Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media
The downtown Houston skyline.
Violent crimes in Houston are trending downward so far this year compared to last year, according to data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
And according to data from the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the number of traffic fatalities in the city are outpacing murders.
HPD is reporting a lower number of violent crimes for the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first three months of 2025, according to data published last week, From Jan. 1 to March 31, HPD reported a 36.4% decrease in homicides, a 29.9% decrease in rapes, a 34% decrease in robberies and a 9.7% decrease in aggravated assaults.
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Category:
first quarter 2025
first quarter 2026
percentage
Murder
77
49
-36.4%
Rape
371
371
-29.9%
Robbery
1363
1363
-34%
Aggravated Assault
3700
3341
-9.7%
The data was released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which collected crime data from 76 police departments across the U.S. and Canada, with 67 of the agencies being in the U.S.
Houston’s decrease in violent crime so far this year outpaced the national average of all the U.S. departments included in the study. According to the report, homicides were down 17.7% across the country, rapes were down 7.2%, robberies were down 20.4% and aggravated assaults decreased by 4.8%.
Major Cities Chiefs Association
Houston’s decrease in violent crime so far this year outpaced the national average of the other 66 U.S. departments included in the Major Cities Chiefs Association report.
Houston roadway fatalities outpace murders
So far this year, Houstonians have had a higher chance of dying in a car crash than being the victim of murder, according to data from HPD and TxDOT.
During the first three months of 2026, 67 people died on Houston roadways, according to TxDOT. Over that same period of time, HPD reported 49 murders.
Across all of 2025, TxDOT reported 291 roadway fatalities in Houston, while HPD reported 268 murders.
Year-over-year crime data
The decrease in violent crime in Houston so far this year tracks with the overall decrease in violent crime year-over-year from 2024 to 2025, according to HPD’s own yearly crime update published in January.
HPD crime data
Reports of non-violent crime in Houston were down from 2024 to 2025.
According to the department’s data, overall violent crime decreased by 18.9%. Reports of murder were down 19%, sexual assaults were down 19.9%, robberies were down 22.6%, aggravated assaults were down 17.6%, kidnappings were down 10.5% and human trafficking was down 34.4%
Non-violent crime was also down from 2024 to 2025, with reports of theft being the only non-violent category to increase in the city in 2025. According to the HPD, thefts increased by 5% from 2024 to 2025.
HPD crime data
Reports of violent crime in Houston were down from 2024 to 2025.
Other non-violent crime categories, including reports of auto theft, burglary of a motor vehicle and burglary, were all down by more than 9%.