# Tyler and Waco lead Texas in reported rape rates

> Two Texas cities buck the statewide crime decline with the highest sexual assault rates among cities over 100,000 residents.
- Title: Tyler and Waco lead Texas in reported rape rates | Shortify
- Summary: Two Texas cities buck the statewide crime decline with the highest sexual assault rates among cities over 100,000 residents. Tyler and Waco recorded roughly…
- Keywords: tyler texas, waco texas, rape rates, sexual assault, texas dps, crime statistics, nibrs data, texas cities, violent crime, public safety, news, politics
- Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/state/among-texas-cities-over-100000-these-two-had-the-highest-reported-rape-rates-in-2025
- Author: Dallas Express
- Published: 2026-09-21T11:00:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tyler texas, waco texas, rape rates, sexual assault, texas dps, crime statistics, nibrs data, texas cities, violent crime, public safety, news, politics
## Tyler and Waco top rape rate list
Tyler recorded 110 reported rape offenses in 2025 with a rate of 96.7 per 100,000 residents. Waco had 140 offenses at 94.7 per 100,000, making both cities roughly twice the statewide rate.
## Statewide rape reports fell sharply
Texas reported 15,163 rape offenses in 2025, down from 16,878 in 2024, a 10.16 percent decline. The statewide rate fell 11.48 percent.
## Tyler bucked the downward trend
Tyler reported 96 rape offenses in 2024 and 110 in 2025, a 14.6 percent increase. The 2025 total was 80.3 percent higher than the 61 offenses reported in 2021.
## Waco's sexual assault reports rose
Waco reported 132 rape offenses in 2024 and 140 in 2025, a 6.1 percent increase. The 2025 total was 21.7 percent higher than the 115 offenses reported in 2021.
## DFW cities show wide variation
Arlington recorded 64.9 rape offenses per 100,000 residents, Fort Worth 47.0, Irving 47.5, and Dallas 30.7. Dallas had the lowest rate despite recording 408 total offenses.
## What the data actually measures
The figures represent reported offenses, not convictions or unique victims. NIBRS rape includes forcible rape, sodomy, and sexual assault with an object.
## Key takeaway

Tyler and Waco recorded roughly double the statewide rape rate in 2025, even as Texas overall saw sexual assault reports fall by over 10 percent.