Three of these numbers point the same direction: violent crime 201% above the national average, property crime 120% above, and a 5.2% year-over-year rise that SafeNest classifies as worsening. That combination places Houston in the 1st percentile of 13,216 graded jurisdictions. Schools complicate the picture rather than offset it. The 4.7/10 average across 741 schools hides a real spread: high schools average 6.0/10, middle schools 4.2/10, and Spring Branch Academic Institute reaches 10.0/10. The individual school matters more than the city average. Texas's 44 flood declarations and 27 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations set the hazard backdrop, not the parcel. Every figure here is a city-wide or state-wide average. Houston is large enough that the block a buyer buys on, not the city, decides what these numbers mean.
Crime in Houston vs. the national average
Houston reports 1,148 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 201% above the U.S. average of 381, and 4,294 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (120% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate rose 5.2% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as worsening.
| Houston | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 1148 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 4294 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Houston can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Texas — the state SafeNest uses for Houston's flood context — list 44 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1953 and 2026, most recently "Flooding". Texas has also seen 27 hurricane or tropical-storm declarations, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Houston address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Houston
Public schools in Houston average 4.7/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 741 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 6.0/10 on average, while middle schools average 4.2/10. The highest-scoring is Spring Branch Academic Institute at 10.0/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Houston: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Houston address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Check a specific Houston address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF for $6.99.
Or search any Houston address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Houston
Is Houston, TX safe?
Houston records 1148 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 201% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: F, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Houston?
Houston reports approximately 1148 violent crimes and 4294 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Houston have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Houston, federal records show 44 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Texas, most recently in 2026; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Texas.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).