Crime & Safety in Austin
Austin's crime picture is genuinely favorable relative to national and Texas peer-city benchmarks on violent crime specifically, though sources disagree on the exact rate, and the city carries a real, specific weak spot in motor-vehicle theft. As with any city Austin's size, citywide figures blend very different neighborhoods -- the northwest and west generally run meaningfully safer than central, east, and southeast areas, per multiple sources reviewed.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreViolent Crime: Favorable, But Sources Disagree on the Exact Rate
One estimate (NeighborhoodScout-derived analysis) puts Austin's violent crime rate at 279.1 per 100,000 residents, about 27% below the national average. A separate figure cited in the same general research pass puts it at 380 per 100,000 -- still comparable to or better than the national average for large cities, and notably lower than Houston (860), San Antonio (710), and Dallas (620) per 100,000 in the same comparison, but a meaningfully different absolute number from the first estimate. Both readings point the same direction (Austin compares favorably to other large Texas cities and the national average), but the specific rate is disputed across sources -- treat 'roughly 30%+ below the largest Texas cities, at or below the national average' as the safe summary rather than either single number. One source also cites a 12% decline in Austin's violent crime rate from 2023 to 2025, continuing a downward trend from a 2021 peak.
Property Crime: Mixed, With a Real Motor-Vehicle-Theft Problem
Overall property crime is cited at 1,731.0 per 100,000 residents, about 6% below the national average -- a modestly favorable figure. That headline masks a specific, real weak point: Austin is cited as having one of the highest motor-vehicle-theft rates in the nation based on FBI crime data analysis. Separately, NeighborhoodScout-derived figures put a resident's overall property-crime-victim odds at about 1 in 30 (a rate of 33 per 1,000 population) -- worth noting this specific-odds framing runs somewhat less favorable than the '6% below national average' framing above, another example of how methodology and normalization shift the read on the same underlying data.
Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood Variance
Multiple sources agree the northwest and west parts of Austin carry significantly lower crime rates than the central, east, and southeast areas -- cited safest neighborhoods in 2026 crime-data analysis include Crystal Mountain, Barton Creek West, Angelwylde, Bella Lago, and Belterra, all in the western/southwestern part of the metro. This tracks with the housing-price variance documented on the housing-market and best-areas topic pages -- higher-priced, western neighborhoods also tend to score better on these safety metrics, though correlation with price is not the same as a guarantee, and any specific address should be checked against a current block-level tool rather than assumed from general area reputation.
How Austin Compares Nationally and Within Texas
Multiple sources characterize Austin as one of the safer large U.S. cities as of early 2026, with crime rates significantly below the national average for cities of comparable size, and specifically well below Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas on violent crime. It does not appear on lists of the nation's most dangerous large cities in the sources reviewed. The genuine caveat is motor-vehicle theft, which runs counter to Austin's otherwise favorable overall crime profile and is worth factoring in specifically if vehicle security (garage parking, secured lots) matters to your situation.
Key takeaways
- Violent crime estimates disagree across sources (279.1 vs. 380 per 100,000), but both point to a rate at or well below the national average and meaningfully below Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.
- Austin's violent crime rate reportedly fell about 12% from 2023 to 2025, continuing a downward trend from a 2021 peak.
- Overall property crime runs about 6% below the national average, but Austin is cited as having one of the nation's highest motor-vehicle-theft rates -- a real, specific weak point worth planning around (secured parking, etc.).
- The northwest and west parts of Austin consistently score safer than central, east, and southeast areas across multiple sources -- check block-level data for any specific target address.
- Austin does not appear on national "most dangerous large cities" lists in the sources reviewed and is broadly characterized as a safer-than-average large U.S. city as of early 2026.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Austin overview for the complete picture -- housing, taxes, climate, and who this place genuinely fits.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert