Civic
Austin crime fell over five years, but not every year
Violent offenses fell about 18% from 2021 to 2025 and property crime about 10%. The DA’s “steadily dropped” claim skips the rise in 2022 and the categories that moved the other way.
September 3, 2026
The Travis County district attorney’s office told FOX 7 that crime in Austin has “steadily dropped” under José Garza. The five-year numbers are more complicated.
FBI totals for Austin Police Department show violent offenses falling from 5,144 in 2021 to 4,213 in 2025. Property crime fell from 34,416 to 30,999. Both categories rose in 2022, then fell for three straight years.
Robbery is the only major category that dropped every year in that window. Homicides fell from 81 to 51, but rose in 2024 before falling again. Rape rose from 687 to 743 on the FBI’s legacy measure.
So the broad trend is down, but “steadily” is wrong. And these numbers can’t tell us that the DA caused the decline: police practices, national trends, and other changes are in the mix. The 2026 numbers are provisional and the rape categories are incomplete, so we’re not using them for a new trend.
Sources
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