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Property Crime Trends in Rockport, Texas: A Coastal Community's Improving Security Landscape
CATEGORY
Crime
DATA
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
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Crime
Property Crime
Percent Owner Occupied
Median Income
Population
Rockport, located in Texas, has experienced notable fluctuations in property crime rates over the past decade, set against a backdrop of varying population growth. From 2010 to 2022, the total number of property crimes in Rockport decreased by 13.14%, from 373 to 324 incidents. During this same period, the city's population saw a modest decrease of 3.46%, from 17,373 to 16,770 residents.
Burglary trends in the city have shown significant volatility. In 2010, there were 93 burglary incidents, which peaked at 165 in 2016 before declining to 71 in 2022, representing a 23.66% decrease over the entire period. When adjusted for population, the burglary rate per 1,000 residents decreased from 5.35 in 2010 to 4.23 in 2022. The city's share of state burglaries increased from 0.05% in 2010 to 0.09% in 2022, indicating that while local burglaries decreased, they did not fall as rapidly as the state average.
Larceny theft, the most common property crime in Rockport, showed a similar pattern of fluctuation. In 2010, there were 269 incidents, which rose to a high of 504 in 2015 before decreasing to 236 in 2022, marking a 12.27% overall decrease. The larceny theft rate per 1,000 residents decreased slightly from 15.48 in 2010 to 14.07 in 2022. The city's contribution to state larceny thefts increased from 0.05% to 0.06% over this period, suggesting a relatively stable trend compared to state levels.
Motor vehicle theft in Rockport has remained relatively low but variable. From 11 incidents in 2010, it reached a peak of 32 in 2019 before decreasing to 17 in 2022, resulting in a 54.55% increase over the entire period. The rate per 1,000 residents increased from 0.63 in 2010 to 1.01 in 2022. Despite this local increase, the city's share of state motor vehicle thefts remained stable at 0.02% from 2010 to 2022, indicating that the increase was in line with state trends.
Arson incidents in Rockport have been sporadic and low in number. From no reported cases in 2010, the city saw a maximum of 2 incidents per year in 2018, 2019, and 2020, before returning to zero in 2021 and 2022. Due to the low numbers, calculating meaningful rates or percentages is not statistically significant.
Examining correlations, there appears to be a moderate inverse relationship between property crime rates and median income. As median income increased from $50,348 in 2013 to $61,901 in 2022, overall property crime rates tended to decrease. Additionally, there seems to be a weak positive correlation between the Hispanic population percentage, which increased from 24% in 2013 to 33% in 2022, and property crime rates.
Applying predictive models based on the observed trends, it's projected that by 2029, Rockport may see a continued gradual decrease in overall property crime rates. Burglary and larceny theft are likely to continue their downward trend, while motor vehicle theft may stabilize or slightly increase. Arson incidents are expected to remain low and sporadic.
In summary, Rockport has experienced a general decline in property crime rates over the past decade, with some fluctuations. The most significant improvements have been in burglary and larceny theft rates, while motor vehicle theft has seen a slight increase. These trends, coupled with the city's changing demographics and economic indicators, suggest a gradually improving safety profile for Rockport, though ongoing vigilance and community-based crime prevention strategies will be crucial to maintaining and furthering this positive trajectory.
