A couple of North Texas cities have been ranked among the safest in the United States, according to a new study that analyzed data from FBI. Meanwhile, the report also shows San Antonio lags, especially when it comes to the amount of violent crimes in recent years.
The cities outperforming the 210 are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and are known for their entertainment districts. Financial technology company SmartAsset named Fort Worth and Arlington the least dangerous home bases in Texas, with them ranking at No. 3 and No.7, respectively.
Researchers used the most recent FBI crime statistics (2023), data from NeighborhoodScout.com and county health rankings from this year to score 50 of the nation’s largest cities. Each area was given a place based on how it scored on the following metrics: Violent crime rate, property crime rate, vehicular mortality rate, drug poisoning mortality rate, and the percentage of the population engaging in excessive drinking.
In Fort Worth, violent crime per capita measured was13,352 in 2023. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s number was more than double that amount at 33,617, the report shows. Property crimes within the Fort Worth city limits was 34,136, whereas San Antonio’s number was 112,794, and traffic deaths per 100,000 people were determined to be 10.8 in the North Texas city, a bit lower than the Alamo City’s 11.7.
Twenty minutes east of Fort Worth, Arlington logged a diminish in substance-abuse-related metrics. The city recorded 17.9 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people, whereas San Antonio’s number was 18.3. Arlington’s percentage of adults reporting excessive drinking was 18.02%, and locally, that number was 19.98%.
Our neighbors in Austin tracked similar numbers, making it only one place above San Antonio in the 28th spot. However, the local placement makes San Antonio the least safe Texas city included in the ranking.
The Alamo City did outperform a few areas in select categories: Locally, the number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people is less than that in Austin, Dallas and Houston. The number of traffic deaths was also lower than that tracked in Dallas and El Paso.
The new study comes amid a wave of people looking to the Lone Star State to set down roots, leaving places like the West and East coasts.
“Access to safety data can help Americans weigh the tradeoffs between locations, lifestyles, and opportunities when considering where to take a job, buy a home, raise a family, or retire,” Director of Economic Analysis at SmartAsset Jaclyn DeJohn said in the report.