Lamesa is a city of 9,320 in Dawson County, about 50 miles north of downtown Midland · Updated November 2026
Is Lamesa, TX safe?
Yes, crime in Lamesa is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Lamesa sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 54% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Lamesa run from A+ to B-, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 855 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
54% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Lamesa as a whole, and 46% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lamesa scores 855.
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 Lamesa, TX at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lamesa, 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 Lamesa
Theft at more than double the US rate. Lamesa has 32.0 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Lamesa
CrimeGrade™ estimates Lamesa has about 65 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 76% more than the US as a whole and 55% 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 makes up about 49% of crime reported in Lamesa. Assault is less common but 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.
The Lamesa Police Department's 2024 count of theft fell far below its usual level, a sign of a reporting break, so CrimeGrade™ used the department's earlier years instead.
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 Lamesa
Lamesa has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Lamesa, 63% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 77% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (63%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Homes (77%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (63%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (64%)
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 Lamesa compares with nearby cities
Lamesa has the most crime of its 2 nearest cities.
Two things set Lamesa apart: it has 16.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 1% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary runs high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.16.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 91% of US city residents
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 and assault. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (18 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 54% of US city residents
Show all 6
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 Lamesa: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.13.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 76% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.35 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 62% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Lamesa on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
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 Lamesa
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Lamesa about $1,620 a year per household, 34% 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 $16 million a year, or $1,700 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$760,000
$82
Rape
$570,000
$61
Robbery
$91,000
$10
Assault
$1.7 million
$178
Burglary
$400,000
$43
Theft
$1.5 million
$164
Vehicle theft
$310,000
$33
Arson
$71,000
$8
Vandalism
$430,000
$47
Total
$5.8 million
$625
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 Lamesa 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. Lamesa 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 Lamesa, TX average a SchoolGrade of B: 48% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Lamesa on SchoolGrade
