safety matters
Houston suburb secures No. 5 rank on list of safest midsized Texas cities

Sugar Land is not only one of the best places to live, it's also one of the safest, according to SmartAsset.
As the greater Houston area continues to grow with an influx of new residents, Sugar Land is in the lead for its safety and security for residents, according to a new report.
Sugar Land has been named the No. 5 safest midsize city to live in Texas, and it ranks as the 64th safest city in the U.S., according to a new SmartAsset report.
The report, "America’s Safest Midsize Cities – 2026 Study" reviewed the crime rates and natural disaster risk across 333 midsize cities with populations between 65,000 to 250,000 residents. Disaster risk and auto fatality rates were evaluated on the county level.
The report's author states that no city is entirely risk-free, but there are some midsized cities that "offer residents a stronger sense of everyday security than others." Sugar Land is also among the top-10 best places to live in the U.S.
Based on the study's crime rate analysis, Sugar Land has a violent crime rate of 0.78 per 1,000 residents, a property crime rate of 13.84 per 1,000 residents, and the city's auto fatality rate is 6.85 per 100,000 residents.
SmartAsset found Sugar Land has a "relatively high" natural disaster risk, which was calculated by converting Fort Bend County's risk rating in FEMA’s National Risk Index to a five-point numeric scale. Specific natural disaster risks were not shared, but the report categorized risk levels in five levels: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high, and very high.
Two popular Austin suburbs — Georgetown and Round Rock — lead Texas with balancing the trifecta of affordability, opportunity, and safety, SmartAsset found. Both cities are located in Williamson County just north of Austin.
Round Rock, meanwhile, ranked as the third-safest midsize Texas city, and it ranked No. 53 nationally. This North Austin neighbor also has a slightly lower lower violent crime rate (1.31 per 1,000 residents) than Georgetown, but the city's property crime rate is higher: 19.41 per 1,000 residents.
Both suburbs share "relatively moderate" natural disaster risks, according to FEMA, and the same auto fatality rates.
Other Texas cities that rank among the top 100 safest midsize cities in America include:
- No. 28 – College Station
- No. 63 – New Braunfels
- No. 75 – San Angelo
- No. 83 – Bryan
- No. 90 – Mission
- No. 95 – Pharr





