The 15 Most Dangerous Cities In Texas: 2022's Ultimate List

Texas is known for everything from barbeque and the Alamo to live music and the cattle industry. Everything is bigger in Texas, which applies to the crime rate for some cities.

The most dangerous cities in Texas include Bellmead, Humble, Lubbock, Bastrop, and Palmview. The highest violent crime rate is in Bellmead, which has a rate of 12.79 per thousand residents. The crime rate per square mile is nearly double the state’s average. Humble has a high property crime rate of 100.37 per thousand residents.

There is so much rich history, culture, and great food in Texas. You can’t let the crime totally outshine some of the great things Texas has to offer. With that said, you should still exercise caution in many cities. Follow along and see which cities in Texas are the most dangerous.

As a whole, Texas is a somewhat safe place to live. The majority of the crimes reported in Texas come from the cities that are mentioned above. Recently, there were 119,927 violent crimes reported in the Lone Star State.

It should be noted that in 2020, Texas was ranked as the 5th most dangerous state in America. Violence in bigger cities like Houston and Lubbock is largely responsible for the ranking.

Overall, the total poverty rate in Texas is 13.7%. That is the lowest that the poverty rate has fallen in Texas since 2008. 1 out of every 42 Texas residents faces property crime. Violent crime is less common, but 1 out of 243 people in Texas fall victim to it.

If there is one thing that you are most at risk for in Humble, it is property crime. In Humble, the theft rate is 77 for every 1,000 residents. You risk a 1 out of 10 chance for theft, burglary, and vehicle theft in Humble.

Navigating Humble safely can be tricky because dangerous areas are spread throughout the city. The center of Humble, South Houston Ave, and Bridgedale Lane are not safe, especially at night.

You are not as likely to suffer a violent crime in Humble as you would a property crime. However, you still face a 1 out of 106 risk of being robbed, assaulted, or murdered in Humble.

According to FBI statistics, there were a total of 9,377 reported crimes. These crimes range from murder and rape to auto theft and residential burglary.

Property crime highly outnumbered violent crime, although these numbers are still exceptionally high for a city with a population of 15,569. There were 1,025 violent crimes reported and 8,352 property crimes reported per capita.

If the poverty rate wasn’t so high in Palmview, it might be safer. Over 27% of Palmview residents are in poverty. That means that over 1,500 people in Palmview live below the poverty line.

The exorbitant poverty level has a lot to do with the recent property crimes. Violent crimes make up a fair share of the recent crimes, and assault is widespread for such a small city. Recently, Palmview residents reported 38 assaults and 9 robberies.

There have been a total of 6,614 reported crimes for Palmview during 2020. This includes both violent and property crimes. Violent crime is relatively high, although property crime still outweighs it.

There have been 1,860 violent crimes and 4,754 property crimes reported per capita. Among a population of 5,644, this is an extremely high crime rate.

Palmview is only safer than 2% of other Texas cities. Sadly, 1 out of every 19 people in Palmview are victims of either violent or property crimes.

Bellmead has made the top 10 most dangerous cities in Texas for years now. Crime has only gotten worse in Bellmead, and now the mid-sized city is the worst. Crime is so common in Bellmead that 74 out of 1,000 people are victims of a crime.

Residents of Bellmead have recently reported 793 crimes. You are more likely to be a victim of a property crime than a violent crime in Bellmead. The majority of the reported crimes are theft and burglary, which account for 656 reports.

The violent crime that is most concerning in Bellmead is assault. Assault occurs at a rate of 10 per 1,000 people in Bellmead. Luckily, there have been no murders reported in Bellmead recently.

In the 2020 calendar year, there were a total of 6,211 reported crimes for this city. This was within a population of 10,159, making it a relatively high crime rate.

Property crime outnumbered violent crimes by quite a bit. There were a total of 1,032 violent crimes and 5,159 property crime incidents. These crimes included everything from murder to auto theft.

If you have heard of Texas, chances are you have heard of Houston. Houston is a sprawling, lively city home to 192 crimes per square mile. Houston has a massive 669 square mile span, and crime occurs throughout the whole city.

There are so many neighborhoods and small pockets of Houston. However, neighborhoods like Bordersville and Fairbanks are highly dangerous. Violent crime affects 1 out of 96 people in Houston.

Property crime is also common, with 95,926 recent reports. Theft and burglary affect 1 in 24 Houston residents. Vehicle theft is also widespread and occurs at a rate of 5.18 for every 1,000 people in Houston.

There were a total of 127,517 reported crimes in Houston. While that number is staggering, compared to the 2,240,582 residents that live in this city, surprisingly, it’s not a stupendously high crime rate.

Of the 127,517 incidents reported, 29,474 violent crimes and 98,043 property crimes were reported per capita. These crimes included murder, assault, rape, vehicle theft, burglary, and more.

If you put Livingston’s crime reports in a bigger city, it would be safe. However, Livingston is a tiny city, and its frequent property crimes drive its crime rate up. In Livingston, 58 out of 1,000 residents suffer a violent or property crime.

Stay away from neighborhoods like West Livingston and Seven Oaks, which are quite dangerous. You are at major risk for property crime in Livingston. Theft, vehicle theft, and burglary affect 1 out of 20 Livingston residents.

Livingston has humble parameters and only stretches across 14 square miles. There are 34 crimes per square mile in Livingston.

According to FBI statistics, there were a total of 5,229 reported crimes, which is a huge number compared to the population of 5,161! These crimes include everything from murder to residential burglary.

However, the good news about this city is that violent crime isn’t nearly as common as property crime. There were a total of 420 violent crimes and 4,809 property crimes reported for capita for the 2020 calendar year.

Lubbock is a huge city, and its limits cover 135.9 square miles. There are 118 crimes for each square mile in Lubbock. Theft makes up 8,505 of recent crime reports in Lubbock and affects 33 out of 1,000 residents.

Violent crime is twice as common in Lubbock as the rest of Texas. For every 99 Lubbock natives, 1 of them will fall victim to robbery, assault, rape, or murder. There are 7 assaults for every 1,000 people in Lubbock. Big, dangerous cities often have a high poverty rate. Lubbock is no exception, and 19.8% of residents live in poverty.

According to FBI statistics, Lubbock had a total of 13,622 reported crimes for the 2020 calendar year. These crimes included murder, assault, rape, auto theft, and residential burglary.

Property crime outnumbered violent crimes by a fair amount. Violent crimes had 2,852 reports, whereas property crime had 10,770 incidents reported per capita.

In the next few years, Amarillo very well may make it higher up on this list. Between 2017 and 2018 alone, there was a 6.8% elevation in crime. Sadly, 1 out of 6 people in Amarillo is below the poverty line. And, that’s only worsened into the 2020 city-data.

The absolute most dangerous area in Amarillo is Soncy. Most of the crime in Amarillo is near the center of the city. Northern Amarillo areas like Bishop Hills are the safest places to be in the city.

Property crime is much more prevalent than violent crime in Amarillo. Violent crime occurs between 8 and 11 per 1,000 people, and property crime has a rate of 42 to 48 per 1,000. Out of a reported total of 9,045 crimes, there were 1,676 violent crimes and 7,369 property crimes.

Early in its history, Beaumont was a thriving center for the cattle trade. Today, however, Beaumont is a hotspot for thefts. Theft affects 26 out of 1,000 people in Beaumont.

Like burglary and vehicle theft, other property crimes are also widespread in Beaumont. The current rate for burglary is 8 per 1,000 residents. Vehicle theft is less common, but recently there were 410 cases.

Beaumont is home to a lot of violent crime, and 1 out of 93 people are a victim. There have been 13 recent murders in Beaumont. Assault makes up a whopping 798 of 5,833 crimes reported recently reported by Beaumont residents.

Overall there have been a total of 5,294 reported crimes. These include both property and violent incidents. The violent crimes made up 1,431 of the total, and property crimes were reported as 3,863 incidents per capita.

“Remember the Alamo” comes to mind, but you should also remember the crime rate. Both violent and property crime affects 55 out of 1,000 Alamo residents.

Property crimes such as theft specifically affect 41 out of 1,000 people in Alamo. Alamo is a small city confined within 7.51 square miles. At a rate of 152 crimes per square mile, everywhere in town has some element of danger.

Most households net $46,000 a year in Alamo. However, not everyone in Alamo is as fortunate, and 26% of the population lives in poverty.

According to FBI statistics, there were a total of 4,194 reported crimes which include both violent and property crimes alike. Furthermore, property crimes outnumbered violent crimes. There were a total of 543 violent crimes reported and 3,651 documented reports of property crime reported for the 2020 calendar year.

Galveston, with a population of 49,443, is a larger city. The household income is insufficient. At $37,770, it’s better than some of the nearby towns, but it could be better.

There isn’t enough of an incentive to make it a desirable location to live. That is seen by the frightening 38 percent vacancy rate in the housing market. Unoccupied housing accounts for more than a third of all housing.

The total reported amount of crime equaled 3,982 within the 2020 calendar year. Of this total, there were 644 violent crimes and 3,338 property-based times. This included murder, rape, assault, and property theft.

Bastrop is one of the smaller Texas cities on this list. The small city only spans 9.34 square miles, and 51 out of 1,000 residents experience a crime. There are 53 crimes per square mile in Bastrop, which is almost double the rest of Texas.

There aren’t nearly as many crimes in Bastrop as Lubbock, but the small population relative to crime makes it dangerous. Property crimes such as theft and burglary are most common in Bastrop. Bastrop residents risk a 1 out of 24 chance of property crime.

Avoid areas like Wyldwood and central city, where crime is more common. The poverty rate is only 12.9%, which is low compared to other dangerous cities.

According to FBI statistics, there were 3,650 crimes reported for the Bastrop area. These crimes included both violent and property crimes alike.

Of the total, there were 527 violent crimes and 3,123 property crimes reported per capita. While these numbers may look a little small, in a city of 7,909 residents, these numbers are considered a high crime rate.

Freeport is a small city with education scores in the bottom 5% of all cities. If you want your children to attend college, you should not raise them in this town of 12,122 people. It is located to the south of Galveston. The town appears to be in decline, with a twenty percent vacancy rate.

The vacancy rate indicates that there are lots of homes available. However, there is a reason why one out of every five homes is vacant. Freeport is a coastal city on the Gulf of Mexico. During hurricane season, the city is subject to strong storms that rush in off the Atlantic.

There have been a total of 2,240 reported crimes among Freeport, which has a population of 12,122 people. Of this total, there were 395 violent crimes and 1,845 property crimes. These crimes include everything from murder to residential burglary.

Weslaco is one of the worst cities in Texas to live in. The unemployment rate is currently at 8.6%. The residential vacancy rate is close to Freeport’s alarming estimates of 19 percent. The crime rate is so high, according to FBI statistics, that residents are subject to a significant number of crooks in the neighborhood.

The chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime are 1 in 95. Murder, rape, and severe assault are all included in this statistic. One out of every 10 inhabitants is unemployed. One out of every five houses is unoccupied. Do you see the pattern?

In the 2020 calendar year, which is the most up-to-date data, there were a total of 3,523 crimes reported. This is among a city of 39,021 residents.

Of this total, there were 322 violent crimes and 3,200 property crimes per capita. These crimes included everything from murder and rape to auto theft, as well as other property-based incidents.

Huntsville is one of Texas’ worst cities to live in. It is a medium-sized city with a population of 40,432. Within that population, there have been 1,949 total reported crimes. This includes 368 violent crimes and 1,580 property crimes. While this isn’t as high as other cities, it’s still noticeable.

Huntsville has a low average household income of only $29,254 per year and is around an hour’s drive from Houston, the next major city.

There isn’t much to do for families in this small village in the middle of nowhere. The weather is awful, and it is not a pleasant location to live. Unemployment is higher than the national average, and the standard of living is poor.

Vidor, Texas, is a small town with a population of about 10,928 people. This city has one of the lowest population densities in Texas, ranking in the bottom 5%.

The unemployment rate currently stands at 7.2 percent. Despite an annual income of $39,000, the population density is low, and the unemployment rate is high. Because of these factors, it is a poor location to live. There isn’t much to do, there aren’t many people to chat to, and there aren’t many decent work opportunities.

Additionally, the crime rate isn’t so great. There were a total of 1,909 reported crimes for the 2020 calendar year in Vidor. This included 164 violent crimes and 1,745 property crimes.

Texas is a somewhat dangerous state, but you can avoid danger by staying out of certain cities. Even within those cities, danger can vary street-by-street. For example, if you stay near the college in Galveston, you are much safer than if you visited Sealy Street.

Bellmead, Humble, and Lubbock are the most dangerous cities in Texas. The crime in Texas is largely driven by poverty. If you look for a place to live in Texas, consider a city with a low poverty rate.

The safest city that you could move to or visit in Texas is Fulshear. Otherwise, if you visit a dangerous city in Texas, watch where you are going, and never travel alone.