Downtown Dallas’ October homeless survey reported 19 people, its fourth-lowest count, while crime in a separate downtown comparison fell 28% from a year earlier, according to reports provided to The Dallas Express.
The October 28 count fell by three people from September’s 22 and by 11 from the October 23, 2025, count of 30. Those changes represent declines of approximately 14% and 37%, respectively.
Homeless count stays near historic lows
The survey team began at 10 a.m. in sunny, 70-degree weather. Only three earlier counts in the historical table were lower: 12 on May 28 and 18 on both March 30 and August 28, all this year.
October’s written tally places the count about 84% below the initiative’s reported historical average of 117 and well below its February 2024 peak of 411.
Eight of the 19 people, approximately 42%, were in two sectors immediately adjacent to The Bridge homeless shelter, according to the accompanying update. The remaining 11 were across six sectors.
September also brought a sharp year-over-year decline, as The Dallas Express previously reported. The survey measures people observed during a downtown count; it does not establish a citywide homeless population or track where everyone no longer present went.
Crime declines as police presence expands
October offenses fell from 333 to 240 across the categories included in the comparison. The accompanying update identifies the city’s Crime Analytics Dashboard as the source of the Dallas figures.
Violent crimes declined 19%, from 21 to 17. Robberies fell from eight to six, while aggravated assaults remained at 11. The table lists no murders in the central business district through October, compared with five during the same period last year.
The report’s nonviolent category fell 24%, from 257 to 195. Thefts from vehicles dropped from 76 to 39, and burglaries fell from 13 to six.
Crimes against society, including drug and weapons offenses, fell from 55 to 28 in October. That category remained 29% higher year to date, however, at 464 compared with 360. Total offenses declined 11% through October, from 2,841 to 2,535.
The improvements accompany a larger downtown police presence. Downtown Dallas Inc. President and CEO Jennifer Scripps said September 30 that downtown had 130 officers assigned and approved, up from numbers in the 90s a couple of years earlier, as The Dallas Express reported.
Fort Worth comparison shows a continuing gap
The comparison lists 29 October offenses in downtown Fort Worth, making Dallas’ 240 about 8.3 times as many. Year-to-date totals were 2,535 in Dallas and 301 in Fort Worth.
These are raw counts, not population-adjusted crime rates. Dallas’ comparison area covers 1.40 square miles versus Fort Worth’s 0.92. The report excludes some offense categories and estimates Fort Worth sex-crime figures, limiting direct comparisons of safety.
Provided by Dallas Express
