AUSTIN, Texas — The mass shooting in Austin had many people asking how the City’s crime rate is looking compared to population growth.
So, the KVUE Defenders compared population growth and crime rate data.
The population in Austin has grown about 4% over the last five years. According to City of Austin data, Austin's population is currently 1,010,835. Five years ago, in 2017, it was 967,629.
The KVUE Defenders also used the Chief of Police monthly crime data to see where the City stands on crime. When we looked at the same time period, the Defenders found serious crimes are up.
As of April 2021, murders in Austin are up significantly this year. Police data shows there have been 27 murders in 2021 year-to-date, compared to 9 year-to-date in 2017, a 200% increase.
Aggravated assaults are up 36%. There have been 1,034 year-to-date in 2021, compared to 815 over the same time period in 2017.
Car thefts are also up dramatically in the last few years, about 77% since 2017. Crime data shows there were 1,199 car thefts year-to-date in 2021 compared to 677 during the same time period in 2017.
Burglaries are down 9%. So far this year, there have been 1,388 burglaries, compared to 1,524 over the same time period in 2017.
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