Is El Paso Still One of Safest Large Cities?

It’s been a point of pride for El Pasoans for over twenty years. That’s how long the Sun City has been consistently ranked at or very near the top of the list for “Safest U.S. Cities with Populations of 500,000 or more." But, does that still hold true in 2024.

The answer is “YES”, based on the most recent available statistics. El Paso Matters reports that in 2022, the most recent year available, El Paso STILL ranks in the top ten for safe larger cities.

This is all according to crime data compiled by the FBI in their Uniform Crime Report.  According to the most recently available report, El Paso comes in at the number ten spot for safety among the nation’s 100 largest cities.

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Here are the statistical documents if you want to see for yourself.

El Paso had a run of years when we were named the Number One Safest Large American City. This coincided with the height of the drug cartel violence that plagued and continues to plague Ciudad Juarez, literally “a stone’s throw away”.

The “Safest Cities” designation refers specifically to violent crimes such as murder, assault and sexual violence.

Much of the credit goes to law-enforcement. Also, as the statistics seem to bear out, border cities in Texas are actually safer, with fewer violent crimes than non-border Texas cities.

Many non-native El Pasoans have the misperception that just the opposite is true: that the closer a city is to Mexico, the MORE crime it must have. As El Pasoans, it’s our responsibility to counter those misconceptions whenever we are able.