The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Austin, TX

The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Austin For 2025

Martin Luther King-Hwy 183 has a pretty straightforward name. It’s located around the intersection of Highway 183 and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in the eastern section of Austin. A weak economy and a high cost of living make this one of the toughest areas of the city to live.

It can be difficult for the area’s 8,366 residents to find a job. The unemployment rate sits at 7.5%. Even the available gigs can make it difficult to pay the bills. The median income equals $38,101, compared to a median home price of $167,560.

The area does offer plenty of amenities, including multiple churches and lots of restaurants.

Saint John’s gets its name from an orphanage founded by African-American leaders in the early part of the 20th century. Sadly, the institution burned down in the 1940s. These days, the area is centered around a stretch of I-35 in the northern section of the city. It also represents one of the least attractive parts of Austin.

A sluggish economy accounts for most of the problems. The 9,414 locals have trouble stretching their $38,935 in median income. At the same time, the unemployment rate runs 6.5%.

Saint John’s has its share of amenities, though. It includes a significant amount of shopping. There are also educational opportunities, such as the CyberTex Institute of Technology.

North Burnet follows a curve in Highway 1, near the intersection of Highway 183, part of the northern area of Austin. Theoretically, a short hop on the one of the highways makes for a convenient commute. However, traffic often slows travel on the major roads and public transportation is limited.

Otherwise, North Burnet has a lot going for it. The economy is fairly strong, with a median income of $62,574 and an unemployment rate of 2.6%. Even with this financial security, the neighborhood remains affordable. The median home value sits at $271,400.

In terms of amenities, North Burnet offers a lot. You can head down to the main shopping center, or check out the University of Texas at Austin’s J.J. Pickle Research Campus.

For more than 100 years, Montopolis stood as an independent community. Originally founded in the 1830s, it wasn’t fully enveloped by Austin until the 1970s. These days, it counts as the number 7 worst place to live in the city.

Jobs represent the most pressing challenge for the area’s 10,471 residents. The median income comes in at $60,827 and the unemployment rate sits at 6.7%.

Located in the southeast part of the city, Montopolis has its charms. It provides excellent affordable and good access to amenities. In addition, residents can enjoy Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park.

Traditionally, Highland has a reputation as a commercial center. Home of the Highland Mall and other retail spots, this spot in the northern part of Austin once drew shoppers from throughout the city. That is, until the mall closed in 2015, leaving a big empty spot in the middle of the neighborhood. It’s no surprise, then, that Highland represents the number 8 least inviting part of the city.

Even without the mall, the area’s economy has kept humming. The unemployment rate comes in at 4.5% and the median income hovers at $57,824. Still, affordability is a problem. High real estate prices lead to a median home price of $327,250, a stretch for many in the neighborhood.

Georgian Acres sits in the north-central part of the city. A sluggish economy and some concerns about crime make this the number 9 least enticing neighborhood in Austin.

Finding a job isn’t that hard in the area. The unemployment rate sits at 5.2%. However, these tend to be low-paying gigs, as the neighborhood’s median income comes in at just $48,241.

Bordered by I-35 and Highway 183, Georgian Acres offers excellent access to the rest of the city. The area itself is mostly residential, though it features some shopping and commercial areas as well.

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Austin neighborhoods in 2025

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Austin:

• High crime (Estimated)
• High unemployment (Less jobs)
• Low median income (Less pay)
• Low population density (No things to do)
• Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Austin, Texas for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Austin.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Austin.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 60 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.