safety news

2 North Texas cities rank among top 10 safest in U.S. for 2025

Two large North Texas are among America's safest.

North Texas residents concerned about the effects of population growth may feel more secure knowing two of the area's biggest cities – Arlington and Fort Worth – have scored top-10 spots on a new ranking of America's safest large cities.

This, on the heels of a separate report declaring Frisco and McKinney among the nation's safest suburbs.

SmartAsset's 2025 report compared 50 of the largest U.S. cities based on their property and violent crime rates, vehicular deaths, drug overdose deaths, and the percentage of the population engaging in "excessive drinking." The report also considered each city's housing affordability and median household income data.

Fort Worth ranked as the third-safest city nationwide, outshined only by the California cities of San Jose (No. 1) and Los Angeles (No. 2). Arlington came in at No. 7 on the list, and No. 8-ranking El Paso was the only other Texas city to make the top 10.

Meanwhile, Dallas only ranked as the 18th safest U.S. city. (More on that in a second.)

According to the report's findings, there were 13,352 violent crimes reported in Fort Worth in 2023, which gives the city a per capita violent crime rate of 0.0137. Fort Worth's property crime per capita is slightly higher, at 0.0349, after 34,136 property crimes were reported during the same one-year period.

Vehicular mortality and drug mortality rates were determined on the county level, meaning they were the same across Fort Worth and Arlington since both cities are located Tarrant County. There have been nearly 11 traffic deaths per 100,000 Tarrant County residents so far in 2025, and about 18 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents. Additionally, just over 18 percent of Tarrant County residents report that they drink heavily.

Here's how SmartAsset broke down Arlington's rank:

Violent crime per capita: 0.0206
Violent crimes reported in 2023: 8,214
Property crime per capita: 0.0359
Property crimes reported in 2023: 14,318
Median monthly housing costs: $1,420
Median household income: $73,519

In 18th-ranked Dallas, about 26,600 violent crimes and nearly 69,500 property crimes were reported in the city in 2023, the report found. Dallas has a per capita violent crime rate of 0.0204, and a property crime rate of 0.0533.

In 2025, there have been 12.5 traffic deaths per 100,000 Dallas County residents, and 20.3 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people. Nearly 19 percent of Dallas County residents reported drinking excessively, the report said.

Three other major Texas cities ranked among the top 30 safest American cities for 2025: Houston (No. 24), Austin (No.28), and San Antonio (No. 29).

"City safety – or lack thereof – can lead to great disparity in quality of life and return on dollars invested by residents, businesses and government alike," the report said.

The top 10 safest American cities in 2025 are:

No. 1– San Jose, California
No. 2 – Los Angeles, California
No. 3 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 4 – Omaha, Nebraska
No. 5 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 6 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 7 – Arlington, Texas
No. 8 – El Paso, Texas
No. 9 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 10 – Raleigh, North Carolina

SmartAsset's report sourced its data from 2025 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, the FBI's 2023 Uniform Crime Reporting Database, and neighborhood analytics database NeighborhoodScout.com. Median monthly housing costs and household income data was sourced from the Census Bureau’s 5-year American Community Survey from 2023.

fort worth arlington smartasset safest cities reports rankings

Flood Response

New relief fund launches for 2026 Texas Hill Country flood victims

People look out at flood on July 16, 2026 in Center Point, Texas

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The same foundation that collected more than $60 million for the 2025 floods has launched a new fund for 2026.

Texans looking to support Hill Country neighbors affected by floods over the past few days can turn to the same organization they did for the July 2025 floods: The Community Foundation of the Hill Country has launched a new Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund that is accepting donations now.

The foundation emphasizes that the two funds are distinct (last year's was called the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund), so donors should note that their contributions will specifically go toward Hill Country residents affected by the current floods. The money raised will offer emergency assistance and long-term recovery support.

According to the Associated Press, nearly 1 trillion gallons of water fell on the three hardest-hit Texas counties over three days — enough to fill 1.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools or supply 11 million homes for a year. First responders rushed to save people trapped in high waters Friday, as more heavy rain widened the danger from floods that have killed at least two people and left hundreds more in need of rescue.

Earlier in the week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 59 counties including Travis to help emergency services respond quickly.

Although many regional businesses, churches, and other groups organized donations for the 2025 floods, the Community Foundation was the main entity holding and distributing funds. The Kerr County Flood Relief Fund totaled more than $60 million by the end of that July.

"Our hearts break that the Texas Hill Country is once again facing catastrophic flooding. Just one year after the devastating July 2025 floods, many of our neighbors are again in harm's way," said Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country CEO Austin Dickson. "People from across Texas and around the world came together to help Kerr County begin the long road to recovery. As first responders and local and state officials continue their response efforts, the Community Foundation's role is to help ensure communities have the philanthropic resources they need to recover in the weeks, months and years ahead."