Everything might be bigger in Texas; but in the state’s most dangerous cities, it’s definitely not better.
Yes, the most dangerous places in Texas are dealing with high unemployment, low wages, lack of rehabilitation programs; and thus, high crime. We’re not talking about driving five miles over the speed limit or not being a Dallas Cowboys fan kind of crime, we’re talking about the type of crime that will get you on Fort Worth’s KXAS at five. And lucky for you, RoadSnacks is here to tell you where the most crime is committed in The Lone Star State: we’ve created a list of the top ten most dangerous places in Texas for 2020.
In order to compile our list, we looked at FBI data for violent crimes and property crimes in Texas cities with a population of 5,000. That left us with 334 cities. We discovered that the state as a whole had 438 violent crimes and 2,562 property crimes reported per 100,00 residents. And while that doesn’t seem like that many for the second largest state in the country in both area and population, it is above the national average; and coincidentally the 15th most dangerous state in the country.
It doesn’t end there folks, Texas has 244 police officers for every 100,000 residents, but they just can’t be everywhere, so bigger cities like Houston and Beaumont are really starting to feel the effects.
Have we piqued your interest? Want to know more about our methodology and where the most dangerous places in Texas are located? Keep reading.
Some might wonder why we produced this list. Well, one goal is to definitely help people navigate these dangerous Texas cities when trying to make an informed decision on what city they should call home.
With that in mind, what’s the most dangerous city in Texas? Without further adieu… the most dangerous city in The Lone Star State for 2020 would be Bellmead.
If you’re curious to see if your city made the list, take a look at our list below. And if you don’t see your city there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in Texas.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more Texas reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Texas
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Texas
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Texas
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Texas
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Texas For 2020
Bellmead makes it into the top 10 most dangerous in Texas. After a huge growth spurt in the 60’s and 70’s, people are actually leaving Bellmead in droves, which could be in part to its high criminal population.
As of the last FBI report, crime in Bellmead has been ticking upwards, and statistically, 1 in 16.1 residents here was recently the victim of a robbery or car theft.
I’m from bellmead/ lacylakeview area..and its never seemed dangerous..I bought a house here..But people are throwed off here..and they ain’t scared..got heart for sure”
Tiny Humble, the smallest city by far in our top 20, is where muggers go to thrive. There were the most robberies per capita in the entire state in 2018 here.
Humble borders the George Bush International Airport to the east. Is it a coincidence that so many robberies take place so close to a major airport?
Crime is low in most areas, but there are places to avoid. I love living here overall.
Best places are Pappas Seafood and ShowBiz. No matter what part of town you live in you are always close to fun and food.
Lubbock has seen a rapid rise in its violent crime in recent years.
Between 2017-2018, the rate of violent crime increased a staggering amount, leaving Lubbock residents a 1 in 100 chance of being the victim of rape, murder, or assault in 2018.
Property crime also went up during this interval, but that’s a lot less scary than the boom in violence.
There is nothing to do in Lubbock except get drunk. College students turn into actual alcoholics because there is no remotely fun activities.
You have to stay indoors when there is a dust storm. I was once caught outside in a dust storm, and I literally couldn’t see one foot ahead of me. I had dust in my hair for days. I wanted to die.
Bastrop, a smaller town with almost 9,050 residents, is, according to the FBI, a very dangerous place.
There were more than 94 violent crimes here in 2018, meaning that 1 in 96 residents was the victim of a serious attack. Crime seems to be ticking up here as well, as violent crimes have gone up 10% since 2017.
/10
Population: 5,842
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 821 (14th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,484 (15th most dangerous)
More on Palmview: Data
A city in Hidalgo County, Palmview has seen crime become a problem over the last decade.
Perhaps that has something to do with the high rate of violent crime, with residents facing a 1 in 121 chance of being the victim of violence in 2018.
On the bright side, instances of property crime fell during this time period.
Livingston is the 6th most dangerous city in Texas, and places 9th for property crime.
Though the city has seen a 12% drop in property crime in recent years, anyone in Livingston still faced a 1 in 19.8 chance of being robbed in 2018 when within city limits.
Violent crime is relatively high, and the numbers aren’t getting better or worse, but the 1 in 142 chance of being the victim of violence makes Livingston pretty dangerous.
The rivalry between Dallas and Houston is turned up a notch here, as Houston is the 7th-most dangerous place in the state of Texas. Dallas, on the other hand, is 53rd, while Fort Worth ranks 64th.
The population of Houston might make these statistics stand out like a sore thumb, but in 2018, more than 24,062 people were either killed, attacked or raped in Houston. Wow.
The area in Houston that I live the crime level is average, not very much but it does exist. Houston has so many exciting things to do and see. You can visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science or the Downtown Aquarium or you can dine at one of our many fine eateries.
Houston is such a huge city, but every community has its charm. I love our Hermann Park and Houston Zoo area. You can visit the Miller Outdoor Theater and catch a free theatrical or musical performance under the stars. There is beautiful diversity of people in Houston, so naturally there are many different cultures and types of food to experience here.
Amarillo is way out on Route 26 near Wyoming. If you’re passing through, lock your car doors. Residents here have a 1 in 23.8 chance of being the victim of a property crime, which is the second highest in the state.
Job growth is negative here, which isn’t a good sign. Crime is typically contained on the south end of town.
Located just a stone’s throw from Weslaco on Interstate 2 lies Alamo. Crime has steadily remained a real concern here since 2011. Currently, 1 out of 152 residents has the chance of being the victim of a violent crime here.
Additionally, Alamo is the 12th-highest city in terms of thefts in the state of Texas.
Beaumont is, essentially the 4th most dangerous place in the state of Texas for violent crimes.
Residents in Beaumont have a staggering 1 in 94 chance of being assaulted, raped or killed every year. Yikes. And it seems to be climbing quickly in Beaumont over the last few years as well.
How Is Your Town In ?
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Texas for 2020?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2018 data, specifically the 2018 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2020.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 334 cities in Texas.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 334 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Texas — Bellmead.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Texas.
Locking It All Up In Texas
The latest FBI crime data shows that Bellmead ranks as the most dangerous city in Texas for 2020.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Bellmead and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in Texas:
- Trophy Club (Pop. 13,090)
- Hutto (Pop. 26,924)
- Fulshear (Pop. 13,790)
For more Texas reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Texas
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Texas
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Texas
- 10 Safest Places In Texas
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Texas
Where Are The Most Dangerous Cities In Texas?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellmead | 10,587 |
| 2 | Humble | 16,122 |
| 3 | Lubbock | 257,372 |
| 4 | Bastrop | 9,050 |
| 5 | Palmview | 5,842 |
| 6 | Livingston | 5,128 |
| 7 | Houston | 2,344,966 |
| 8 | Amarillo | 201,082 |
| 9 | Alamo | 19,840 |
| 10 | Beaumont | 119,368 |
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