Last updated: July 2026
Safest and Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Austin, TX (2026 Update)
Austin’s reputation as a livable, family-friendly city is well earned, but like any American city with more than a million residents, its safety varies dramatically depending on where you are. The same metro area that includes some of the lowest-crime communities in Texas also contains neighborhoods where violent crime runs several times higher than the city average. Whether you are relocating for a tech job, deciding where to raise children, evaluating a lease in an unfamiliar part of town, or simply trying to understand the city you already live in, it helps to know what the data actually shows.
This guide covers Austin’s overall crime picture, the neighborhoods that consistently rank as the safest and most dangerous, how nightlife and traffic shape safety in the city, and the free tools you can use to research any address in Travis County.
Austin’s Overall Crime Picture
Austin’s crime picture has improved meaningfully in recent years. According to Austin Police Department data reported in 2025, the city’s violent crime rate stood at roughly 370 incidents per 100,000 residents, about a 12% decline from 2023 and a continuation of the downward trend that followed the 2021 peak. Homicides fell to 50 by mid-November 2025, down from 72 in 2024 and 75 in 2023.
Property crime has been the more stubborn problem. Vehicle theft, catalytic converter theft and burglary remain concentrated in specific parts of the city and have not fallen as quickly as violent crime. Even so, crime-data sites estimate the overall cost of crime at about $404 per Austin resident per year, below both the national and Texas averages, which means Austin performs better than many comparable large cities when the full picture is considered.
The geographic pattern is consistent across data sources. The west and northwest parts of the city carry significantly lower crime rates than the central, east and southeast areas. A resident’s estimated chance of becoming a crime victim ranges from about 1 in 24 in the central neighborhoods to about 1 in 47 in the west, nearly a two-to-one difference driven almost entirely by location.
The Safest Neighborhoods in Austin
Circle C Ranch
Circle C Ranch, a master-planned community in southwest Austin near MoPac and Slaughter Lane, consistently ranks as one of the safest neighborhoods in the city, with violent and property crime well below both Austin and national averages. Its almost entirely residential layout, well-lit streets, HOA oversight and limited commercial foot traffic all contribute. Highly rated Austin ISD schools and quick access to the Violet Crown Trail make it a perennial first choice for families relocating from other Texas cities and from out of state.
West Lake Hills
West Lake Hills is a small incorporated city within the Austin metro, not just a neighborhood, and it has its own police department separate from APD. Violent crime falls well below both the Austin and national averages, and property crime is minimal. Located just west of downtown near Lake Austin, it is served by Eanes ISD, consistently one of the highest-rated school districts in Texas, and commands some of the highest home prices in the metro.
Northwest Hills
Northwest Hills sits inside Austin city limits but feels like a well-established suburb. Long-term residents, deep community networks, decades-old neighborhood watch programs and relatively little commercial activity keep both violent and property crime well below the citywide average. Its location in Austin’s consistently safest quadrant and its access to well-regarded schools make it a favorite for families who want to live in the city without the crime concentrations of central and east Austin.
Tarrytown
Tarrytown, about three miles northwest of downtown, is close enough to feel genuinely urban but established enough to have kept its stable, low-crime character. Walkable streets, well-kept homes and residents who tend to stay for years produce the kind of community cohesion that marks Austin’s safest areas. It is one of the city’s more expensive neighborhoods, but for residents who want a central location with strong safety grades, few areas match it.
Steiner Ranch
Steiner Ranch is a large master-planned community in northwest Austin, set between Lake Austin and Lake Travis and geographically removed from the city’s higher-crime corridors. Its coordinated HOA structure and actively managed common areas help keep crime well below the Austin average. The trade-off is a longer commute downtown, but families get lake access, Leander ISD schools and a quieter residential environment that consistently places Steiner Ranch among the safest communities in the metro.
Mueller
Mueller is a planned urban village built on the site of Austin’s former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, about three miles northeast of downtown. Walkable streets, mixed-use development and abundant parks were designed to encourage the resident familiarity that supports safety, and Mueller ranks in the top third of Austin neighborhoods for both violent and property crime despite its central location. It is more affordable than West Lake Hills or Tarrytown and sits next to Dell Children’s Medical Center and Bartholomew District Park.
Other Consistently Safe Areas
Hyde Park, just north of UT Austin and anchored by a neighborhood association active since 1974, keeps violent crime low despite its dense, central location. The northern suburbs of Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville consistently report crime rates below both the Austin and national averages, along with strong school districts. Rollingwood, like West Lake Hills, is an incorporated city with its own police department and consistently low crime.
A note for separated or divorced parents: if a safer neighborhood or a new job is the reason you are thinking about moving with your children, check your custody order first. Many Travis County orders restrict a child’s primary residence to Travis County and its contiguous counties, so a move to Round Rock or Pflugerville may be allowed while a move farther away may not be without the other parent’s written agreement or a court order. Our Austin child custody attorneys can tell you what your order allows, and our guide to parental relocation in Texas explains how courts decide contested moves.
The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Austin
The highest-crime parts of Austin are concentrated in the north-central Rundberg corridor, the southeast around East Riverside and Montopolis, and parts of northeast and east Austin. High crime rates describe conditions in an area, not the people who live there, and the residents of these neighborhoods are the ones most affected by crime.
Rundberg / North Lamar Corridor
The area around Rundberg Lane and North Lamar Boulevard in north Austin has long been the city’s most consistently high-crime corridor. A concentration of older motels, high-density apartment complexes with rapid tenant turnover and strip commercial development creates conditions associated with elevated crime in cities across the country. Both violent and property crime run well above Austin averages, and APD has maintained focused enforcement here for years. Redevelopment from Austin’s northward growth has brought some changes, but Rundberg still appears most consistently at the top of the city’s high-crime lists.
East Riverside
Southeast of downtown along Riverside Drive, East Riverside carries a violent crime rate of roughly 1,552 per 100,000 residents, several times both the citywide and national averages, making it the most concentrated pocket of violent crime in Austin on a per-resident basis. High-density apartments, a large student population tied to UT Austin and St. Edward’s University, and bars and late-night businesses contribute to nighttime crime. Property crime, especially vehicle theft and break-ins, is among the highest in the city, even as new development continues to push into the area.
St. Johns
St. Johns, a historic northeast Austin community dating to the 1890s, carries a violent crime rate of roughly 1,435 per 100,000 residents, again several times the citywide and national averages. Residents and community groups have raised concerns about inadequate street lighting, vehicle break-ins and nighttime risk on certain blocks. Affordable housing and park investments may improve conditions over time, but current data still places St. Johns among Austin’s highest-crime neighborhoods.
MLK Corridor / East Austin
The Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor in east Austin carries a violent crime rate of roughly 1,366 per 100,000 residents. Nearby nightlife along East Sixth Street and a history of underinvestment in public infrastructure both play a role. East Austin as a whole has transformed dramatically since 2015, with rapid development and rising home values, but crime remains concentrated on specific blocks along the MLK corridor.
Montopolis and East Riverside-Oltorf
Montopolis, in southeast Austin near the Colorado River, and the East Riverside-Oltorf area are consistently identified as concentrated property crime zones, particularly for vehicle theft, catalytic converter theft and residential burglary. Combined with the elevated violent crime of the broader Riverside corridor, this part of southeast Austin is the city’s most challenging area overall.
Georgian Acres and Johnston Terrace
Georgian Acres and Johnston Terrace, both in north Austin near the Rundberg corridor, appear consistently in crime data as elevated-risk neighborhoods for both property and violent crime, reflecting the higher rates in that part of the city compared with the northwest and west.
Nightlife, Traffic and DWI Enforcement
Crime maps leave out one of the biggest everyday risks in Austin: the roads. Sixth Street, Rainey Street and the Red River district draw large late-night crowds, and I-35, MoPac and US-183 carry heavy traffic through nearly every part of the city. Impaired driving is a risk on all of them, especially on weekend nights.
Enforcement follows the same pattern. Our breakdown of where most DWI arrests are made in Austin shows how Travis County enforcement concentrates by area. If you are arrested, the first 15 days after a DWI arrest decide whether you can fight the automatic license suspension, which is why speaking with an Austin DWI lawyer right away matters.
And if you or a family member is hurt by an impaired or careless driver, our team handles motor vehicle accident claims throughout the Austin area.
How to Read Crime Statistics Without Being Misled
Per-resident rates can distort busy areas. Downtown and entertainment districts draw huge numbers of visitors but have relatively few residents, so their per-resident crime rates can look far worse on paper than they feel to the average visitor.
Property crime and violent crime are different risks. A neighborhood can rank poorly because of car break-ins at apartment complexes or shopping centers while having very little violent crime. Look at the breakdown, not just the overall grade.
Sources disagree. Different sites use different methods, data years and comparison baselines, so the same neighborhood can be described quite differently from one source to the next. Compare neighborhoods using the same source.
Data lags reality, and crime varies block by block. Most third-party sites rely on data that runs one to two years behind, and a single neighborhood can include both quiet residential streets and higher-crime commercial corridors.
How to Research Crime in a Specific Austin Neighborhood
The Austin Police Department Crime Viewer shows reported incidents by type and location on an interactive map you can filter by date range, crime category and area. Because it draws on actual APD incident reports rather than statistical estimates, it is the most current and granular source available.
CrimeGrade.org assigns neighborhoods letter grades from A to F based on crime rates relative to national averages, and DoorProfit’s Austin crime map offers safety grades across more than 170 Austin neighborhoods with street- and zip-code-level comparisons.
NeighborhoodScout and AreaVibes compile neighborhood statistics from FBI and local law enforcement data, with the caveat that their figures typically trail current conditions by a year or two.
For a broader comparison of lifestyle factors beyond crime, try our free Texas Neighborhood Matcher. And whatever the data says, visit a neighborhood at different times of day and on weekends, and talk to people who live there before you commit.
When Crime Becomes a Legal Matter
Statistics are abstract until crime touches your own life. When it does, the legal questions that follow usually fall into one of three situations.
If you have been accused of a crime
An arrest in Travis County sets a fast-moving process in motion, from magistration and bond conditions to early decisions by prosecutors that can shape the entire case. Our criminal defense attorneys in Austin, led by a former prosecutor, defend clients facing everything from theft and vehicle burglary charges to family violence accusations.
More serious allegations, such as robbery or aggravated assault, are prosecuted as felony offenses in Travis County’s district courts. Traffic stops and searches also frequently lead to drug possession charges and, for people who carry a firearm for protection, weapons charges when the law around where and how they can carry isn’t clear. And when a case ends in a dismissal or certain other outcomes, many people are eligible to clear the arrest from their record through expunction or an order of nondisclosure.
If you were hurt because a property failed to protect you
Apartment complexes, hotels, bars, parking garages and shopping centers have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to protect people on their property, especially where crime is foreseeable. When broken locks, dark parking lots or absent security lead to an assault or robbery, the victim may have a premises liability claim against the property owner. A personal injury lawyer in Austin can evaluate whether the owner’s failures contributed to what happened.
If the danger is inside your home
Not every safety threat comes from the neighborhood. If someone in your household is threatening or hurting you or your children, Texas law allows victims of family violence to seek a protective order, and in urgent situations Travis County courts can issue emergency custody orders quickly. Our Austin family law attorneys help clients obtain protective orders and the custody arrangements that keep children safe. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
When family violence leads to the end of a marriage, Texas law can waive the usual 60-day waiting period for divorce in certain situations, and our Austin divorce lawyers can move quickly to protect you, your children and your share of the marital property.
How Austin Compares to San Antonio and Corpus Christi
If you are weighing a move within Texas, the same patterns of safer suburbs, higher-crime urban cores and wide block-by-block variation show up in other cities too. See our guides to the safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in San Antonio and the safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Corpus Christi, and our breakdown of the cost of living in San Antonio vs. Austin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest neighborhood in Austin?
Circle C Ranch, West Lake Hills, Northwest Hills, Tarrytown, Steiner Ranch and Mueller consistently rank among the safest areas in the Austin metro. In general, the west and northwest parts of the city report the lowest crime rates.
What is the most dangerous part of Austin?
The Rundberg/North Lamar corridor in north Austin and the East Riverside, Montopolis and Oltorf areas in southeast Austin record the highest crime rates, along with St. Johns and parts of the MLK corridor in east and northeast Austin.
Is downtown Austin safe at night?
Downtown’s crime statistics look high partly because relatively few people live there compared with the number of visitors, which inflates per-resident rates. Most nights out on Sixth Street or Rainey Street are uneventful, but staying in busy, well-lit areas, arranging a safe ride home and keeping valuables out of sight in parked cars are always wise.
Is Austin getting safer?
Violent crime and homicides have declined since the 2021 peak, according to Austin Police Department data. Property crime, especially vehicle theft and catalytic converter theft, has been slower to improve, and the gains have not been spread evenly across neighborhoods.
Protecting Yourself and Your Family
Understanding where crime is concentrated in Austin is the first step toward making informed decisions about your safety and your family’s.
If you or a family member has been affected by a crime in Austin — whether as a victim navigating the criminal justice process for the first time, as someone injured through another person’s negligence, or as a person facing criminal charges in Travis County — Barton & Associates represents clients throughout the Austin metro and Travis County. Our Austin criminal defense attorneys appear in Travis County courts regularly and are available around the clock at 512-843-3476. Our Austin personal injury attorneys handle cases arising from accidents, assaults, and negligent security incidents across the Austin area. The consultation is free and confidential.
