Yes, Houston is a dangerous city. Houston ranks as the #30 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Houston might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, the West University neighborhood is the safest in Houston, while the Far North neighborhood is considered dangerous based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Houston ranks 27th highest in America -- 106.23% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 30th highest in the United States -- 67.9% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is "dangerous". Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
Here is a breakdown of crime rates in Houston per capita compared to the state and national average so you can compare.
Statistic | Houston Count Raw | Houston / 100k People | Texas / 100k People | National / 100k People |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total Crimes | 130,291 | 5,723.2 | 2,691.5 | 2,346.0 |
Murder | 433 | 19.0 | 6.6 | 6.5 |
Robbery | 6,955 | 305.5 | 91.4 | 73.9 |
Aggravated Assault | 17,459 | 766.9 | 302.5 | 279.7 |
Violent Crime | 25,987 | 1,141.5 | 446.5 | 387.8 |
Burglary | 14,939 | 656.2 | 370.7 | 314.2 |
Larceny | 72,021 | 3,163.6 | 1,587.3 | 1,398.0 |
Car Theft | 17,344 | 761.9 | 287.0 | 246.0 |
Property Crime | 104,304 | 4,581.7 | 2,245.0 | 1,958.2 |
Wikipedia User Armbrust | CC BY 2.0
Yes, Texas is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #11 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Texas ranks 15th most dangerous in the United States -- 20.73% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Lone Star State ranks 14th most dangerous in the United States -- 14.87% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
The county in Texas with the lowest cost of living is Uvalde County. The average living wage in Uvalde County is $75,965 according to MIT data. Uvalde County has the lowest cost of living because it has relatively less expensive childcare and housing costs compared to Texas as a whole. Childcare costs $10,143 a year in Uvalde County for two children compared to the Texas average of $14,973. Housing costs, defined as a blend of the average rent and average mortgage payment, are $8,808 per year in Uvalde County compared to $13,442 on average in Texas.
The cost of living in Texas is 3.3% lower than the US average. According to MIT, the required living wage for a family of four with two working parents in Texas is $86,749 vs the national average for a family of four with two working parents of $89,744. The median income of a Texas household is $63,826.
The cheapest housing market in Texas is Marlin. The average home value in Marlin is $46,100, the lowest in the state. The average home value in Texas is $187,200, almost 4.1 times higher than Marlin.