10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Dallas [with Statistics]

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart
Dallas can be a great place to raise a family, but like any big city, there are both good neighborhoods and those that you are better off avoiding. Whether it be Cedar Crest, Wolf Creek, or Eagle Ford, let’s take a look at the 10 worst neighborhoods in Dallas.

If you ask any Texan what the best city in the state is, they’ll probably tell you Dallas. Along with having football teams like the Dallas Cowboys, this glowing town is known for being one of the most expansive cities in the United States. Urban sprawl means that this has a ton of neighborhoods that are often the size of small towns—or even were formerly known as small towns in the past.

Based on FBI statistics and data, South Boulevard-Park Row, Cedar Crest, South Dallas, and Convention Center District are the most dangerous neighborhoods in Dallas. Also, you may want to avoid Cockrell Hill, Northwest Dallas, Wolf Creek, Oak Cliff, and Urbandale-Parkdale. These areas consistently rank as the worst places, with high overall crime, including robbery and violent crimes.

Dallas is one of the most populous cities in the South, if not the entirety of the United States. As a result, it has tons of attractions and real estate has seen an uptick in pricing. No matter how you look at it, it’s a hot city to be in.

Related Content: Safest Neighborhoods in Dallas | Best Neighborhoods In Dallas | Top Abandoned Places In Dallas | Most Dangerous Cities In Texas | Largest Cities In Texas

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Is Dallas A Safe City?

Though the Lone Star State prides itself on making sure police are tough on crime, you shouldn’t expect Dallas to be entirely safe. Studies show that Dallas has more crime than 90 percent of cities of its size—and that crime is on the rise.

Even so, a quick visit to Dallas won’t hurt anyone as long as you keep an eye out for shady characters and stick to the better parts of the neighborhood.

Are you curious about the sketchy parts of Dallas? Keep reading, and you’ll be able to find out more about this fascinating town. Don’t miss our guide on the Top 8 Abandoned Places in Dallas.

What Are The Worst Neighborhoods In Dallas Like?

Dallas has dozens of neighborhoods that most people would consider to be dodgy at best, so it can be hard to track the full scope of damage in the city. However, there are some methods we could use to make sure that the neighborhoods are dangerous.

Some of these areas are known for crime and urban blight, while others would never make you look twice. So, we had to go by numbers instead. We took crime estimate data from the internet to rank these places, with violent crimes taking precedence over property crime rates.

After a lot of digging, we were able to find out which were the most dangerous neighborhoods in Dallas. Here’s what the stats say.

1. South Boulevard-Park Row

  • Population: 26,359
  • Violent Crime: 3,255
  • Property Crime: 6,492
  • Total Reported Crimes: 9,717

So far in this list, the increase in crime rates has been fairly steady, but now, you’re going to see a massive jump. South Boulevard-Park Row has a 277 percent higher crime rate than most of Dallas, which means it’s more than double the crime rate of our number two city, Cedar Crest.

Murders, arson, vandalism, and gang activity launched this place into a state of anarchy. The violent crime rate here is 658 percent higher than the national average, making it the most violent neighborhood in Dallas. We wouldn’t be surprised if it was the most violent area in all of Texas.

According to FBI Statistics, there were a total of 9,717 crimes reported in the South Boulevard-Park neighborhood. These crimes include everything from murder, rape, and assault to burglary, carjacking, and less serious property crimes.

For 2020, property crime was nearly double the amount of violent crime. There were 3,255 incidents of violent crime, and 6,492 property crimes reported per capita.

The local police department has been getting worn thin as a result of all the calls relating to this area. Due to the sheer amount of people who have been attacked, many professionals in law enforcement advise people to just stay away.

2. Cedar Crest

  • Population: 63,686
  • Violent Crime: 1,724
  • Property Crime: 3,751
  • Total Reported Crimes: 5,475

If you tell people you live in most parts of Dallas, they’ll look at you, smile, and say it’s pretty neat. If you say that you live in Cedar Crest, you’ll see them wince.

This isn’t because of the property crime rates, which are only 50 percent above the national average. Rather, it’s the violent crime that makes people cringe when they hear about it.

Violent crime here comes in a wide range of different “flavors,” including robbery, assault, arson, and domestic violence. Most Texans will rightfully tell you to stay away from Cedar Crest, and you would be wise to heed their warning.

For the 2020 calendar year, FBI stats show that there were a total of 5,475 reported crimes in this neighborhood. This includes both the worst violent crimes, as well as less serious property crimes.

There were fewer violent crimes reported than property crimes. The number of violent crimes that were reported is 1,724, while property crimes were counted as 3,751 per capita.

What’s strange about Cedar Crest is that it doesn’t look dangerous. It even has a golf course that hosts PGA tournaments. How this ended up happening is beyond us.

3. South Dallas

  • Population: 28,901
  • Violent Crime: 1,717
  • Property Crime: 4,920
  • Total Reported Crimes: 6,637

With a population of over 28,000, South Dallas would be considered to be a town of its own in almost any other situation. However, it’s still a massive neighborhood that belongs to the Dallas area, and it’s also one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Dallas today.

Gang activity is a particularly large point of concern for both residents and police forces. Violent crimes are a full 300 percent higher here than in a typical American suburb. So, if you choose to spend some time here, travel in large numbers and consider getting some pepper spray.

South Dallas’s spike in crime has led many locals to push their officials to address it. Several crime-cutting measures have been suggested, but as of right now, few (if any) have been implemented. With hope and a little work, this place could become a major hotspot.

The total reported crimes for the South Dallas area were 6,637 according to carefully combed statistics. This number reflects both violent crimes and property crimes.

There were a significant amount of property crimes compared to violent in 2020. Violent crimes accounted for 1,717 of the total reported, while property crimes tallied 4,920.

4. Convention Center District

  • Population: 920
  • Violent Crime: 1,591
  • Property Crime: 9,612
  • Total Reported Crimes: 11,203

If you’ve ever gone to a major convention in Dallas, you’ve visited one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Dallas. This Texan convention hotspot has been home to major anime conventions, political rallies, car shows, and so much more.

Many people believe that it’s the high level of naive tourists that causes the property crime to be triple the national average. Gang activity accounts for the extremely high rate of assaults, shootings, and robberies that take place within the boundaries of the neighborhood.

Statistics show that, although there is only 920 people living in the Convention District, there’s still a significant amount of crime occurring. The total reported crimes in 2020 stood at 11,203.

Violent crime is still pretty high considering the population, totaling 1,591 per capita. However, property crime is more troublesome for this neighborhood as there were 9,612 reported incidents in the 2020 calendar year.

Due to the extreme increase in crime over recent years, Dallas police forces have been petitioning for more power to work on a crime crackdown in the area. Whether or not this will work remains to be seen.

Don’t Want to Read the Whole List? Watch This Video!

5. Cockrell Hill

  • Population: 4,240
  • Violent Crime: 1,249
  • Property Crime: 5,097
  • Total Reported Crimes: 6,346

Though Dallas is generally viewed as a safe city, there are some parts where people just shouldn’t go near at night. Cockrell Hill is one of those areas. Going into Cockrell Hill in the day means that you can expect to see people “size you up” to see if you’re a threat–never a good sign.

According to the statistics we found, you have a 1 in 17 chance of being a victim of crime in Cockrell Hill. That’s not a good look, no matter where you’re from. Sadly, Cockrell Hill is one of the many Dallas neighborhoods that’s currently experiencing a rise in crime as a result of recent economic turmoil.

FBI statistics also report 6,346 total crimes in the Cockrell Hill area for 2020. These crimes include everything such as murder, rape, assault, vehicle theft, burglary, other stolen property.

There was a significantly less amount of violent crime for the 2020 calendar year than there was property crime. Out of the total crimes, violent crimes accounted only for 1,249 incidents while property crime accounted for 5,097 incidents per capita.

6. Northwest Dallas

  • Population: 2,158
  • Violent Crime: 1,243
  • Property Crime: 5,072
  • Total Reported Crimes: 6,315

Northwest Dallas is fairly striking when it comes to its crime rate since it’s surrounded by areas that are decreasing in crime. Even so, it’s hard to ignore that the area has twice the national average amount of violent crime.

Part of the reason for the increase in violent crime deals with the area’s known gang activity, which often leads to shootouts in the streets. When you combine that with difficult schools and a high rate of break-ins, one can only imagine what it must be like to have to deal with this daily.

According to FBI Statistics, there were a total of 6,315 reported crimes for this neighborhood. This number reflects some of the worst violent crimes, we all as the not-so-serious property crimes.

For 2020, there was a significantly higher number of property crimes than violent crimes. There were 5,072 property crimes reported, while the violent crimes totaled 1,243 per capita.

7. Wolf Creek

  • Population: 36,321
  • Violent Crime: 1,229
  • Property Crime: 3,757
  • Total Reported Crimes: 4,986

Don’t expect to howl with delight if you choose to enter the neighborhood limits of Wolf Creek. People are desperately trying to leave this neighborhood due to the skyrocketing crime rates, terrible schools, and low wages linked to the area.

Both violent and property crimes are regularly reported within the area’s limits. A worrying 1,090 violent crimes per 100,000 people means that 1 in 92 people will experience a violent crime while they live here.

Property crime is also on the rise, with residents noting that a typical person can expect to deal with it at one point or another in their lives.

For 2020 there were a total of 4,986 crimes reported. Violent crimes contributed to 1,229 of the total while property crime totaled 3,757. These crimes ranged in severity starting from the more serious crimes such as murder to property theft.

8. Oak Cliff

  • Population: 32,901
  • Violent Crime: 1,113
  • Property Crime: 3,952
  • Total Reported Crimes: 5,065

Known for being home to a slew of musicians including Jimmy Vaughn and for being one of the few towns linked to the JFK assassination, Oak Cliff is a dense suburban neighborhood that has several interesting restaurants and museums under its wing.

Despite it having its fair share of tourist attractions, Oak Cliff isn’t a safe place to be. The relatively high violent crime rate means that you are more likely to be robbed or assaulted here than in most other parts of the country.

For the Oak Cliff neighborhood, FBI stats show a total reported 5,065 crimes for the area. These crimes ranged in everything from murder to stolen property.

There were 1,113 violent crimes documented per capita and 3,952 property crimes documented for the 2020 calendar year. While this seems like a lot, there are 32,901 people that reside in this part of Dallas, making the chance of you becoming a victim about 1 in 20.

Formerly its town, it became a part of the Dallas city metro as the city’s limits continued to expand. As it became engulfed by the sprawling city, Oak Cliff quickly became known for having ties to high-profile crimes. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like that rep will be shaken off anytime soon.

9. Urbandale-Parkdale

  • Population: 25,716
  • Violent Crime: 1,082
  • Property Crime: 4,044
  • Total Reported Crimes: 5,126

Urbandale-Parkdale is a community that’s going through a lot of changes and part of those changes haven’t been for the better. Though residents have been vocal about changing the crime rate, the low median household income of $33,974 means many locals are strapped for cash.

The low-income housing and difficulty in finding a well-paying job mean that property crime just seems to be an increasingly viable option. You should probably get a home security system here since this neighborhood is known for high property crime rates.

Of the total 5,126 reported crimes, there were 1,082 violent incidents, and 4,044 property-related crimes per capita, according to statistics. This includes everything from murder to stolen property.

Neighbors in this area have a 1 in 22 chance of becoming a victim of crime. So while it is high, it’s still not as bad as many neighborhoods in Detroit.

10. Eagle Ford

  • Population: 27,680
  • Violent Crime: 979
  • Property Crime: 3,750
  • Total Reported Crimes: 4,729

What a patriotic name, right? Well, patriotic as this is may be, it remains a fairly sketchy part of the city. Within this neighborhood’s limits, property crime has become a major thorn in locals’ sides. The theft rate here is out of control, both when it comes to purses and vehicles.

As of right now, the property crime rate is a whopping 3,464 per 100,000 residents. Everything from car theft to ID fraud has been reported here, making it one of the less viable places for families who want a safe place to live.

The most recent FBI stats available state that there were a total of 4,729 reported crimes for the Eagle Ford neighborhood in 2020. This included both violent and property crimes alike.

There was less violent crime reported than property crime in 2020. Of the total reported crimes, there were 979 violent incidents and 3,750 property-related incidents per capita.

The violent crime rate is 128 percent higher than the national average and still tilts the scale in the already-risky city of Dallas. Needless to say, locals have been hoping police would pick up the pace here.

Crime Rates Dallas Neighborhoods For 2020

RankNameProperty Crime (per 100k)Violent Crime (per 100k)
1South Boulevard-Park Row6,4923,255
2Cedar Crest3,7511,724
3South Dallas4,9201,717
4Convention Center District9,6121,591
5Cockrell Hill5,0971,249
6Northwest Dallas5,0721,243
7Wolf Creek3,7571,229
8Oak Cliff3,9521,113
9Urbandale-Parkdale4,0441,082
10Eagle Ford3,750979

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Related Questions

Why is Dallas real estate so cheap?

Texan real estate, as a whole, is cheap because there is so much available land—most of which cannot be used to raise crops.So, it can only be used to provide real estate. Moreover, the wages in Texas are far lower than in most parts of the country.


What is the richest neighborhood in Dallas?

According to the most recent statistics, University Park is the richest neighborhood in Dallas. This neighborhood has a medium income of $198,578, putting almost all of its inhabitants in the top 1 percent of earners for the state of Texas. Check this guide for the safest neighborhoods in Dallas.

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Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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