The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Dawson County, TX
Dawson County is home to 12,100 residents and includes Lamesa and Ackerly · Updated November 2026
Is Dawson County, TX safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Dawson County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 73% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Dawson County run from A+ to B-, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 916 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
73% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Dawson County as a whole, and 27% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Dawson County scores 916.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Dawson County, TX at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Dawson County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Dawson County
Burglaries and thefts both run high. In Dawson County, each runs at about double the US rate: 4.8 burglaries and 25.8 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Dawson County
Every part of Dawson County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Dawson County run from A+ to B-; 36% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the east side has the least crime and the Lamesa area the most.
Crime rates and types in Dawson County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Dawson County has about 55 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 49% more than the US as a whole and 32% more than Texas.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft is the most common crime in Dawson County, about 47% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Dawson County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Dawson County, 2022 to 2024.
In Dawson County, 59% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 74% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (59%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (74%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (62%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (62%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Dawson County compares with nearby counties
Dawson County has more crime than 7 of its 9 nearest counties. Garza County and Lynn County have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, transit and walkability in Dawson County
One thing sets Dawson County apart: it has 16.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary and arson, yet burglary runs lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.16.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Dawson County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 86% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (14 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 63% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.33 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 80% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.84% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 55% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.14% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 54% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Dawson County
Crime costs Dawson County about $1,683 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 40% more than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $20 million a year, or $1,653 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.2 million
$97
Rape
$640,000
$53
Robbery
$100,000
$8
Assault
$1.8 million
$152
Burglary
$520,000
$43
Theft
$1.6 million
$132
Vehicle theft
$370,000
$30
Arson
$82,000
$7
Vandalism
$500,000
$41
Total
$6.8 million
$564
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Dawson County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Dawson County is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Dawson County, TX average a SchoolGrade of C+: 45% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Dawson County on SchoolGrade
