Texas is a wild place, but I can’t say I’ve ever thought it was terribly “unsafe” around here.

Apparently, how I feel and what the numbers say are two very different things.

According to a new WalletHub survey ranking the safest states in America, Texas landed near the very bottom of the list. In fact, Texas came in at #48, with only Louisiana and Mississippi ranking worse.

Yikes.

That becomes even more interesting when you consider that Lubbock has frequently ranked as one of the more dangerous cities in Texas. You may feel perfectly safe going about your day, but statistically, there are some things we could definitely improve.

So how did WalletHub come up with the rankings?

The survey looked at five major categories: Personal & Residential Safety, Financial Safety, Road Safety, Workplace Safety, and Emergency Preparedness. Each category was then broken down into a number of smaller metrics.

Let’s just say Texas didn’t exactly knock it out of the park anywhere.

Those individual measurements included things like theft, mass shootings, traffic safety, financial security, workplace incidents, and the impact of climate disasters. I could keep listing them, but honestly, it just gets more depressing.

Texas has always had a reputation as a friendly place. We’re supposed to be the state with the “big hat” that everybody can fit under.

A ranking like this doesn’t mean everybody in Texas is walking around in danger every day, but it does suggest there are plenty of areas where we could do better.

Read More: How Landscaped Medians Make Lubbock Streets Safer |

Hopefully, instead of just shrugging our shoulders and saying, “That’s Texas,” we keep working toward making this an even better—and safer—place to call home.

Lubbock Crime Rates vs. Surrounding Areas: Which Cities Are Safest?Think of moving slightly out of Lubbock? This is how our surrounding areas compare to Lubbock crime rates, according to crimegrade.org, which looks at both property and violent crime in its rankings. Spoiler alert: they are all at least marginally safer (or significantly safer), as Lubbock carries a D- rating.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven

Lubbock Restaurants That Closed in 2026 (So Far)

From fast food to mom-and-pops, and from upscale to a breakfast burrito favorite, here is a look at Lubbock restaurants that have closed so far this year.

Gallery Credit: Renee Raven