Though Texas is not among the safest U.S. states in terms of crime levels, the Lone Star State is so large and varied that its safest communities boast crime rates that comfortably place them among the most secure in the country. In fact, Texas’ five safest cities all have crime rates below 0.5 per 1,000, or 7 times under nationwide levels.
22 miles northeast of Austin lies Hutto, the safest city in Texas. The Williamson County city of just under 27K recorded less than 100 total crimes in 2018, a remarkable feat for a municipality its size.
Texas’ 2nd safest city is Fulshear, a city that’s population went from just 700 in 2008 to an estimated 13,790 in 2020, thanks to its proximity to Houston. Despite its rapid expansion, the city has remained very safe, logging just 2 violent crimes in 2018.
The colorfully named Trophy Club is Texas’ 3rd safest city. Similar in size to #2 Fulshear, Trophy Club also recorded 2 violent crimes in 2018, though with 8 (68, total) more property crimes in the same year, it’s just a notch lower in the ranking.
#4 Colleyville is an affluent suburb of Dallas renowned for its excellent public school system. The city’s safety record deserves recognition, as well, as Colleyville managed a low 0.29 per 1,000 violent crime rate in 2018.
Murphy (#5), another wealthy Dallas suburb, fills out the list of Texas’ five safest cities. Development has boomed in Murphy since the 1999 opening of the President George Bush Turnpike, yet the city has remained a safe place to live, earning a 5.83 total crime rate in 2018.
Texas’ Safest Cities
TX City Population Violent
crimeProperty
crimeLaw enforcement
employeesTotal crimes Crime rate per 1,000 Violent crimes per 1,000 Property crimes per 1,000 Law enforcement per 1,000
1 Hutto 26924 11 87 48 98 3.64 0.41 3.23 1.78
2 Fulshear 13790 2 61 19 63 4.57 0.15 4.42 1.38
3 Trophy Club 13090 2 69 20 71 5.42 0.15 5.27 1.53
4 Colleyville 27262 8 149 40 157 5.76 0.29 5.47 1.47
5 Murphy 21084 10 113 31 123 5.83 0.47 5.36 1.47
6 Fate 13003 9 63 17 72 5.54 0.69 4.85 1.31
7 Roma 11506 25 82 42 107 9.30 2.17 7.13 3.65
8 Manvel 11097 13 72 23 85 7.66 1.17 6.49 2.07
9 Highland Village 16805 8 132 40 140 8.33 0.48 7.85 2.38
10 Keller 48439 25 321 78 346 7.14 0.52 6.63 1.61
11 Melissa 10107 9 58 13 67 6.63 0.89 5.74 1.29
12 Sachse 26839 15 208 47 223 8.31 0.56 7.75 1.75
13 Celina 10559 15 88 24 103 9.75 1.42 8.33 2.27
14 Lakeway 15722 22 154 47 176 11.19 1.40 9.80 2.99
15 Friendswood 40419 34 332 74 366 9.06 0.84 8.21 1.83
16 Fredericksburg 11490 13 120 35 133 11.58 1.13 10.44 3.05
17 Flower Mound 78542 45 663 132 708 9.01 0.57 8.44 1.68
18 Corinth 21352 12 190 39 202 9.46 0.56 8.90 1.83
19 Mansfield 70851 73 766 200 839 11.84 1.03 10.81 2.82
20 Sulphur Springs 16111 37 157 39 194 12.04 2.30 9.74 2.42
21 Seabrook 13958 25 144 34 169 12.11 1.79 10.32 2.44
22 Lockhart 13944 12 171 38 183 13.12 0.86 12.26 2.73
23 Midlothian 26346 22 336 77 358 13.59 0.84 12.75 2.92
24 Georgetown 74709 78 731 129 809 10.83 1.04 9.78 1.73
25 University Park 25516 5 302 53 307 12.03 0.20 11.84 2.08
26 Royse City 13104 20 129 24 149 11.37 1.53 9.84 1.83
27 Leander 53637 48 501 79 549 10.24 0.89 9.34 1.47
28 Cibolo 30768 37 271 43 308 10.01 1.20 8.81 1.40
29 Angleton 19650 32 241 53 273 13.89 1.63 12.26 2.70
30 Bellaire 19076 26 265 60 291 15.25 1.36 13.89 3.15
31 La Porte 35591 65 457 103 522 14.67 1.83 12.84 2.89
32 Prosper 22570 63 188 35 251 11.12 2.79 8.33 1.55
33 Freeport 12185 50 160 46 210 17.23 4.10 13.13 3.78
34 Missouri City 75628 102 815 132 917 12.13 1.35 10.78 1.75
35 Forney 21464 18 267 43 285 13.28 0.84 12.44 2.00
36 Robinson 11774 25 156 31 181 15.37 2.12 13.25 2.63
37 Deer Park 34155 30 492 88 522 15.28 0.88 14.40 2.58
38 Hewitt 14556 18 204 35 222 15.25 1.24 14.01 2.40
39 Allen 103168 111 1277 190 1388 13.45 1.08 12.38 1.84
40 McKinney 189555 288 1980 273 2268 11.96 1.52 10.45 1.44
41 Coppell 42415 30 532 71 562 13.25 0.71 12.54 1.67
42 Cedar Park 79087 97 966 126 1063 13.44 1.23 12.21 1.59
43 Kyle 46155 80 538 66 618 13.39 1.73 11.66 1.43
44 Rio Grande City 14617 59 194 35 253 17.31 4.04 13.27 2.39
45 Watauga 24757 48 319 43 367 14.82 1.94 12.89 1.74
46 Boerne 17008 27 341 61 368 21.64 1.59 20.05 3.59
47 Galena Park 11000 29 156 23 185 16.82 2.64 14.18 2.09
48 Pearland 124179 118 1841 223 1959 15.78 0.95 14.83 1.80
49 Frisco 187889 163 2562 285 2725 14.50 0.87 13.64 1.52
50 Rosenberg 38541 157 615 111 772 20.03 4.07 15.96 2.88
51 Kerrville 23532 68 400 65 468 19.89 2.89 17.00 2.76
52 Rowlett 63863 114 912 108 1026 16.07 1.79 14.28 1.69
53 Sugar Land 89919 82 1537 188 1619 18.01 0.91 17.09 2.09
54 Stephenville 21400 30 404 54 434 20.28 1.40 18.88 2.52
55 El Campo 11764 43 241 42 284 24.14 3.66 20.49 3.57
56 North Richland Hills 71498 104 1387 189 1491 20.85 1.45 19.40 2.64
57 Ingleside 10453 14 206 28 220 21.05 1.34 19.71 2.68
58 Gatesville 12377 24 209 26 233 18.83 1.94 16.89 2.10
59 Plano 289897 402 4955 585 5357 18.48 1.39 17.09 2.02
60 Schertz 41383 95 670 83 765 18.49 2.30 16.19 2.01
61 Richmond 12130 46 255 44 301 24.81 3.79 21.02 3.63
62 Benbrook 23924 29 411 47 440 18.39 1.21 17.18 1.96
63 Azle 12741 25 254 35 279 21.90 1.96 19.94 2.75
64 Selma 11742 24 240 34 264 22.48 2.04 20.44 2.90
65 El Paso 688442 2554 10365 1341 12919 18.77 3.71 15.06 1.95
66 Port Neches 12881 56 178 23 234 18.17 4.35 13.82 1.79
67 Cleburne 30317 77 543 68 620 20.45 2.54 17.91 2.24
68 Grand Prairie 196535 496 3886 506 4382 22.30 2.52 19.77 2.57
69 Princeton 10749 19 183 19 202 18.79 1.77 17.02 1.77
70 Bedford 49841 90 1057 129 1147 23.01 1.81 21.21 2.59
71 Burleson 47612 133 776 82 909 19.09 2.79 16.30 1.72
72 Carrollton 138216 191 2364 218 2555 18.49 1.38 17.10 1.58
73 Manor 10102 41 220 31 261 25.84 4.06 21.78 3.07
74 Jacinto City 10675 17 232 26 249 23.33 1.59 21.73 2.44
75 Dickinson 20600 44 410 44 454 22.04 2.14 19.90 2.14
76 Round Rock 127354 154 2494 241 2648 20.79 1.21 19.58 1.89
77 Dumas 14790 22 259 23 281 19.00 1.49 17.51 1.56
78 Richardson 119480 135 2522 253 2657 22.24 1.13 21.11 2.12
79 Buda 18028 20 277 21 297 16.47 1.11 15.36 1.16
80 Greenville 27713 83 579 67 662 23.89 2.99 20.89 2.42
81 Gainesville 16478 95 363 54 458 27.79 5.77 22.03 3.28
82 Grapevine 55130 87 1288 143 1375 24.94 1.58 23.36 2.59
83 Clute 11695 39 290 38 329 28.13 3.33 24.80 3.25
84 Pharr 80814 238 1585 161 1823 22.56 2.95 19.61 1.99
85 McAllen 144363 122 3856 427 3978 27.56 0.85 26.71 2.96
86 Crowley 15777 18 378 38 396 25.10 1.14 23.96 2.41
87 Katy 18965 49 560 74 609 32.11 2.58 29.53 3.90
88 Taylor 17225 50 387 40 437 25.37 2.90 22.47 2.32
89 Pearsall 10525 14 209 17 223 21.19 1.33 19.86 1.62
90 Copperas Cove 32754 143 629 65 772 23.57 4.37 19.20 1.98
91 College Station 116565 237 2422 214 2659 22.81 2.03 20.78 1.84
92 Athens 12704 55 286 32 341 26.84 4.33 22.51 2.52
93 Burkburnett 11221 33 267 28 300 26.74 2.94 23.79 2.50
94 Seguin 29487 88 745 82 833 28.25 2.98 25.27 2.78
95 San Marcos 66157 263 1415 146 1678 25.36 3.98 21.39 2.21
96 Irving 243940 510 5759 530 6269 25.70 2.09 23.61 2.17
97 Converse 24185 172 482 58 654 27.04 7.11 19.93 2.40
98 Lewisville 107560 275 2396 217 2671 24.83 2.56 22.28 2.02
99 Belton 22248 57 511 47 568 25.53 2.56 22.97 2.11
100 Kilgore 14978 42 409 44 451 30.11 2.80 27.31 2.94
101 Galveston 50896 265 1539 200 1804 35.44 5.21 30.24 3.93
102 Killeen 148007 577 3336 322 3913 26.44 3.90 22.54 2.18
103 South Houston 17619 73 422 42 495 28.09 4.14 23.95 2.38
104 Red Oak 13095 22 336 29 358 27.34 1.68 25.66 2.21
105 DeSoto 54201 183 1235 107 1418 26.16 3.38 22.79 1.97
106 Brownwood 18772 79 550 60 629 33.51 4.21 29.30 3.20
107 Temple 75706 236 1940 174 2176 28.74 3.12 25.63 2.30
108 Jacksonville 14960 77 375 37 452 30.21 5.15 25.07 2.47
109 Bryan 85152 332 2073 180 2405 28.24 3.90 24.34 2.11
110 Harker Heights 31710 63 749 55 812 25.61 1.99 23.62 1.73
111 Live Oak 16230 42 505 48 547 33.70 2.59 31.12 2.96
112 Nacogdoches 33703 102 979 90 1081 32.07 3.03 29.05 2.67
113 Terrell 18104 73 581 61 654 36.12 4.03 32.09 3.37
114 Sherman 42448 147 1068 89 1215 28.62 3.46 25.16 2.10
115 Conroe 87544 219 2183 166 2402 27.44 2.50 24.94 1.90
116 Port Arthur 55643 390 1445 152 1835 32.98 7.01 25.97 2.73
117 Sweetwater 10530 50 307 30 357 33.90 4.75 29.15 2.85
118 Hereford 14812 97 348 33 445 30.04 6.55 23.49 2.23
119 Universal City 20825 63 546 43 609 29.24 3.03 26.22 2.06
120 Denton 139262 439 3228 227 3667 26.33 3.15 23.18 1.63
121 Marshall 23146 136 687 66 823 35.56 5.88 29.68 2.85
122 Garland 239577 659 6454 471 7113 29.69 2.75 26.94 1.97
123 Longview 81660 326 2506 214 2832 34.68 3.99 30.69 2.62
124 Fort Worth 893756 4482 25433 2132 29915 33.47 5.01 28.46 2.39
125 Cedar Hill 49253 85 1379 91 1464 29.72 1.73 28.00 1.85
126 Hurst 39292 95 1422 121 1517 38.61 2.42 36.19 3.08
127 Haltom City 44708 140 1154 74 1294 28.94 3.13 25.81 1.66
128 Lancaster 39772 171 983 66 1154 29.02 4.30 24.72 1.66
129 Abilene 122480 591 3528 268 4119 33.63 4.83 28.80 2.19
130 Arlington 400920 1784 11780 871 13564 33.83 4.45 29.38 2.17
131 Texas City 49044 236 1489 110 1725 35.17 4.81 30.36 2.24
132 Brownsville 184461 694 4834 299 5528 29.97 3.76 26.21 1.62
133 Mount Pleasant 16291 63 555 42 618 37.94 3.87 34.07 2.58
134 Leon Valley 11598 34 489 42 523 45.09 2.93 42.16 3.62
135 Austin 973344 3720 33655 2422 37375 38.40 3.82 34.58 2.49
136 Beeville 12951 40 390 24 430 33.20 3.09 30.11 1.85
137 Dallas 1362465 10422 44266 3581 54688 40.14 7.65 32.49 2.63
138 Pleasanton 10627 30 406 29 436 41.03 2.82 38.20 2.73
139 Levelland 13646 124 426 35 550 40.30 9.09 31.22 2.56
140 Odessa 119545 1049 2996 212 4045 33.84 8.77 25.06 1.77
141 Lufkin 35937 134 1403 97 1537 42.77 3.73 39.04 2.70
142 Waco 138091 878 4851 347 5729 41.49 6.36 35.13 2.51
143 Rockport 10734 22 443 29 465 43.32 2.05 41.27 2.70
144 Borger 12675 40 499 33 539 42.52 3.16 39.37 2.60
145 Mesquite 144558 573 5238 311 5811 40.20 3.96 36.23 2.15
146 Addison 15839 72 872 73 944 59.60 4.55 55.05 4.61
147 Harlingen 65525 272 2792 178 3064 46.76 4.15 42.61 2.72
148 Webster 11194 47 774 64 821 73.34 4.20 69.14 5.72
149 Corpus Christi 328614 2488 11975 652 14463 44.01 7.57 36.44 1.98
150 San Antonio 1539328 9647 61478 2991 71125 46.21 6.27 39.94 1.94
151 Texarkana 37460 171 1914 98 2085 55.66 4.56 51.09 2.62
152 Alice 18925 91 939 43 1030 54.43 4.81 49.62 2.27
153 Lubbock 257372 2565 11743 534 14308 55.59 9.97 45.63 2.07
154 La Marque 17107 73 904 37 977 57.11 4.27 52.84 2.16
Methodology
To identify the safest cities, we reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics. We eliminated any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and cities with populations under 10,000. This left 3,381 cities (out of a total of 9,251).
There are two broad classifications of crimes: violent crimes and non-violent crimes. According to the FBI, “Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes are defined in the UCR Program as those offenses that involve force or threat of force. Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims. ”
We computed the total number of crimes reported by each city by adding violent crimes and property crimes. We then created a crime rate as the number of crimes per 1,000 population. Then we transformed the total crime rate variable so that the skewness was reduced and normalized.
Data from 2,831 law enforcement agencies was then collected to determine police adequacy (TotalCrimes / Number of police employees). We consider that the smaller the police adequacy statistic is, the safer the city is. This variable was also transformed and normalized.
Finally, the two variables were combined to create a safety score for each city.
