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While Halloween is known for its treats, the early fall of the sun also leaves the door wide open for lots of tricks. According to a new study from Compare Market AU, Dallas ranks as the sixth city most likely to experience a break-in, and experts warn about the increased risks that come with the holiday season.
“Hopefully you’ll never experience a break-in, but there are things you can do to try and reduce the chances of it happening to you from installing an alarm to avoiding posting on social media when you’re on holiday,” said Adrian Taylor, a spokesperson for Compare the Market AU. “You can also add motion-activated lights and ask neighbors, family, or friends you trust to check on your home while you’re away.”
We’re not writing a cheat sheet for burglary, but Halloween is the one day of the year when ominously walking down the street in dark clothing and a mask won’t trigger an immediate call to 911, and there are a good number of empty houses. Security experts recommend cameras. We recommend rewatching “Home Alone” and making your own spooky versions of elaborate booby traps to ward off criminals.
“The risk is further heightened with darker evenings following the end of Daylight Saving Time, as longer nights historically coincide with a rise in break-ins,” says the study.
The company analyzed burglary rates per 100,000 residents, safety scores, and worry scores across U.S. cities to determine their rankings. We weren’t necessarily looking for more proof that Dallas is better than Houston, but H-Town came in first place.
Dallas had 706.9 burglaries per 100,000 households, and Houston had 736.3. Interestingly, the Texas cities had significantly higher rates than other cities listed. The next closest city was Columbus, with 636.1 burglaries per 100,000 households. However, according to the data, Dallasites have lower rates of fear of burglary, which contributes to our overall score being lower.
Halloween is the first big opportunity for masked bandits, but the primary concern of the city is trick-or-treater safety. Every year, the Dallas Police Department produces a Halloween safety program, which includes a designated education initiative dedicated to the spooky holiday, distinct from its usual holiday safety programming.
Based on historical city data, however, burglary rates remain relatively stagnant year-round, with minor, sporadic increases in the fall. Still, like violent crime, burglary rates have decreased slightly year-over-year citywide, and they are down considerably from 2020, when there were 8,186 total burglaries in Dallas. In 2024, there were 6,020, and so far this year, there have been 4,026.
So this year, make sure you check your candy, leave the porch light on and maybe consider rigging a pumpkin to fall on the head of potential thieves, Kevin McAllister style.
