With more than 4.7 million people living there, Harris County, Texas, is the third most popular county in the United States. Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country, is in this state. On the other hand, not all parts of Harris County are safe and peaceful.
The most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2020 says that there were 447 murders, 1,671 rapes, 9,175 thefts, and 12,202 serious attacks in Harris County. In Harris County, some neighborhoods have higher crime and violence rates than others. This means that both residents and tourists may be more at risk in those areas.
How to Figure Out How Safe a Neighborhood Is?
There are a number of ways to figure out how safe a neighborhood is, such as crime trends, crime mapping, crime grading, and crime indices. The crime scoring method we will use in this blog post comes from the website CrimeGrade.org. CrimeGrade.org gives each neighborhood in Harris County a letter grade from A+ to F based on the number and seriousness of crimes per person.
A weighted method takes into account four types of crimes to give a crime grade: general crime, property crime, violent crime, and other crimes. The crime grade also takes into account the standards for the country and state, as well as the size and population density of the neighborhood.
Where Are the Five Most Dangerous Places to Live in Harris County?
Based on the crime grade method, these are Harris County’s five most dangerous neighborhoods:
This area in the Far North gets an F for overall crime, property crime, violent crime, and other crime. It has 113.77 crimes for every 1,000 people, which is 18 times more than the national average of 6.22 crimes per 1,000 people. Far North is on the edge of town, just southwest of the airport, along I-45. It has about 59,000 people living there, and the typical household income is $36,000.
Northeast: This area gets an F for damage to property, violence, and other types of crime. There are 97.94 crimes for every 1,000 people living there, which is sixteen times the national average. Northeast is east of downtown Houston and runs along I-10 and US-90. It is home to about 129,000 people, and the typical household income is $33,000.
Southeast: This area gets an F for total crime, property crime, violent crime, and other types of crime. The crime rate there is 95.76 per 1,000 people, which is 15 times higher than the national average. Southeast is south of downtown Houston and runs along I-45 and TX-288. It has about 251,000 people living in it, and the typical household income is $42,000.
East End: This area gets an F for everything from general crime to property crime to serious crime to other types of crime. It has 92.35 crimes per 1,000 people, which is 15 times more than the national average. East End is east of downtown Houston and runs along the Buffalo Bayou and US-59. It has about 125,000 people living there, and the typical household income is $38,000.
North: General crime, property crime, violent crime, and other crimes all give this neighborhood a F score. The crime rate there is 91.24 per 1,000 people, which is 15 times higher than the national average. North is north of downtown Houston and lies between I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. It has a population of about 308,000 people and a typical household income of $39,000.
How to Keep Yourself Safe in Harris County
Everyone who lives in or plans to visit Harris County needs to take safety precautions to protect themselves from possible crime and violence. Let me give you some suggestions:
Stay away from areas with a lot of crime and busy times. Stay away from areas with a lot of crime, especially at night or around holidays. Watch out for what’s going on around you and be careful when you come across people or situations that seem fishy.
Report criminal activity and strange behavior: If you see or experience any criminal activity or strange behavior, you should tell the police or the right officials right away. Please help the police by giving them any information that could help them solve crimes.
Help programs that try to stop crime: Supporting programs that keep people from committing crimes is one way you can help reduce crime and violence in Harris County. You might want to join or give money to neighborhood groups that help at-risk youth or ex-offenders get an education, find work, get counseling, or find a mentor. You can also help stop and report crime by joining a neighborhood watch group or a crime stoppers program.
With its huge and varied landscape, Harris County has areas that are very different in how safe they are. You can enjoy your time in the country while making sure of your safety and well-being by staying informed and taking the right measures.