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Last Modified on Aug 09, 2024
Local crime rates can help families and individuals stay safe in their communities by providing information for both residents and visitors. You can learn more about the Harris County, TX, crime rate and what information makes up this data.
Hire a Criminal Defense Lawyer
Facing criminal accusations can be overwhelming regardless of the circumstances. It’s important to hire a Harris County criminal defense lawyer who can guide you through the process. At Greco Neyland, PC, our team is ready to review your case and explore a possible solution.
Index Crime Reporting
It can be difficult to track different types of crimes across cities or states that report them in different ways. To make comparisons easier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses violent and property index crimes.
Index crimes are considered serious offenses and are tracked by law enforcement agencies nationwide. Tracking these crimes makes it easier to compare crime rates and trends.
The property crimes included in the index are burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The violent crimes included are homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. These index crimes are a small subset of all crimes, but allow for comparisons across jurisdictions.
Some jurisdictions, such as the Texas Department of Public Safety, also track instances of human trafficking and provide yearly comparison data for these figures.
Crimes Volume in Harris County
During the 2020 Census, Harris County had 5,009,302 residents. Also during 2024, Harris County had an overall crime rate per 100,000 population of 1,932.6, a 36% decrease from 2023. The total crime volume in 2024 was 41,575 reported offenses.
Crime rates are measured as crimes per so many people in the population. Common increments are per 1,000 or 100,000 population. By contrast, crime volume looks at the total number of offenses reported to law enforcement in that jurisdiction.
Information obtained by the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer looks at index crime levels reported by law enforcement agencies in Harris County.
Property crimes are crimes that destroy or damage property or result in its theft, but do not directly involve the victim. The following property crimes were reported in 2025:
- 29,652 larceny-thefts
- 5,673 burglaries
- 5,839 motor vehicle thefts
- 244 arsons
Violent crimes involve the perpetrator causing harm or using the threat of force to commit the offense. The following violent crimes were reported in 2025:
- 5,909 aggravated assaults
- 1,254 robberies
- 951 rapes
- 95 homicides
Crime rates are higher in densely populated areas, and Harris County is the most populous county in the state and the third most populous in the country. The crime rates in Harris County are comparable to those of other cities and counties of similar population.
Crime Rate in Harris County
Examining Harris County’s crime rate and volume can provide further insight into the county’s reported crimes. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, crime rates in Harris County in 2024 included:
- Overall rate of 1,932.6 per 100,000 population
- Crime rates decreased 36.0% from 2023
- Crime rates decreased 31.1% from 2011
- Total crime volume was 41,575 reported offenses
- Volume decreased 33.1% from 2023
- Volume decreased 24.5% from 2021
- Violent crime rates decreased 28.5% since 2023, from 504.0 to 360.2
- Violent crime volume decreased 25.3% since 2023, from 10,370 to 7,749
- All crime in Harris County accounts for 5.4% of all crimes in Texas
Harris County had the largest crime rate reduction among the 25 most populous Texas jurisdictions.
Looking at crime rates per 100,000 instead of by volume allows for more informative comparisons between areas. For instance, it is easier to compare crime rates for the county than for individual cities within it.
Houston, the largest city in Harris County, had a crime rate of 5,545.5 in 2024, more than double the county’s overall crime rate. While violent crime rates decreased in the county, the violent crime rate in Houston increased by 3.9% from 2023 to 2024.
Ways Crime Rates Differ Across Reporting Agencies
The difficulties in comparing crime rates reported by different agencies stem from the different ways they are presented. In general, there are three main reasons crime rates differ between reporting agencies, which are:
- Denominators: Crime rates are reported as numbers per population, but the denominator used is not standardized. A smaller denominator yields a different rate than a larger one. So, reporting per 10,000 is difficult to compare to per 100,000.
- Geographies: The area being reported also affects crime rates. Some agencies report based on county-level data, while others look at specific cities. Local agencies may also report based on their jurisdiction, which could include more than one city or only part of a city.
- Methodologies: Comparing crime rates between agencies can be difficult when different methodologies are used. Some jurisdictions use different methods of classifying crimes, and methods can change over time, making long-term comparisons difficult.
Methods of Research for this Article
This article relies on summaries of publicly available datasets to examine crime rates and volumes in Harris County. The two sets most prominently used include:
- Texas Department of Safety 2024 Crime in Texas Annual Report: Accessed on February 19th, 2026, this report uses data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System and includes yearly information and a four-year data trend. New reports are published yearly.
- FBI’s Crime Data Explorer: Accessed on February 19th, 2026, the crime explorer provides an immediate, regularly updated venue for accessing national crime data. It also allows users to gain access to localized information at the state, city, or county level.
FAQs
What Is the County With the Highest Crime Rate in Texas?
In Texas, Harris County has the highest crime rate, with a total crime rate of 1,932.6 per 100,000 population in 2024. In comparison, Bexar County, with less than half the population of Harris County, had a total crime rate of 1,634.9 per 100,000.
Fort Bend County is a metropolitan county with a crime rate of 992.5 per 100,000. Montgomery County had a crime rate of 1,096.8 per 100,000. Williamson County had the largest increase in crime, up 2.8%.
What Is the Harris County, Texas Crime Rate?
The crime rate in Harris County, Texas, is 1,932.6 per 100,000 residents based on Texas Department of Public Safety data in 2024. This includes 7,749 violent crimes, with a rate of 360.2 per 100,000. This includes violent crimes like aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and homicide. Violent crime rates have decreased nearly 30% from 2023 to 2024.
What Is Considered the Most Serious State Crime in Texas?
Capital felonies are the most serious state crime in Texas, and capital felonies are murder offenses. Conviction of a capital felony results in life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
A life sentence in prison may be imposed if the offender was under 18 at the time of the offense. It is up to the state prosecution to determine whether or not to seek the death sentence in these cases.
What Rank Is Texas for Crime?
Texas ranked as the 12th highest in crime out of all 50 states based on the overall crime rate. In 2023, the state reported 806,610 total crimes, resulting in a rate of 2,644 per 100,000 population. This ranking accounts for property crimes and violent crimes.
In violent crimes, Texas ranked 19th with a rate of 406.04. In property crimes, Texas ranked 10th with a rate of 2,238. Ranks were determined based on violent and property index crime data.
Finding a Criminal Defense Attorney for a Criminal Charge in Harris County
When you or someone you love has been arrested or charged with a criminal offense, it can be a terrifying situation. Whether you committed the crime or not, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney to protect your interests and work to avoid conviction. Greco Neyland, PC, can provide you with diligent legal protection. Contact our team today.
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