Crime in Salado, TX

Salado is a village of 8,460 in Bell County, about 16 miles southeast of downtown Killeen · Updated November 2026

Is Salado, TX safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Salado has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 932 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

78% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Salado as a whole, and 22% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Salado scores 932.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 965 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 872 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Salado

Map of Salado shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Salado, TX at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Salado, 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 Salado

One weak spot: theft. It grades B in Salado, worse than in the neighborhoods where 66% of Americans live, against A for property crime as a whole.


Crime rates and types in Salado

CrimeGrade™ estimates Salado has about 40 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 7% more than the US as a whole and close to 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 Salado, about 75% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeA20.280.38
RobberyA+10.160.62
AssaultA+475.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+121.42.4
TheftB25530.113.1
Vehicle theftA+70.852.7
ArsonA+under 10.100.12
VandalismA+131.65.5

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.


How Salado compares with nearby cities

Salado has less crime than 5 of its 7 nearest cities; only Little River and Holland have less.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SaladoA+932A+A8,460
Dog Ridge 7 milesA912AA1,190
Belton 9 milesA870AA41,300
Nolanville 9 milesA-835A-A7,230
Holland 10 milesA+950A+A+1,800
Show all 7
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Harker Heights 10 milesA856AA36,800
Jarrell 11 milesA901AA16,300
Little River 11 milesA+957A+A+3,360

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Salado. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Salado is safer than 51% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SaladoA+932A+A8,460
Louisa, KYA+952A+A+8,460
Ridgeway, VAA+938A+A+8,460
Nibley, UTA+936A+A+8,460
Centreville, MDA+935A+A+8,460
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hanson, MAA+931AA+8,460
Vilonia, ARA+930A+A+8,460
Lamar, COA+930A+A+8,470
Bohemia, NYA908AA8,460
Monona, WIA905A+A8,470
Umatilla, FLA895AA8,460

Walkability, shops and night lighting in Salado

Two things set Salado apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (3 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 18.0 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places that are hard to get around on foot tend to report less theft and assault, and assault runs low here.

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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.18.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 95% of US city residents
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.28% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 94% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 93% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.20 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 86% of US city residents
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 Salado: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Salado 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 Salado

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Salado about $770 a year per household, 36% less 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 $4.7 million a year, or $560 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$120,000$14
Rape$140,000$17
Robbery$42,000$5
Assault$490,000$58
Burglary$100,000$12
Theft$1.3 million$154
Vehicle theft$110,000$13
Arson$21,000$2
Vandalism$94,000$11
Total$2.4 million$286

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 Salado 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. Salado 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Salado

Schools in Salado, TX average a SchoolGrade of B+: 53% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Salado on SchoolGrade