Here Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Texas
We hear about all the different crime that takes place here in Amarillo. Yes, it's because we live here so we pay closer attention to it. We have a tendency to think Amarillo is one of the more dangerous cities in Texas when it comes to crime rate.
Sure, that could just be perception because of how much we hear about, or maybe it's reality. We have a decent population of around 200,000 people living here, so crime is going to happen. The main question is, what type of crime is it?
Just because a crime rate is high, doesn't mean it's not a safe place to live. A lot of crime that seems to happen here is more along the lines of theft and drug busts. Sure, it CAN be dangerous, but typically those crimes aren't.
So is Amarillo one of the most dangerous cities in Texas? Let's find out. Here's the top 10 dangerous cities in the state.
10. LUFKIN
It may be a town you've never even heard of, maybe that's because the population is only 35,000. There were 284 violent crimes reported in Lufkin in just one year, which nearly averages one violent crime per day. That's a lot.
Among those crimes were 2 murders and 43 rapes. The violent crime reported the most was aggravated assault with 204 of them. Seems like people that live in Lufkin aren't exactly the nicest in the state.
9. DALLAS
Our first major city entry on to the list, and it's one of the biggest cities in Texas. I mean, with a population of nearly 1.3 million people in it, you'd imagine there would be a high number of violent crimes just based on that.
The most concerning violent crimes committed were murder and sexual assaults. Dallas reported 157 murders to go with a whopping 492 sexual assaults.
8. ALICE
We go from the biggest city in Texas, to the smallest city on the list so far. With a population of only 17,727, Alice checks in as the 8th most dangerous city in Texas. So how does such a small city end up on the list?
It's based on the number of violent crimes per 100k, with Alice having 987 of them. That's a pretty high number and that particular number is 10th highest in the state. The main crimes committed in Alice to get on this list are burglary and arson.
7. HUTCHINS
Well that was a short lived claim to the smallest city on the list for Alice, as we now enter the tiny town of Hutchins. With a population of only 5,594, it's stunning to see it on here. Hutchins is located in Dallas County, so maybe part of the reason it's here is the spillover from Dallas proper.
Property crime is the main reason Hutchins is ranked so high. With 5,809 property crimes per 100k, the city is ranked 7th in the state in that category, and that helped solidify its spot on this list.
6. BEAUMONT
Checking in at number six on our list is Beaumont. Located just outside of Houston, the city with a population of 110,898 finds itself ranked high on the violent crimes list.
Contributing to its overall ranking is the alarming number of violent crimes committed. Know as Gator Country around Texas, you are more likely to be attacked by a human than an alligator here. In fact, you have a 1 in 92 chance of being raped, assaulted, or even killed in Beaumont. I don't care for those odds.
5. LIVINGSTON
We kick off the top 5 with another small city in Livingston.. The city boasts a population of only 5,937 people, but the crime rate in Livingston is through the roof.
Most of the crime committed is property crime. It's actually the sixth most dangerous place in Texas when it comes to that. Adding insult to injury, a violent crime occurs once every 10 days there, which isn't exactly a good ratio for a city so small.
4. LUBBOCK
Here's our first entry onto the list from the Panhandle. Lubbock is the home of Texas Tech University, and any time you have a major university in your city, you're at risk of higher crime rates than usual.
There were 25 murders in Lubbock in 2022, which is an alarming number for a city of just over 250,000 people living in it. Property crime is also a major issue in the city with a reported 32 cases of it happening EACH DAY.
3. SAN ANTONIO
Our next major city to enter the list is San Antonio. They were ranked as the 11th most dangerous city when it comes to violent crimes per 100k, and the property crime rate was even higher.
A major reason they land on this list though is the crazy number of larceny cases that happen in the city. There were a reported 52,000+ larceny cases reported in 2022, and that doesn't even include the roughly 20 cars per day that are stolen in the city.
2. HOUSTON
Sticking with the theme of major cities in Texas, in comes Houston at number two. With 2.2 million residents in the city, the opportunity for violent crime is high just based on population alone. In fact, they rank fifth in the state for violent crime reported.
In 2022, there were 25,987 cases of either rape, murder, or assault reported. That comes out to roughly 71 cases of just those three things being reported per day. It's definitely a "watch your back" kind of place.
1. HUMBLE
Ok, I'll be the first to admit this is NOT a city I expected to see up at number one. However, the not so humble town of Humble checks in as the most dangerous city in Texas.
The main factor here is property crime, where they rank number one in the state, not to mention they're ranked sixth for the most violent crime per 100k in the state. Residents of Humble face a 1 in 9 chance of having their possessions either damaged in some capacity or stolen. They also have the highest frequency of rape cases in Texas, as well as the highest murder rate.
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Gallery Credit: Renee Raven