Lubbock TX Crime Rate

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How prevalent is crime in Lubbock TX? Is the Lubbock crime rate a worry? It may seem strange to talk about crime in Lubbock, home to the beloved Chilton drink, the signature cocktail in Texas’ 11th most populous city. 

Nevertheless, despite the many wonderful things going on in the city, Lubbock has a worrying crime rate. In discussing the Lubbock TX crime rate, one has to look into different types of crime. Typically, they fall into two broad categories, namely violent crime and property crime.

Violent Crime Rate in Lubbock

Violent crime has various branches. These include murder and manslaughter. Under violent crime, you’re also likely to encounter aggravated assault, robbery, and forcible rape. Law enforcement officers in the region have a much harder time keeping everything under control.

In 2019, Lubbock recorded 20 homicides. A year later, in 2021, that number had jumped by as much as 105 percent to 41 homicides. On June 3, 2021, Lubbock Police Department (LPD) published crime figures covering the last 12-month period.

In that report, Floyd Mitchell, LPD Police Chief, noted that Lubbock City had experienced a “challenging year in 2020” in the area of homicides. The report also noted an increase of 2 percent in the number of reported crimes against persons.

As per the same report, family violence also increased substantially in the same period. Law enforcement agencies believe that the sharp rise in crime rate, especially violent crime, is the direct result of the economic hardships that COVID-19 created in this part of Texas.

Recent statistics indicate that you have a 1-in-100 chance of being a victim of violent crime in this Texan city. Such figures are quite shocking when you realize that your chances in the entire state of Texas are 1-in-239.

Roughly, 10 murders take place in Lubbock City. On top of this, more than 250 rapes are reported each year in the city. The local police department also recorded 468 and 1,871 robberies and assaults respectively in the city.

The Lubbock TX crime rate for these four categories per 1,000 people is as follows:

1. 0.04 murders per 1,000
2. 1.05 rapes per 1,000
3. 1.81 robberies per 1,000
4. 7.23 assaults per 1,000

Property Crime Rate in Lubbock

In the same LPD report, the property crime rate decreased by as much as 11 percent in 2020. Moreover, statistics show that you have a 1-in-22 chance of falling victim to property crime. This proves that property crime is more common than violent crime.

Generally, property crimes tend to be milder than those falling under violent crimes. The latter are replete with violent behavior against the victims of the attacks, theft, rape, or assault. Under property crimes, the criminals mostly want to steal money or other assets and valuables from a building.

1 in 22 people are likely to experience property crime. That number is quite high for a city whose economy relies on the agriculture and manufacturing industries. Wholesale and retail trades also boost the local economy.

The numbers are quite astonishing for a city with a population of just over 310,000, as of the 2019 census. All the housing units in the region currently stand at 130,773. Again, based on the figures from the LPD, one could confidently assume that these houses have a 5 percent chance of being broken into by criminals at least once a year.

Why is the Lubbock TX Crime Rate High?

Several reasons have conspired to make the Lubbock TX crime rate quite high. As previously stated, the COVID-19 pandemic made an important hit on the region. Job losses became more rampant, leaving many people with no choice than to embrace crime.

Twice in the last 10 years, though, Lubbock has ranked as the sixth most dangerous city in Texas. The FBI Uniform Crimes Report of 2018 ranked the city sixth for violent crime.

Over the last 10 years, Lubbock’s crime rate shot up considerably. That came as a bit of a shock when considering that Hub City’s crime rate had been dropping between 2000 and 2010. Poverty has been cited as a major reason for the dwindling security and safety situation in the city.

Various sources put the poverty rate in the city between 17.9 percent and 20.1 percent. Again, this is a large number for a city of around 310,000 people. The close to 60,000 individuals living in poverty might embrace crime to make ends meet.

For a city that’s predominantly urban, with 99 percent of the residents living in urban areas compared to only 1 percent in rural parts, the crime rate is noticeably high. Therefore, it’s imperative for residents to take necessary precautions to secure their homes and property.

For the city to witness a significant reduction in crime rate, its biggest employers must hire more workers. Local authorities would need to work closely with these employers to reward or recognize them for employing more individuals, as a means for reducing poverty. The biggest employers are:

• Texas Tech University
• Covenant Health System
• Lubbock Independent School District
• University Medical Center
• United Supermarkets

The poverty rate is also more prevalent among people who never reached the 9th grade. Among this group, the poverty rate is 0.26 percent. The poverty rate among those who graduated from high school, attended any kind of college, or obtained a Bachelor’s degree is 0.14, 0.11, and 0.06 respectively.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the Lubbock TX crime rate is quite high among cities with a population of more than 200,000. The primary factors responsible for this tenuous situation are the increased poverty rate and the poor economy that COVID-19 worsened. It’s not only one of the most unsafe cities in Texas but also the entire country.

What can you do in such a situation? To begin with, you should get in touch with Payless Power for solutions that make your property more secure. Additionally, do not hesitate to get in touch with law enforcement agencies over any violent or property crime that you wish to report. 

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