The crime rate in San Antonio, TX runs above the national average on the headline figures, but the citywide number hides the detail that matters most. FBI data for 2024 records roughly 594 violent crimes and 4,624 property crimes per 100,000 residents, placing violent crime about 65 percent above the national rate and property crime substantially higher. The more useful figure is the trend: both violent and property crime fell about 14 percent year over year, and San Antonio’s violent crime rate sits below Houston and Dallas among the five largest Texas cities.
The second thing to understand is variation. Your chance of being a crime victim ranges from roughly 1 in 14 in central neighborhoods to about 1 in 38 in the northeast, a spread of nearly three to one inside the same city limits. Alamo Heights runs about 30 percent below the national average while pockets near the AT&T Center run several times above it. Anyone deciding where to live in San Antonio should treat the citywide rate as background information and the neighborhood rate as the actual answer.
The Citywide Numbers
| Measure | San Antonio | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rate | About 594 per 100,000 | Roughly 65 percent above national |
| Property crime rate | About 4,624 per 100,000 | Well above national average |
| Year over year change | Down about 14 percent | Both violent and property categories |
| Police staffing | 2,883 officers | About 2.1 per 1,000 residents |
| Motor vehicle theft | Roughly a 1 in 120 chance | Among the higher rates nationally |
| Most reported offense | Simple assault | Followed by property damage and vehicle theft |
Note that published crime figures for San Antonio vary widely by source, because different trackers use different base years, different geographic boundaries, and different estimation methods. Some place the city well above the national average and others below it. The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data and the SAPD open crime map are the two most reliable starting points.
Property Crime Dominates the Total
Most of what the San Antonio Police Department records is property and lower-level offenses rather than violent crime. The single most reported category is simple assault, followed by criminal property damage and theft from motor vehicles. Vehicle theft deserves separate mention, since San Antonio carries one of the higher rates in the country and the odds of a vehicle theft sit around 1 in 120 per year. Garage parking and steering wheel locks are common practical responses among long-term residents.
The Safest Areas
Safety in San Antonio correlates strongly with the northern arc of the city and with municipalities that maintain their own police departments. Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Olmos Park, and Shavano Park are independent municipalities inside or adjacent to San Antonio with dedicated forces, and their crime rates reflect it. On the master planned side, Stone Oak, Alamo Ranch, and Cibolo Canyons post consistently low numbers.
| Area | Why it rates well |
|---|---|
| Alamo Heights | Own police department, about 30 percent below national |
| Terrell Hills | Own police department, small residential footprint |
| Olmos Park | Own police department, low density, established |
| Shavano Park | Own police department, north side location |
| Stone Oak | Gated communities, master planned infrastructure |
| Alamo Ranch | Newer west side development, low reported incidents |
| Cibolo Canyons | Far north, low density, newer construction |
Where Crime Concentrates
Higher rates cluster in the central and east sides. Downtown records a violent crime rate around 711 per 100,000, inflated in part by dense nightlife and heavy tourist foot traffic rather than resident risk alone. Tobin Hill reports around 541 per 100,000. The Coliseum Oaks and Willow Park area near the AT&T Center carries substantially higher figures, and neighborhoods including Hein-Orchard and pockets of the near east side also run above the city average.
The pattern tracks economic conditions more than geography. Areas with concentrated poverty, lower median incomes, and higher child poverty rates carry the highest numbers, which is consistent with what criminology finds nationally. Areas near large event venues also see elevated theft and late-night incident counts that do not reflect the daily experience of people living there.
What the City Is Doing
- A Violent Crime Reduction Plan developed with the University of Texas at San Antonio, using data-driven resource allocation.
- A public SAPD crime map showing reported incidents by type and location, filterable by date and category.
- Patrol structure split into North and South divisions across seven substations covering 504 square miles.
- Police staffing at about 2.1 officers per 1,000 residents, below both the Texas and national averages, which remains a live budget debate.
- Fourteen percent year-over-year reductions in both violent and property crime in the most recent FBI reporting year.
How to Research a Specific Address
Use the SAPD crime map for actual reported incidents rather than statistical estimates, since it reflects real reports at a granular level. Cross-check with CrimeGrade or a similar aggregator for the neighborhood letter grade. Then do the simplest test available: drive the block on a weekday evening and again on a weekend night. Data tells you the pattern, but the street tells you whether the pattern matches how the block actually feels.
Moving Into the Right Part of Town
Once you have picked a neighborhood, the crew you hire should know it. Evolution Moving Company has been moving Alamo City households since 2014, from Alamo Heights bungalows and Pearl District lofts to Stone Oak family homes and Dominion estates, which means the coordinators already know which gated communities need advance notice and which downtown buildings require a parking permit. Our local movers in San Antonio are background checked and drug screened before their first paid move; the company carries liability, workers’ compensation, and cargo coverage, and certificates of insurance reach an HOA or building manager within 30 minutes of request.