3,198

WHERE DO WE STAND?

The overall crime rate in Travis County decreased by 5% from 2023 to 2024. Over the five years from 2020 through 2024, the overall crime rate in Travis County decreased by 10%.  The decrease in the overall crime rate is attributable to decreases in the violent crime rate in 2023 and 2024, and a decrease in the property crime rate in 2024.

These statistics include incidents of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft, and arson reported by 21 local law enforcement agencies to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

 A CLOSER LOOK

While local data is not available, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that African Americans are more likely than other racial or ethnic categories to be victims of violent crimes.

CRIME IN URBAN COUNTIES

In terms of the 5-year trend from 2020 to 2024, most of the largest urban counties in Texas saw a decrease in the overall crime rates per 100,000 people. While El Paso and Bexar County saw their overall crime rate increase during this period, the  other urban counties in this graph saw a decrease. The greatest decrease in the overall crime rate over the most recent 5-year period was experienced by Travis County, where the overall crime rate decreased more than 10%.

VIOLENT AND PROPERTY CRIME

There are far more property crimes (burglary, theft, auto theft, and arson) reported in Travis County each year than violent crimes (murder, robbery, aggravated assault and rape).

In 2023 and 2024, the property crime and violent crime rates both decreased:

• The property crime rate went from 2,986 offenses per 100,000 population in 2022 to 2,794 in 2024.
• The violent crime rate went from 461 offenses per 100,000 population in 2022 to 404 in 2024.

TRAVIS COUNTY PROPERTY CRIME

In 2024, Travis County experienced an overall decrease in the total number of property crimes reported. Although auto thefts increased by 49% over the past 5 years, larcenies/thefts decreased by 15%, and burglaries decreased by 10%. In 2024, in Travis County, there were 5,384  burglaries, 26,870 larcenies, 7,026 auto thefts, and 170 cases of arson reported by 21 law enforcement agencies in 2024.

TRAVIS COUNTY VIOLENT CRIME

The chart at left shows the number of incidents reported for each type of violent crime for 2020 through 2024. Assaults account for the largest share of violent crime offenses reported and have increased decreased in recent years. From 2022 to 2024, assaults decreased by 15%,  murders decreased by 12% and robberies decreased by 9%. The number of rapes increased by 22% over the same time period, to 834 in 2024.

Over the 5-year period from 2020 to 2024, the number of robberies decreased by 21% while the number of rapes increased by 39% and the number of murders increased by 36%.

PROPERTY CRIME IN TEXAS
URBAN COUNTIES

In 2023 and 2024, Travis County experienced a slight decrease in the property crime rate over the previous year. Property crime accounts for most reported crimes. Harris County also saw a decrease in its property crime rate over the same time period.

Bexar and Harris Counties have the highest property crime rates among Texas urban counties. El Paso County has consistently had the lowest property crime rate of the 6 most populous urban counties.

VIOLENT CRIME IN TEXAS
URBAN COUNTIES

In 2024 the Travis County violent crime rate decreased to 404 per 100,000 from a rate of 461 per 100,000 in 2022. Harris County, home to Houston, has consistently had the highest violent crime rate among these six urban counties.

Historical note: from 2012 to 2015, Travis County had the lowest violent crime rate per 100,000 residents among the six largest Texas urban counties. Click the graph to access this data.