the full Hayward neighborhood rankings. Burbank and downtown are a few blocks and 2.5 points apart.

Sources

• Houseberry, Hayward neighborhood safety ranking, November 2026
• Houseberry, Hayward city guide
• City of Hayward, Criminal activity declined significantly in Hayward in 2025, March 2026