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HOUSTON - Houston often makes the list of several things but was surprisingly absent from a recent study looking into homicide rates.
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Researchers at WalletHub compared 45 of the largest American cities to find which ones had the biggest homicide rate problems. The data in the study was based on per capita homicides in the first quarter of 2023 as well as the first quarter of 2022 and 2021, respectively.
In a surprising twist, Dallas was ranked 7th highest for homicide rate problems and Garland and Austin were ranked 14 and 15th. Out of 45 cities examined, Houston was named nowhere in the study.
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It's unclear why Houston was not included, and while the news is certainly welcoming, it does seem surprising given Harris County's crime spike in 2021 and 2022. This was coupled with several reports of suspected criminals committing murders while out on bond.
In November 2022, for example, Houston made national news after rapper, Takeoff, from the popular Atlanta-based group, Migos, was shot to death in downtown. Even Atlanta was ranked 43rd out of the 45 cities compared.
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Memphis, Tennessee meanwhile, was reported in the study to have the biggest homicide rate problems, while Norfolk, Virginia was named last on the list.
To look at the full report and see how other cities ranked in comparison, click here.