If you’re looking to move to one of the beautiful cities or towns in Texas, it is important to have an understanding about the prevalence of crime as well as the types of crime you’re most likely to encounter.
It should be noted that this is in no way a suggestion against moving to any of the cities on this list. This list includes the 5 cities with the most crime and is ordered by total number of crimes. All crime statistics are from 2018.
#1: Houston
Houston has a population of 2,344,966 and is the largest city in the state (4th largest in the country). It tops our list with a total of 118,095 crimes. Of this total number of crimes, 24,062 were considered violent crimes.
- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 276
- Rape: 1,261
- Robbery: 8,761
- Aggravated assault: 13,764
There were nearly 4 times as many property crimes, which totaled 94,033.
- Burglary: 16,317
- Larceny-theft: 65,767
- Motor vehicle theft: 11,949
#2: San Antonio
With a population of 1,539,328, San Antonio is the 2nd biggest city in the state (7th largest in the country). It also comes in second for total number of crimes at 71,125. In terms of violent crimes, there were 9,647.
- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 107
- Rape: 1,346
- Robbery: 1,767
- Aggravated assault: 6,427
Like Houston, property crimes were much higher (over 6 times) at 61,478.
- Burglary: 9,118
- Larceny-theft: 46,271
- Motor vehicle theft: 6,089
#3: Dallas
The 4th largest city in Texas, with a population of 1,362,465, is Dallas. Dallas comes in our list in the 3rd slot with 54,688 total crimes. 10,422 of these crimes were violent.
- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 155
- Rape: 828
- Robbery: 3,987
- Aggravated assault: 5,452
For Dallas, property crimes (44,266) are 4 times more common than violent crimes.
- Burglary: 9,065
- Larceny-theft: 25,541
- Motor vehicle theft: 9,660
#4: Austin
Austin has the 5th highest crime rate for its population of 973,344, at 37,375 reported crimes . As a smaller city, the number of violent crimes is significantly lower at 3,720.
- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 32
- Rape: 787
- Robbery: 1,021
- Aggravated assault: 1,880
Like the previous 4 cities, property crimes were much higher at 33,655. This is over 9 times higher than violent crimes.
- Burglary: 4,549
- Larceny-theft: 26,568
- Motor vehicle theft: 2,538
#5: Fort Worth
Fort Worth is part of the greater Dallas metro area. With a population of 893,756, it’s the smallest city on our list. The total number of crimes was 29,915 with 4,482 violent crimes.
- Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter: 58
- Rape: 482
- Robbery: 1,116
- Aggravated assault: 2,826
Property crimes came in at 25,433.
- Burglary: 4,504
- Larceny-theft: 17,957
- Motor vehicle theft: 2,972
6 ways to stay safe in your neighborhood
Rather than avoiding these cities altogether, it is more useful to make yourself and your home less attractive to criminals. Here are 6 tips to help keep yourself safe.
- Become familiar with and help your neighbors.Befriending your neighbors is both mutually beneficial and easy. While you don’t need to become best friends, you and your neighbors can at least adopt a “have each other’s back” relationship. It’s always a good idea to let your trusted neighbor(s) know if you’re planning to be away and a reliable number to contact you if there is an issue.
- Install yard lighting and visible cameras.Flood lights around your property will banish dark corners, and hopefully with them, lurking criminals. Thankfully video security technology has improved to the point where it is very affordable. Visible security cameras are usually a successful deterrent as would-be criminals don’t want to be caught.
- Get to know local law enforcement and invite them to the neighborhood.Having a neighborhood watch or hosting a community meeting can be mutually beneficial. If you’re setting up a community-wide meeting, it can be helpful to invite a member of your local police precinct to the meeting. Not only can they help your group be more organized, but they can also provide tips for crime prevention and insight into what crimes are currently on the rise.
- Don’t display your valuables.Contrary to popular belief, crime doesn’t only happen at night. It’s important that you keep your home and vehicle locked day and night as well as avoid placing valuables where they can be seen. Once the sun starts going down, draw your curtains so your whole neighborhood can’t see your flat screen TV.
- Keep the outside of your home neat and be seen outside.An active neighborhood is less attractive to criminals because this means there are more potential witnesses around. Well-manicured lawns where people can be seen talking to their neighbors shows that a community is cared about and can help deter crime.
- Report any suspicious behavior.The authorities or others living in your neighborhood should be aware of any suspicious activity going on. Staying informed is always the first line of defense.
Being aware of your surroundings and making your home less attractive to criminals is imperative to keeping yourself safe. While becoming a victim isn’t completely avoidable, you can take steps to help lessen the likelihood that you’ll be targeted.