Safest Counties in Texas: 69 Ranked (2026)
The 69 Texas counties where police report enough to the FBI to build a reliable rate, ranked by violent crime, with home prices, asking rents and incomes where available.
Texas has 254 counties. Sixty-nine of them clear the reporting bar this page uses, and the gap between the quietest, Kendall at 89 violent offenses per 100,000, and the busiest, Potter at 1,033, is 12 to one. What homes closed at over the last 12 months sits beside the rate where Resideline has enough sales to publish a median: 209,460 closing records tracked in the 53 counties that clear that bar.
The crime rates here are built from the 28,009,570 residents those police agencies actually report on, over the months they reported. Each figure is a single county-wide figure, so treat this as a way to narrow a search rather than a verdict on any street.
We do not treat missing or conflicting crime data as zero. A county appears here only when its reporting clears our reliability threshold, and we set aside results that conflict materially with the state's own records. Whether a county is ranked depends on its crime reporting alone; whether it shows a price depends on whether Resideline tracked enough closings there.
The ranking
| # | County | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | Median closed price | Median asking rent | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kendall | 89 | 789 | $599,000 | $2,400 | $121,401 |
| 2 | Rockwall | 106 | 690 | $421,188 | $2,250 | $120,317 |
| 3 | Van Zandt | 109 | 461 | $299,000 | $1,600 | $67,538 |
| 4 | Collin | 112 | 833 | $474,912 | $2,258 | $124,920 |
| 5 | Wise | 114 | 586 | n/a | n/a | $96,255 |
| 6 | Williamson | 115 | 938 | $400,000 | $2,100 | $113,487 |
| 7 | Wilson | 121 | 599 | $425,000 | $1,600 | $97,327 |
| 8 | Fort Bend | 134 | 912 | $399,000 | $2,178 | $115,538 |
| 9 | Caldwell | 143 | 668 | $299,990 | $1,725 | $70,980 |
| 10 | Brazoria | 145 | 1,058 | $340,000 | $2,095 | $100,255 |
| 11 | Hardin | 147 | 527 | $285,000 | $1,595 | $81,183 |
| 12 | Parker | 155 | 982 | $439,951 | $1,945 | $101,485 |
| 13 | Ellis | 156 | 769 | $410,000 | $2,199 | $99,726 |
| 14 | Hood | 156 | 1,027 | n/a | n/a | $88,438 |
| 15 | Johnson | 165 | 701 | $332,467 | $1,949 | $86,537 |
| 16 | Kerr | 169 | 627 | n/a | n/a | $69,674 |
| 17 | Chambers | 170 | 1,185 | $340,000 | $2,200 | $106,175 |
| 18 | Burnet | 176 | 754 | $399,000 | $1,780 | $78,699 |
| 19 | Cherokee | 182 | 652 | $319,900 | $1,500 | $59,341 |
| 20 | Kaufman | 187 | 694 | $304,457 | $2,199 | $90,670 |
| 21 | Brazos | 188 | 1,137 | $338,913 | $1,600 | $61,938 |
| 22 | Montgomery | 191 | 1,012 | $354,999 | $1,944 | $96,049 |
| 23 | Medina | 194 | 756 | $438,000 | $1,725 | $96,423 |
| 24 | Maverick | 201 | 1,246 | n/a | n/a | $50,787 |
| 25 | Orange | 214 | 885 | $214,900 | $1,250 | $72,841 |
| 26 | Grayson | 216 | 882 | $315,000 | $1,596 | $72,865 |
| 27 | Hays | 224 | 1,156 | n/a | n/a | $91,880 |
| 28 | Galveston | 227 | 1,329 | $354,250 | $1,700 | $86,354 |
| 29 | Henderson | 231 | 909 | $295,000 | $1,500 | $61,360 |
| 30 | Hunt | 238 | 925 | n/a | n/a | $82,770 |
| 31 | Bell | 244 | 982 | n/a | n/a | $69,108 |
| 32 | Starr | 245 | 892 | $245,000 | n/a | $37,375 |
| 33 | Rusk | 248 | 1,085 | n/a | n/a | $67,655 |
| 34 | Waller | 258 | 1,416 | $334,990 | $1,925 | $83,520 |
| 35 | Tom Green | 263 | 1,958 | $270,000 | $1,399 | $69,148 |
| 36 | Atascosa | 263 | 1,413 | $249,900 | $1,425 | $66,244 |
| 37 | Polk | 264 | 1,178 | n/a | n/a | $65,522 |
| 38 | Anderson | 274 | 746 | $265,900 | $1,350 | $57,927 |
| 39 | Lamar | 277 | 1,348 | $254,900 | $1,195 | $59,226 |
| 40 | El Paso | 283 | 1,231 | $275,345 | $1,600 | $59,883 |
| 41 | Hidalgo | 287 | 1,324 | $255,000 | $1,175 | $55,829 |
| 42 | Nacogdoches | 294 | 1,191 | n/a | n/a | $55,767 |
| 43 | Harrison | 296 | 993 | $245,000 | $1,250 | $63,802 |
| 44 | Navarro | 297 | 1,266 | $260,000 | $1,519 | $66,263 |
| 45 | Liberty | 298 | 1,128 | $287,500 | $1,700 | $66,378 |
| 46 | Smith | 298 | 1,196 | $315,000 | $1,495 | $75,620 |
| 47 | Victoria | 303 | 1,508 | $254,900 | $1,214 | $67,704 |
| 48 | Gregg | 308 | 1,865 | $279,500 | $1,225 | $62,490 |
| 49 | Tarrant | 313 | 1,961 | $350,000 | $1,995 | $85,208 |
| 50 | Guadalupe | 314 | 1,365 | $309,025 | $1,780 | $90,997 |
| 51 | Wichita | 320 | 1,858 | $175,000 | $1,200 | $65,480 |
| 52 | Webb | 324 | 1,195 | n/a | n/a | $58,736 |
| 53 | McLennan | 326 | 1,530 | $299,000 | $1,575 | $68,096 |
| 54 | Cameron | 334 | 1,599 | $268,000 | $1,550 | $52,973 |
| 55 | Ector | 356 | 1,557 | $250,000 | $1,650 | $75,887 |
| 56 | Walker | 362 | 1,173 | $278,145 | $1,250 | $58,095 |
| 57 | Bastrop | 365 | 1,159 | $340,490 | $1,900 | $84,174 |
| 58 | Angelina | 369 | 1,338 | $259,000 | $1,300 | $62,937 |
| 59 | Travis | 400 | 2,785 | n/a | n/a | $97,487 |
| 60 | Midland | 425 | 1,737 | n/a | n/a | $97,719 |
| 61 | Taylor | 427 | 1,595 | $272,495 | $2,200 | $64,490 |
| 62 | Bowie | 439 | 1,729 | n/a | n/a | $62,559 |
| 63 | Dallas | 439 | 2,593 | $375,000 | $1,850 | $78,910 |
| 64 | Bexar | 455 | 3,315 | $289,999 | $1,675 | $72,578 |
| 65 | Jefferson | 624 | 1,927 | $225,000 | $1,300 | $59,997 |
| 66 | Harris | 644 | 3,012 | $325,000 | $1,700 | $74,682 |
| 67 | Lubbock | 656 | 2,330 | $250,000 | $1,399 | $64,512 |
| 68 | Nueces | 759 | 2,688 | n/a | n/a | $66,726 |
| 69 | Potter | 1,033 | 4,426 | n/a | n/a | $53,656 |
A closer look at the 12 safest counties
1. Kendall County
Kendall records 89 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Texas counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes there closed at a median of $599,000, about 200 percent of the median across this list. Both its crime rate and its price sit at the ends of this list, in the directions people expect them to. Measured against local pay it is one of the harder counties on this list to buy into, at 4.9 times median household income. Property crime is low too, at 789 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.7 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for Boerne, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
2. Rockwall County
Rockwall's violent crime rate is 106 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the Texas counties Resideline can measure. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median home closed at $421,188, roughly 140 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Safe and expensive is the usual pairing on this list, and this is one of its clearest cases. Local incomes go further here than almost anywhere else on this list, with homes at 3.5 times median household income. Property crime is low too, at 690 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.6 times the median comparable US county. For prices at street level, see Rockwall, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
3. Van Zandt County
Police in Van Zandt reported 109 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. At $299,000, its median closed price is unremarkable against the rest of this list. Property crime is low too, at 461 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.4 times the median comparable US county. The median rental listing asks $1,600 a month.
4. Collin County
Collin records 112 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Texas counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes changed hands at a median $474,912, around 158 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Low crime and high prices arrive together here, which is the arrangement buyers assume is universal and is not. Households there earn a median of $124,920, about 176 percent of the median for these counties. Property crime is low too, at 833 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.7 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for Princeton, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
5. Wise County
Police in Wise reported 114 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Median household income is $96,255, roughly 136 percent of the level across this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 586 per 100,000, or 0.5 times the median comparable US county.
6. Williamson County
Williamson records 115 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Texas counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. The median home closed at $400,000, roughly 133 percent of the middle figure for these counties. Safe and expensive is the usual pairing on this list, and this is one of its clearest cases. The ratio of price to local household income is 3.5, among the gentlest on this list. Its property rate, 938 per 100,000, sits in the middle of these counties. For prices at street level, see Georgetown, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
7. Wilson County
Wilson's violent crime rate is 121 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the Texas counties Resideline can measure. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Homes changed hands at a median $425,000, around 142 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Safety and price line up here in the way people expect, which is not true of every county on this list. Median household income is $97,327, roughly 137 percent of the level across this list. Property crime is low too, at 599 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.5 times the median comparable US county. Resideline publishes a separate page for La Vernia, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
8. Fort Bend County
Fort Bend records 134 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Texas counties measured here. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Buyers there paid a median of $399,000, some 133 percent of the level across the counties measured. Both its crime rate and its price sit at the ends of this list, in the directions people expect them to. The ratio of price to local household income is 3.5, among the gentlest on this list. Its property rate, 912 per 100,000, sits in the middle of these counties. For prices at street level, see Richmond, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
9. Caldwell County
At 143 violent offenses per 100,000, Caldwell sits in the lowest quarter of the places on this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. Homes there closed at a median of $299,990, close to the middle of this list. Its property rate is also among the lowest here, 668 per 100,000, or 0.6 times the median comparable US county. Asking rents run about $1,725 a month.
10. Brazoria County
Brazoria records 145 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, which places it in the lowest quarter of the Texas counties measured here. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes changed hands at a median $340,000, around 113 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Local incomes go further here than almost anywhere else on this list, with homes at 3.4 times median household income. Asking rents of $2,095 a month against that price put it in the top quarter of this list for gross return. Property offenses run at 1,058 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. Resideline publishes a separate page for Pearland, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
11. Hardin County
Police in Hardin reported 147 violent offenses per 100,000 people, putting it in the lowest quarter of this list. That is below the median comparable US county, which records 245. The median closed price, $285,000, sits near the center of the counties measured. Against local incomes it is among the most affordable counties measured, at 3.5 times median household income. Property crime is low too, at 527 per 100,000, the bottom quarter of this list and 0.4 times the median comparable US county. Asking rents run about $1,595 a month.
12. Parker County
Parker's violent crime rate is 155 per 100,000 residents, the lowest quarter among the Texas counties Resideline can measure. The median comparable US county records 245, so it is quieter than most of the country too. Homes changed hands at a median $439,951, around 147 percent of what the rest of this list recorded. Safe and expensive is the usual pairing on this list, and this is one of its clearest cases. Households there earn a median of $101,485, about 143 percent of the median for these counties. Property offenses run at 982 per 100,000, in the middle of this list. For prices at street level, see Weatherford, the market with the most tracked closings in this county's ZIP codes.
Does safety set the price in Texas?
Somewhat, and less than you would expect. The safest third of these counties runs 36 percent above the highest-crime third on price. The same safe places also earn 44 percent more, so income explains part of the raw gap. This state-level comparison does not isolate density, housing mix or other factors that may explain the remainder.
That matches what we found nationally: across 688 counties, once income and other county characteristics are controlled for, a crime rate stops predicting home prices. The full analysis is in our study of crime and home prices.
That is a county-level result. Within a county, research at the scale of a block or a neighborhood finds that violent crime does lower the value of the homes nearest to it, so use these figures to compare counties, not streets.
Where safety and affordability overlap in Texas
Eleven of the 23 safest counties on this list also cost no more than the list's median once prices are set against local incomes: Rockwall (106 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.5 times median household income); Collin (112 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.8 times median household income); Williamson (115 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.5 times median household income); Fort Bend (134 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.5 times median household income); Brazoria (145 violent per 100,000, a home at 3.4 times median household income). Against what households there earn, those are the counties where a low crime rate is not being charged for.
The large counties
Eleven counties here have more than 500,000 residents. Their median violent rate is 287 per 100,000 against 253 for the smaller counties on the list, and the quietest of them is Collin at 112. It closes homes at a median of $474,912.
The counties we cannot rank
Larger Texas places are missing from the table above. Every one with more than 150,000 residents is listed here with the reason.
- •Denton, with about 1.05 million residents, reports 79 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
- •Comal, with about 202,000 residents, reports 55 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
- •Randall, with about 151,000 residents, reports 30 percent of its population through the FBI program, below the 90 percent we require.
How to read this list
These figures describe whole areas. A quiet town and a rough district an hour apart carry the same number here, so the ranking is a starting point for a search rather than a description of any particular street.
Prices and rents are as of September 9, 2026, from closings and rental listings Resideline tracks over the previous 12 months; a price is shown where at least 100 closings were tracked and a rent where at least 50 listings were. Rent figures are the median asking rent on listings, not lease figures. Crime is the 2025 FBI Crime Data Explorer release, measured for the whole county over the months each agency reported, and violent crime means murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Household income is the Census SAIPE 2024 estimate of the county's median household income; population is the Census 2024 estimate. Where this page compares a rate with the median comparable US county, that figure (245 violent and 1188 property offenses per 100,000) is the median across the 874 US counties with at least 50,000 residents whose agencies reported on 90 percent or more of them for the year.
Sources and related pages
- •Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer, agency-level offense counts for 2025, aggregated by county over the months each agency reported.
- •Income: Census SAIPE 2024, county median household income.
- •Population: Census county population estimates, vintage 2024.
- •Prices and rents: Resideline's tracked closings and rental listings, 12 months to September 2026.
- •Related: Safest counties by state; Does crime actually lower home prices?; Texas housing market; Safest counties in Arkansas; Safest counties in Louisiana; Safest counties in New Mexico; Safest counties in Oklahoma.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest county in Texas?
Of the 69 Texas counties measured here, Kendall County records the lowest violent crime rate at 89 offenses per 100,000 residents, against 245 for the median comparable US county. Homes there closed at a median of $599,000 over the last 12 months.
Is this every county in Texas?
No. It covers 69 of the state's 254 counties, the ones where police agencies report at least 90 percent of the population to the FBI, the area has at least 50,000 residents, and the resulting rate falls inside the sanity bounds we apply. Whether Resideline has enough sales there decides only whether a price is shown. The larger places that miss those bars are listed on the page with the reason.
Does a lower crime rate mean higher home prices?
Less than most people assume. Comparing the safest third of these counties with the highest-crime third, the median closed price is 36 percent higher and household income 44 percent higher. Across 688 US counties we found that once income and other county characteristics are controlled for, a county's crime rate stops predicting its home prices. At the scale of a block, the research says violent crime does lower nearby values.
Is this crime rate for my neighborhood?
No. The FBI publishes these figures for whole counties, so every part of a county carries the same number here, from its densest district to its farmland. It is useful for narrowing a search and not a substitute for looking at a specific address.
Are these rents asking rents or lease rents?
They are the median asking rent on rental listings in the county over the last 12 months. That is what landlords advertised, a guide to the market rather than a lease figure.
About the author
Jeffrey Batista
Jeffrey Batista is the founder of Resideline, a real estate technology company building institutional grade valuation and investment analysis tools for real estate investors.
A software engineer with more than 10 years of experience, Jeffrey has worked across full stack development, infrastructure, data engineering, machine learning, and large scale systems. He left his engineering career to build Resideline full time.
Jeffrey is also a real estate investor with nearly a decade of hands on experience buying, renovating, managing, and analyzing residential properties. His experience on both sides of the industry, as an engineer and an investor, led him to build Resideline after seeing how fragmented and outdated many of the tools available to individual investors were.
Today, he leads the development of Resideline's proprietary data infrastructure, automated valuation models, rental analytics, and investment underwriting technology.