TL;DR: Flower Mound is Texas’s safest city in 2026, with just 56 violent crimes per 100,000 residents — roughly 85% below the national average — based on the latest complete FBI crime data (2024). Affluent Dallas–Fort Worth suburbs dominate the top 10. “Safest” here means the lowest reported violent crime rate among cities with at least 50,000 residents.
Flower Mound, a Dallas–Fort Worth suburb of about 81,000 people, reported only 45 violent crimes in all of 2024 — a rate of 56 per 100,000 residents that makes it the safest city in Texas by FBI data. The national violent crime rate in 2024 was roughly 359 per 100,000, so Flower Mound’s rate sits about 85% below the country as a whole.
Our 2026 ranking uses the FBI’s 2024 data — the latest complete year — and is dominated by fast-growing suburbs around Dallas, Austin, and Houston.
How “Safest” Was Measured
We ranked Texas cities of 50,000+ residents by violent crime rate per 100,000 in 2024 FBI data (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault). The population cutoff keeps tiny towns with a lucky quiet year from topping the list. The Woodlands, often cited in “safest” debates, is a census-designated place rather than an incorporated city, so it doesn’t appear separately in FBI city tables. Smaller cities like Friendswood (88), Keller (81), and Coppell (69) posted even lower rates but fall below the cutoff.
Texas’s 10 Safest Cities in 2026 (FBI Data)
| Rank | City | Metro area | Violent crimes per 100,000 (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flower Mound | Dallas–Fort Worth | 56 |
| 2 | Wylie | Dallas–Fort Worth | 75 |
| 3 | Frisco | Dallas–Fort Worth | 86 |
| 4 | Leander | Austin | 90 |
| 5 | Mansfield | Dallas–Fort Worth | 91 |
| 6 | Allen | Dallas–Fort Worth | 97 |
| 7 | Pearland | Houston | 99 |
| 8 | Cedar Park | Austin | 100 |
| 9 | League City | Houston | 115 |
| 10 | Pflugerville | Austin | 120 |
1. Flower Mound — 56
45 violent crimes in 2024, including zero murders. FBI data from 2019 showed a nearly identical rate (~54), so this is sustained performance, not a one-year fluke.
2. Wylie — 75
Just 41 violent crimes in this Collin County suburb northeast of Dallas — roughly a 1-in-1,250 annual chance of violent victimization for residents.
3. Frisco — 86
The biggest city on this list (~230,000 residents). A MoneyGeek analysis of 2023 FBI data named Frisco the No. 2 safest city in America.
4. Leander — 90
One of America’s fastest-growing cities kept violent crime at 90 per 100,000 despite explosive growth — proof rapid expansion doesn’t have to mean rising crime.
5. Mansfield — 91
Between Dallas and Fort Worth, Mansfield pairs strong schools and community policing with a family-oriented profile.
6. Allen — 97
The Collin County suburb famous for high-school football kept violent crime under 100 per 100,000 despite topping 100,000 residents.
7. Pearland — 99
Houston’s representative in the top 10: this Brazoria County suburb of ~130,000 stayed just under the 100-per-100,000 mark.
8. Cedar Park — 100
Northwest of Austin at an even 100 per 100,000 — still less than a third of the national average.
9. League City — 115
Between Houston and Galveston, League City is the only Gulf Coast city in the top 10.
10. Pflugerville — 120
Rounds out the ranking at roughly one-third the national rate. Fast-growing Austin suburbs claim four of the ten spots.
Why Texas Suburbs Dominate
The pattern is unmistakable: every city in the top 10 is an affluent suburb with its own police department, high homeownership, and carefully planned growth — factors criminology research consistently links to low violent crime. The safest pockets cluster in the northern suburbs, as our guide to the best neighborhoods in Dallas also shows. For the other end of the spectrum, see our ranking of Texas’s most dangerous cities, built on the same FBI methodology.
Texas in Statewide Context
Texas reported 121,845 violent crimes statewide in 2024 — roughly 384 per 100,000 residents, slightly above the national average of ~359. The safest suburbs are dramatic outliers, not the norm. Notably, FBI data also shows Texas border cities posting low murder rates: Laredo and Brownsville recorded about 2 murders per 100,000 in 2024, among the lowest in the nation. Statewide violent crime kept falling into 2025, part of what the FBI called the largest year-to-year national drop since it began estimating trends in 1936.
What “Safest” Really Means
Three caveats: these are reported rates, and some violent crime goes unreported everywhere. Low violent crime doesn’t guarantee low property crime — Frisco’s property crime rate runs higher than its violent-crime ranking suggests. And small-number volatility matters: in a city of 60,000, a handful of extra assaults can swing the rate, so treat single-year rankings as snapshots, not guarantees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest city in Texas?
Flower Mound, at 56 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 FBI data.
Is Frisco, Texas safe?
Yes — third in Texas at 86 per 100,000, and MoneyGeek named it the second-safest city in America.
Is The Woodlands the safest place in Texas?
It’s frequently cited as safe, but as a census-designated place it doesn’t appear separately in FBI city crime tables, so it can’t be ranked on the same basis.
Is this based on 2024 or 2026 data?
The FBI’s 2024 release is the latest complete year. This is a 2026 ranking built on the newest finalized figures.
Do the safest cities also have low property crime?
Generally yes, but not always proportionally — low violent crime doesn’t guarantee equally low property crime.
Is Texas safer than California?
Statewide, Texas (~384 per 100,000) was lower than California (~481–486) in 2024 — but both states’ safest suburbs are far safer than either average.
Why do suburbs dominate the list?
Dedicated police departments, high homeownership, and planned growth — factors strongly linked to low violent crime.
How is “safest” defined here?
The lowest reported violent crime rate per 100,000 among cities of 50,000+, using 2024 FBI Crime Data Explorer figures.
