Dallas

Is Dallas safe?

For a visitor, mostly yes. The Dallas Police Department (DPD) counted 141 homicides in 2025, down from 184 a year earlier, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association. With about 1.33 million people, that is about 10.6 per 100,000, close to Houston and Nashville and far below Atlanta. Unlike most big US cities, Dallas has not improved further in 2026: the first half of the year had 70 killings, the same as in 2025.

The FBI's violent crime rate for Dallas, 577 per 100,000, is less than twice the national rate and well below Houston's 888. The crime visitors meet most is car break-ins, and the bigger dangers are the roads and the weather. We score Dallas 61.

Car break-ins in Uptown and downtown

DPD's open data list about 10,750 thefts from cars in 2025, and about the same number of cars stolen. The FBI puts the city's property crime rate at 3,078 per 100,000, twice the US average. Break-ins cluster where visitors go. By our count, the 75204 zip code, which covers part of Uptown, had the most of any in the city with 776, and the five central zip codes for downtown, Uptown, Oak Lawn and Deep Ellum had about 2,500 between them, nearly a quarter of the total.

The trend is mixed. To late October 2026, car thefts were down by about a quarter on 2025, but break-ins were up about 4%.

• Leave nothing in sight in a car, not even a charging cable. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns not to leave passports in rental cars, even in the boot.
• Use hotel valet or a staffed garage rather than a street or surface lot.
• Pickpocketing is uncommon: DPD logged about 140 cases in 2025.

Is Dallas safe at night?

Gallup's 2025 survey found that 71% of Americans feel safe walking alone at night where they live, and only 58% of women. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's advice for the US fits Dallas: violent crime rarely affects tourists, but try not to walk through quieter areas alone, especially at night.

The nightlife districts take a share of the trouble. Our count of DPD's open data puts 138 of the city's 1,131 street robberies in 2025, about 12%, in the five central zip codes, with 46 in 75204. Robberies across the city fell 18% in the first half of 2026 (MCCA). In Deep Ellum and Uptown, leave with your group after closing time, and use a ride app rather than walking to a distant car park. These are our counts of open data, not official figures.

The roads are the biggest risk

Dallas has the deadliest roads of the US cities we cover. NHTSA's crash records (FARS) count 227 traffic deaths in the city in 2024, about 17 per 100,000, and 207 in 2023. Pedestrians were 72 of the dead in 2024, and 56 people died on the interstates that run through the city. That rate is higher than Nashville's, and even without the interstate deaths it is almost four times Chicago's rate for city streets.

Drive defensively on the interstates, never drive after a night out, and as a pedestrian cross only at signals.

Tornadoes and heat

Tornadoes are the sudden risk. At 8:58 pm on 20 October 2019 an EF-3 tornado with winds of about 140 mph touched down near Irving and tracked almost 16 miles through North Dallas to Richardson, up to three quarters of a mile wide, according to the National Weather Service. Its preliminary survey recorded no deaths.

Heat is the hazard every summer. The DFW airport reached 100°F on 55 days in 2023 and 47 days in 2022, with a peak of 110°F (NOAA). Recent summers were milder, with 7 such days in 2025. The air downtown is above the US standard: the EPA monitor at the convention centre averaged 9.9 µg/m³ of fine particlesPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary over 2023 to 2025. Medical care is good but expensive, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes that some hospitals ask visitors for a deposit.

How to stay safe in Dallas

• Stay downtown, in Uptown or near the Arts District, and use ride apps between neighbourhoods at night.
• Empty your car every time you park.
• In summer, plan walks for the morning and carry water.
• In spring, turn on emergency alerts and learn where the safe room in your hotel is.
• Buy travel insurance with full medical cover.

For healthcare costs and entry rules, see our United States page.

How we scored it

Traffic safety (40) is the weakest factor, with a road death rate above Nashville's and New Orleans's. Violent crime (59) sits at the top of the band for cities with 10 to 25 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary, helped by a violent crime rate well below Houston's, but 2026 has not brought the further drop seen elsewhere. Health and environment (78) is the strongest factor. Theft (61) reflects car break-ins in the central districts.