Is Fort Worth Safe To Visit? (2022 Crime Rates And Crime Stats)

Fort Worth welcomes nearly nine million visitors annually and for good reason. The city boasts a rich and diverse cultural history and is packed with Texas charm. From the Stockyards to the rodeos, to the museums to the BBQ, Fort Worth is truly a rich place to experience Texas culture.

If you are thinking about visiting Fort Worth and have qualms about the safety of the city, we got you covered. We deep dived into the statistics, crime reports and talked to the residents of the city to give you a better understanding of how safe the safe the city really is.

Fort Worth Crime Stats

In 2021 Fort Worth reported 119 homicides, which was a 6% increase from 2020, where 112 homicides were recorded.

Aggravated assaults increased 6%, rape increased by 19% and robbery decreased 22%

Here’s a breakdown of all the crimes in the city for 2021 compared with 2020:

Fort Worth police reported a total of 30,071 offenses in 2021, compared with 31,001 in 2020, which is a 3 percent year-over-year decrease.

	2020	2021	Percentage Change
Homicide	112	119	6%
Rape	457	545	19%
Robbery	899	701	-22%
Aggravated Assault	3,700	3,907	6%
VIOLENT CRIME TOTAL	5,178	5,272	2%
Burglary	3,453	3,545	3%
Larceny/Theft	18,785	17,590	-6%
Motor Vehicle Theft	3,585	3,664	2%
PROPERTY CRIME TOTAL	25,823	24,799	-4%
TOTAL CRIME	31,001	30,071	-3%

Is Fort Worth Safe?

Fort Worth is a moderately safe city, as indicated by its crime rates. In 2021, Fort Worth reported 119 homicides and had a violent crime rate of 563.54 per 100,000 people. Fort Worth has a similar crime rate to Austin and Arlington.

However most of the violent crime is concentrated in a few small areas and most residents agree that Fort Worth is pretty safe to visit if you avoid these areas; Las Vegas Trail, Carter Park, Butler Place, North Side, Stop Six/Poly, Como, Sansom Park, East Rosedale and Lancaster, south of Magnolia.

Also here’s a scale to give you some perspective on Fort Worth’s violent crime rate:

**All data is from the FBI UCR**

Fort Worth Crime Rates

Murder Rate

In 2021, Fort Worth reported 119 murders and had a murder rate of 12.72 per 100,000 people. Fort Worth’s murder rate is nearly twice as high as the national average.

Year over year murder has increased by 6%.
As of June 2022, Fort Worth has reported 54 homicides, which is a 14% year over year decrease.
The highest number of homicides ever recorded in Fort Worth was in 1986 during the crack cocaine epidemic, where 202 homicides were recorded.

Here’s a graph showing you how murders has trended in Fort Worth over a 12 year period. Murders peaked in 2021 when 119 murders were reported.

Violent Crime Rate

In 2021, Fort Worth reported 5,272 violent crime and had a violent crime rate of 563.54 per 100,000 people. Fort Worth’s violent crime is 41% higher than the national average.

Year over year violent crime has increased by 2%.

Here’s a graph showing you how violent crimes has trended in Fort Worth over a 12 year period.

Property Crime

In 2021, Fort Worth reported 24,799 property crime and had a property crime rate of 2,650.86 per 100,000 people. Fort Worth’s property crime rate is 35% higher than the national average.

Year over year violent crime has decreased by 4%.

Here’s a graph showing you how property crimes has trended in Fort Worth over a 12 year period.

Fort Worth’s crime rate vs other cities in Texas

Here’e how Fort Worth’s violent crime rate compares to other cities in Texas. Fort Worth’s violent crime rate is similar to Arlington and Austin.

	Population	Violent Crime Rate (2020)
Houston	2,304,580	1,278.93
Lubbock	257,141	1,109.12
Dallas	1,304,379	882.72
Corpus Christi	317,863	872.07
San Antonio	1,434,625	784.32
Fort Worth	918,915	547.28
Arlington	394,266	543.29
Austin	961,855	485.62
El Paso	678,815	319.23
Plano	285,494	158.32
McAllen	142,210	86.49

(Related: The Safest Cities In Texas)

Fort Worth vs the most dangerous cities in the United States

Here’s a list of the top 22 most dangerous cities in the United States ranked by violent crime rates.

The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Fort Worth

Here’s a map showing you all the worst neighborhoods according to residents of the city:

Stop Six

Stop Six is in the southeastern part of Fort Worth.

Como

Como is a south-west neighborhood of Fort Worth, situated south of the 30-fwy and east of the 377-fwy

Carter Park

Carter Park is a neighborhood in south Fort Worth that is situated right off the 35w fwy

Butler Place

Butler Place is a public housing projects located in south-east Fort Worth and is situated right off the 35w fwy.

North Side

North Side a neighborhood in north west Fort Worth and is situated east of the 199-fwy and west of the 35w fwy

Is Downtown Fort Worth safe?

Downtown Fort Worth is a safe area to visit and is patrolled around the clock by bike cops and patrol cars. There are many restaurants, bars and theaters you can walk to without feeling fearful. Most residents of Fort Worth also agree that the downtown area is generally safe.

What do residents of Fort Worth say about its safety

The North Side has the most gang activity in the city and there’s a reason why most of the houses around their have bars on the windows.
There’s a saying known around Fort Worth. "Look to your left, and smile, you see Arlington Heights. Look to your right, and smile, you see Ridglea. Look down at your feet, now run .You’re in Como."
Stay away from Stop-6. Rosedale is very seedy. You seriously don’t want to mess around with Stop 6.
I have heard gunshots and I have seen police cars and I have read police reports and felt uncomfortable in the North Side area.
Not all of South FW is bad. Maybe just 95% of it.
Any city has dangerous areas but as a whole Forth Worth is a very safe place.
Stop-6 is a pretty rough area of neighborhoods East of downtown.
South Fort Worth is a large area. There are good places, and bad places. Generally, the further east you go, the worse the area, and the further west, the better.
North Fort Worth is a nice suburban area. Especially Keller.
If you treat folks in Fort Worth with kindness and respect, they’ll treat you the same way in return.
Stay west of I-35 and away from Las Vegas Trail aka ‘The Trail’.
Avoid the Las Vegas trail, Como and Stop 6/Poly.
If you drive along Berry street long enough, you will reach ‘Scary Berry’. It’s definitely a less comfortable place to be.
I’ve also found anything immediately east of 35 to be very sketchy.
Basically anything east of I-35W, south of I-30, and within Loop 820 should generally be avoided
Fort Worth is the nicest big city in Texas.

Is Fort Worth safe at night?

Fort Worth is safe at night, however, like any other city, there are areas where you shouldn’t think of going at night, namely the neighborhoods mentioned above. These are the most dangerous areas and even long time residents have qualms about going there.

Is it safe to visit alone?

Fort Worth can be a safe place to travel alone as long as you know the layout of the city and know which areas to avoid. Fort Worth is just like any other medium sized city and there are risks involved when you’re in a big town by yourself.

Research the areas in Fort Worth that you want to visit and Use Google Maps street view to see if the areas are sketchy.

Tips to stay safe in Fort Worth

Know which areas are safe and know which areas are dangerous. Don’t venture off into the dangerous areas.
Be aware of your surroundings and do not leave any valuables in plain sight in your car.
Having headphones on or staring at your phone signals that you’re not aware of your surroundings and that makes you an easy target.
Keep your ears and eyes open, notice things. Footsteps, shuffling, metal clanging, anything.
Walk confidently and with your head up and without distractions (smartphones, headphones).
Beware of unsolicited kindness or help from strangers. Never accept something for free from someone you don’t know.
Run if you need to. Hurt pride is temporary.
If someone bumps into you, or brushes against you, check your pockets.
Act like you live wherever you are visiting, like you know the place and like you know exactly where you are going.