What Are The Safest Cities In Texas?

Thinking of moving to Texas? Then it’s important to compare the crime rates of different cities. After all, knowing the state’s safest places to live can be a major factor in deciding where to buy a home. In this article, we’ll cover the 10 safest cities in Texas in more detail.

How Safe Is Texas Compared To National Crime Rates?

In 2022, Texas had a violent crime rate of 4.3 offenses per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 3.8 offenses per 1,000. The state’s property crime rate was 23 offenses per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 19.5 per 1,000. So, Texas is slightly less safe than the U.S. overall. However, you can still find cities with lower-than-average crime rates.

The 10 Safest Cities In Texas To Live

The safest cities in Texas are San Elizario, Fairview, Fate, Iowa Park, Murphy, Flower Mound, University Park, Sachse, Fulshear and Lake Dallas (listed from most to least safe). This is based on the most recent (2022) data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Crime rates consider crimes against persons (accounting for 40% of overall rankings), crimes against property (30%) and crimes against society (30%). Here are a few examples of how we grouped these types of crime (see end of article for full methodology):

• Crimes against persons include assault, arson and burglary.
• Crimes against property include fraud, theft and computer hacking.
• Crimes against society include animal cruelty, gambling offenses and weapon violations.

Please note that all crime rates are per 1,000 people.

1. San Elizario

• Safety score: 3.9
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 8.1
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 2
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 5.1
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 1.1
• Population: 10,080

San Elizario is a small city in West Texas a few miles south of El Paso. It’s home to the Presidio Chapel of San Elizario, one of the oldest churches in Texas (first built in 1790 by the Spanish). According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has an average of 3.48 people per household and a median home value of $93,800. To learn more, check out San Elizario housing market trends and homes for sale in San Elizario, Texas.

2. Fairview

• Safety score: 5.6
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 10
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 0.9
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 7.5
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 1.6
• Population: 10,917

Fairview is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and lies northeast of Dallas proper. It’s right next to the 289-acre Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, which welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually. The city has an average of 2.4 people per household and a median home value of $516,400. To learn more, check out Fairview housing market trends and homes for sale in Fairview, Texas.

3. Fate

• Safety score: 16.5
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 13.3
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 3.5
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 6.7
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 3.2
• Population: 23,955

Fate is a 30-minute drive from the center of Dallas. The city was first settled right after the Civil War and has been growing ever since. From April 2020 – June 2022, its population increased by 27%. The average household size is 3.17, and the median home value is $342,900. To learn more, check out Fate housing market trends and homes for sale in Fate, Texas.

4. Iowa Park

• Safety score: 21.6
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 15
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 3.8
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 7.8
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 3.5
• Population: 6,595

Iowa Park is in central-north Texas, just below the state’s border with Oklahoma. It’s a small city that offers a rural lifestyle, a lake and proximity to Wichita Falls. The average household size is 2.38, and the median home value is $117,100. To learn more, check out Iowa Park housing market trends and homes for sale in Iowa Park, Texas.

5. Murphy

• Safety score: 21.9
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 17.6
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 4.8
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 11.1
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 1.6
• Population: 21,297

Murphy is another city within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Since the President George Bush Turnpike opened in 2000, Murphy has been growing fast. Today, the average household size is 3.65, and the median home value is $485,400. To learn more, check out Murphy housing market trends and homes for sale in Murphy, Texas.

6. Flower Mound

• Safety score: 22.7
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 18.8
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 2.6
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 13
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 3.1
• Population: 78,167

Named after a 12.5-acre hill in the center of town, Flower Mound was first settled in the 1850s. It’s located just north of Grapevine Lake and the Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, which helped boost its population. The average household size is 2.83, and the median home value is $467,600. To learn more, check out Flower Mound housing market trends and homes for sale in Flower Mound, Texas.

7. University Park

• Safety score: 24
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 19.3
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 1.1
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 17.5
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 0.7
• Population: 24,918

University Park is a suburb of Dallas and home to Southern Methodist University, which is ranked #89 nationally. It’s also one of the wealthiest cities nationwide with a median household income of over $250,000. The average household size is 3.02, and the median home value is $1.6 million. To learn more, check out University Park housing market trends and homes for sale in University Park, Texas.

8. Sachse

• Safety score: 30
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 19.7
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 6
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 10.9
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 2.9
• Population: 31,317

Named after its German founder, Sachse was first settled in 1845. Since then, the city has grown considerably. From April 2020 – July 2022, the population increased by 12.9%. The average household size is 2.91, and the median home value is $328,500. To learn more, check out Sachse housing market trends and homes for sale in Sachse, Texas.

9. Fulshear

• Safety score: 31
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 16.8
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 2.2
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 9
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 5.5
• Population: 18,058

Fulshear is a city on the western edge of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area. It offers a relaxed country lifestyle while still being only 7 miles from major shopping, dining and entertainment. The average household size is 3.32, and the median home value is $483,200. To learn more, check out Fulshear housing market trends and homes for sale in Fulshear, Texas.

10. Lake Dallas

• Safety score: 31.7
• Offenses per 1,000 residents: 20.9
• Crimes against persons per 1,000 residents: 6.1
• Crimes against property per 1,000 residents: 12.4
• Crimes against society per 1,000 residents: 2.5
• Population: 7,738

Lake Dallas is a resort community on the shores of Lewisville Lake, northwest of Dallas. It offers many recreational activities and is connected to nearby Little Elm (and other areas) by bridge. The average household size is 2.65, and the median home value is $230,500. To learn more, check out Lake Dallas housing market trends and homes for sale in Lake Dallas, Texas.

Other Considerations When Deciding Where To Live

On top of safety and home prices, there are many other factors to consider when choosing where to live in Texas:

• Cost of living: Cost of living is how much income you need to cover basic expenses such as housing, utilities, transportation, food and health care. Understanding a city’s cost of living can help you know whether you can afford to live there.
• The local job market: A city’s job market can directly impact your employment opportunities, income potential and career growth prospects.
• Schools: The local school district often determines where your kid(s) will go to school. Aim for one that has a high reputation and ample funding to ensure your children receive a quality education with access to the best resources.
• Quality of life: Quality of life is a broad but important measure that considers a city’s safety, health care access, job market, educational quality, transportation and infrastructure, culture, recreation and other factors.

The Bottom Line: One Of The Safest Towns In Texas Could Be Right For You

Ultimately, safety is one of many important factors in deciding where to live. If you’re ready to buy a home in one of the safest cities in Texas, consider starting the mortgage application process with our friends at Rocket Mortgage^® today!

Methodology

Rocket Homes collected and analyzed the most recent crime data (2022) from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program to give us insight into the safest cities in Texas. Our data included the 300 most populated cities in Texas, which are home to 63.4% of all Texas residents.

We categorized the data into three categories: crimes against property, crimes against people and crimes against society.

Each category contains data for the following offenses:

Crimes against people:

• Aggravated assault
• Simple assault
• Intimidation
• Homicide offenses
• Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
• Negligent manslaughter
• Justifiable homicide
• Human trafficking offenses
• Commercial sex acts
• Involuntary servitude
• Kidnapping/abduction
• Sex offenses
• Rape
• Sodomy
• Sexual assault with an object
• Fondling
• Incest
• Statutory rape
• Arson
• Bribery
• Burglary/breaking & entering
• Counterfeiting/forgery
• Destruction/damage/vandalism of property

Crimes against property:

• Embezzlement
• Extortion/blackmail
• Fraud offenses
• False pretenses/swindle/confidence game
• Credit card/automated teller machine fraud
• Impersonation
• Welfare fraud
• Wire fraud
• Identity theft
• Hacking/computer invasion
• Larceny/theft offenses
• Pickpocketing
• Purse-snatching
• Shoplifting
• Theft from building
• Theft from coin operated machine or device
• Theft from motor vehicle
• Theft of motor vehicle parts or accessories
• All other larceny
• Motor vehicle theft
• Robbery
• Stolen property offenses

Crimes against society:

• Animal cruelty
• Drug/narcotic offenses
• Drug/narcotic violations
• Drug equipment violations
• Gambling offenses
• Betting/wagering
• Operating/promoting/assisting gambling
• Gambling equipment violations
• Sports tampering
• Pornography/obscene material
• Prostitution offenses
• Prostitution
• Assisting or promoting prostitution
• Purchasing prostitution
• Weapon law violations

We totaled the number of reported violations for each category and found the offense rate per 1,000 residents of each city. Each category was then ranked, weighted and summed to create our overall rankings. The per capita rate of crimes against people made up 40% of our overall score, and the per capita rate for crimes against property and society each accounted for 30% of the overall ranking.