I recently came across a bunch of data about the crime rate in Austin. I’m not sure where city-data.com gets their raw data (and apparently they don’t disclose it), but let’s just take it at face value.

Austin’s crime rate seems to have declined. There’s fluctuation from year to year, but if you look at the span from 1999 to 2011, it’s gone down overall (using city-data’s “crime rate” number).

But if you look at some specifics, it’s gone up. Over that time span:

• Murder has held steady
• Rape is lower, but only after a number of years of significant rise (the low 2011 number may be an anomaly)
• Robbery is hard to call. The 1999 and 2011 numbers are about the same, but in between there was a significant rise.
• Assaults are up.
• Burglary is again one of those where 1999 vs 2011 are about the same, but there’s a massive rise in between
• Theft is up
• Auto theft is down
• Arson has weaved up and down, and after a significant drop, appears to be on the rise again

And using City-Data’s numbers, Austin’s crime rate is significantly higher than the US average.

City-Data then breaks some numbers down.

Violent crime rate? Almost always higher than the US average.

Property crime rate? Significantly higher than the US average. I know property crime is a big problem in Austin.

Austin is lower than the US average murder… but murder is so statistically rare, whereas property crime and assault isn’t. And note that while some assaults are just as simple as that, “aggravated assault” used to be called “attempted murder”; basically they were trying to kill you but you lived — can’t call it murder unless they die. And due to our improvements in medical and Emergency Room care, there’s a high probability that if you are attacked but get to an ER with vital signs, you have a high likelihood of living. So, consider that when you look at violent crime numbers.

Rape has generally been higher in Austin. I do wonder what role in the data the University has.

Robbery is higher than the US average, every year.

Assault fluctuates year over year vs. the US average, but it’s still high.

Burglary is significantly and consistently higher than the US average.

Same with theft.

Austin is a high crime city. It may be getting better, depending who you ask, but it’s still high.

Here’s another tidbit.

Full-time law enforcement officers? Lower than the Texas average.

Hrm.

Well, if you break the crime down in Austin, it seems we can see a few things:

• Crime rates are higher than average (vs. the US in general)
• Crime rates are generally rising
• Theft is the most likely crime you will encounter, followed by burglary, then assault.
  • While you have to take care to secure your person (you are more important than “stuff”), you should also take steps to secure your stuff and make your stuff-holding-locations (house, car, etc.) to be less tempting targets.
• Not enough police to really stop and prevent crime. You are on your own when it come to the first line of prevention.

Take the data for whatever it’s worth.