Safest and Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in San Antonio, TX (2026 Update)
Last updated: June 2026
San Antonio is a city of sharp contrasts when it comes to safety. The same metro area that includes some of the safest suburban communities in Texas also contains neighborhoods where the odds of becoming a crime victim are several times higher than the national average. Whether you are shopping for a home, choosing a school, deciding where to rent, or simply trying to understand the city you live in, it helps to know what the data actually shows — and what it doesn’t.
This guide covers San Antonio’s overall crime picture, the neighborhoods that consistently rank as the safest and most dangerous, how to read crime statistics without being misled, and the free tools you can use to research any address in Bexar County.
San Antonio’s Overall Crime Picture
Crime-data sites that compile FBI and local police reports estimate San Antonio’s overall crime rate at roughly 5,951 crimes per 100,000 residents — about 49% higher than the Texas average and 75% higher than the national average. That headline number hides enormous variation. Depending on the neighborhood, a resident’s estimated chance of becoming a crime victim ranges from about 1 in 14 in the central city to about 1 in 38 in the northeast.
The violent crime rate for the San Antonio area runs about 3.9 incidents per 1,000 residents in a typical year, and geography matters. The west side records the most violent crime — roughly 1,834 incidents a year — while the north side records the fewest, around 568.
The pattern holds across data sources: the north, northeast and northwest sides of the city, along with the suburban communities beyond Loop 1604, carry noticeably lower crime rates than the central, east and west sides.
The Safest Neighborhoods in San Antonio
Alamo Heights
Alamo Heights consistently ranks among the safest areas in the San Antonio metro. Technically its own incorporated city with its own police department, it sits just north of downtown, and its northeastern section has some of the lowest crime rates in the region. Even its southwestern blocks, which run slightly higher than the rest of the community, remain well below the levels found closer to the urban core. Highly rated schools, walkable shopping along Broadway, and proximity to Brackenridge Park make it one of the most sought-after addresses in the city for families.
Timberwood Park
Timberwood Park, in far north Bexar County, has an estimated crime cost of about $173 per person — roughly $287 less than the San Antonio average — making it one of the lowest-crime communities in the metro. The custom-home community covers more than 2,200 acres of Hill Country terrain, with a community pool, playground and a 30-acre park. Its distance from the city center and its low-density suburban layout help keep crime well below both city and national averages.
Cibolo
Cibolo, in Guadalupe County on the northeast edge of the metro, has grown rapidly over the past decade as families looked for lower crime and strong schools outside the city center. Its crime rate sits well below central San Antonio and below the national average. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD schools, newer subdivisions, and a steadily expanding mix of parks, shops and restaurants have made it one of the region’s most popular suburbs.
Stone Oak and Alamo Ranch
Stone Oak, along US-281 on the far north side, and Alamo Ranch, near Loop 1604 on the northwest side, also rank among the safer parts of the metro. Both are newer master-planned communities with strong retail infrastructure and above-average household incomes — factors that tend to correlate with lower property and violent crime rates.
A note for separated or divorced parents: if a safer neighborhood is the reason you are thinking about moving with your children, check your custody order before you sign a lease. Many Texas custody orders restrict a child’s primary residence to Bexar County and its contiguous counties, and moving outside that area without the other parent’s written agreement or a court order can create serious problems. Our San Antonio child custody attorneys can tell you what your order allows, and if a move makes sense, explain how relocation disputes are actually decided.
The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in San Antonio
Based on data reported through 2025, the neighborhoods that most often top San Antonio’s high-crime lists are Coliseum Oaks/Willow Park, Hein-Orchard and Wheatley Heights, with Pecan Valley and Denver Heights close behind. In general, the city’s east side carries the highest risk for both violent and property crime.
High crime rates describe conditions in an area, not the people who live there. Most residents of these neighborhoods are working families — and they are the ones most affected by crime, not its cause.
Coliseum Oaks / Willow Park
Located near the Frost Bank Center (formerly the AT&T Center) on the near east side, Coliseum Oaks/Willow Park ranks at or near the top of San Antonio’s high-crime neighborhoods in 2024–2025 data. The area has some of the lowest median incomes and home values in the city, and both property and violent crime rates significantly exceed the San Antonio average.
Hein-Orchard
Hein-Orchard appears at or near the top of the city’s high-crime lists in 2025 data. Property crime is a major driver — theft, burglary and vehicle break-ins all run well above city averages — and violent crime, including assault and robbery, is substantially elevated as well.
Wheatley Heights
Wheatley Heights, on the east side, shares the characteristics of other high-crime areas in central-east San Antonio: limited retail infrastructure, lower median incomes, and crime rates that significantly exceed both city and national averages.
Pecan Valley and Denver Heights
Pecan Valley and Denver Heights, also on the east side, have historically experienced elevated violent and property crime rates and appear consistently on the city’s high-crime lists, with rates well above the national average.
How to Read Crime Statistics Without Being Misled
Crime rankings are useful, but they are easy to misread. A few things are worth keeping in mind before you rule a neighborhood in or out.
- Per-resident rates can distort busy areas. Downtown, the River Walk and other entertainment districts draw huge numbers of visitors but have relatively few residents. Because crime rates are calculated per resident, these areas can look far more dangerous 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 a shopping center while having very little violent crime. Look at the breakdown, not just the overall grade.
- Statistics only count reported crime. Reporting rates vary from area to area, so a low number does not always mean low crime, and a high number can partly reflect active reporting and policing.
- Data lags reality. Most third-party sites rely on FBI data that runs one to two years behind current conditions. Neighborhoods change — sometimes quickly — as development, policing and demographics shift.
- Crime varies block by block. A single neighborhood can include both quiet residential streets and higher-crime commercial corridors. The closer you look, the more useful the data becomes.
Traffic Safety Is Neighborhood Safety, Too
Crime maps leave out one of the biggest everyday risks in any city: the roads. I-35, I-10, US-281, Loop 410 and Loop 1604 carry heavy traffic through nearly every part of San Antonio, and impaired driving is a danger on all of them, particularly late at night and on weekends.
If you or a family member is hurt by an impaired driver, you may have a claim for medical bills, lost income and more — our team handles drunk driving accident claims throughout Bexar County. And if you are the one arrested after a traffic stop, the clock starts immediately: you generally have only 15 days to request the hearing that can protect your driver’s license, which is why speaking with a San Antonio DWI lawyer right away matters.
How to Research Crime in a Specific San Antonio Neighborhood
The neighborhood rankings above provide context, but nothing replaces looking at the specific address you care about. These are the most reliable tools available.
The community crime map for San Antonio shows reported incidents by type and location on an interactive map you can filter by date range and crime category. Because it draws on actual police incident reports rather than statistical estimates, it is the most current and granular source available.
CrimeGrade.org assigns letter grades from A to F to neighborhoods based on crime rates relative to national averages, which makes it easy to compare areas you are considering side by side.
AreaVibes and NeighborhoodScout provide neighborhood-level statistics compiled 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 Bexar County sets a fast-moving process in motion — magistration, bond conditions, and early decisions by prosecutors that can shape the entire case. Our San Antonio criminal defense attorneys, led by a former prosecutor, defend clients facing everything from theft charges to family violence accusations. 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, 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 an inadequate security claim against the property owner. A San Antonio personal injury lawyer 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 courts can act quickly. Our San Antonio family law attorneys help clients obtain protective orders and the emergency custody arrangements that keep children safe. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
How San Antonio Compares to Austin and Corpus Christi
If you are weighing a move within Texas, the same patterns — 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 Austin 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 San Antonio?
Alamo Heights, Timberwood Park, Cibolo, Stone Oak and Alamo Ranch consistently rank among the safest areas in the San Antonio metro. In general, the north, northeast and northwest sides of the city and the suburbs beyond Loop 1604 report the lowest crime rates.
What is the most dangerous part of San Antonio?
The east side carries the highest overall risk for violent and property crime. Coliseum Oaks/Willow Park, Hein-Orchard, Wheatley Heights, Pecan Valley and Denver Heights appear most often on the city’s high-crime lists.
Is downtown San Antonio safe for visitors?
Downtown’s crime statistics look high partly because relatively few people live there compared to the number of visitors, which inflates per-resident rates. Most visits to the River Walk and downtown attractions are uneventful, but normal precautions — staying in well-lit, busy areas at night and keeping valuables out of sight in parked cars — are always wise.
How can I check crime near a specific address in San Antonio?
Use an interactive crime map built on police incident reports for the most current picture, and compare it with neighborhood grading sites like CrimeGrade.org. Visiting the area at different times of day is the best final check.
Protecting Yourself and Your Family
Understanding your neighborhood’s crime profile is the first step toward protecting yourself and the people you love. If crime has already touched your life — whether you have been accused, injured, or are trying to keep your family safe — Barton & Associates has represented clients throughout Bexar County for more than 20 years. Call 210-500-0000 for a free, confidential consultation. We answer 24 hours a day.
