People researching Lakeway often arrive with a simple question: is it safe? The short answer is yes — but the longer answer is more interesting, and more useful. Lakeway sits on the western edge of the Austin metro, wrapped around Lake Travis and connected to the city via SH-71 and RM-620. It is a city of 19,027 people where the lifestyle leans heavily residential and recreational, and where the crime picture looks genuinely different from what most Texas suburbs of comparable size report.
The numbers that matter most: Lakeway carries a violent crime rate of 1 per 1,000 residents — a figure that sits dramatically below both the Texas state average and the national figure. Property crime is the larger conversation here, and it is worth understanding what actually drives it before drawing conclusions. The sections below break down what the data says, what it does not say, and what prospective residents actually need to know when evaluating safety as part of a relocation decision.
Lakeway is not a city where safety is an afterthought. The Police Department is a four-time accredited agency, the community runs active resident-engagement programs, and the city's income profile — with a median household income of $190,060 — correlates strongly with the kind of neighborhood investment that keeps crime numbers low over time. That context matters when you are trying to figure out whether the crime figures represent something to worry about or simply background noise.
This guide covers Lakeway's violent and property crime rates in detail, contextualizes them against state and national benchmarks, walks through the neighborhood-level safety picture, explains the nature of the property crime that does occur, and gives you a clear sense of what the Lakeway Police Department actually does day to day. Whether you are narrowing down neighborhoods or simply doing due diligence before a move, what follows is the honest, data-grounded picture.
Lakeway's Crime Rates vs. Texas and the Nation
The headline figure is hard to argue with. Lakeway reports a violent crime rate of 1 per 1,000 residents — against a Texas state average of 4 per 1,000 and a national figure of 3.7 per 1,000. That means Lakeway's violent crime rate runs at roughly one-quarter of the state average. For a community of 19,027 people on the outer edge of a major metro, that is a meaningful distinction.
Property crime tells a more textured story. Lakeway's a property crime rate of 12.3 per 1,000 residents sits below the Texas state average of 20.7 per 1,000 and the national average of 18.4 per 1,000 — also a strong result, though less dramatic than the violent crime gap. Understanding what drives that property figure is the more useful exercise, and the next section addresses that directly.
The comparison table this page shows below this section puts all four benchmarks side by side. The pattern it shows is consistent: Lakeway is not merely performing well relative to its immediate neighbors. It is performing well by the standards of cities across the country that report to the FBI's national database.
One honest caveat: Lakeway is a small city, and small-city crime rates can move noticeably from one year to the next on the basis of a handful of incidents. The figures here reflect 2024 FBI data. They represent the current picture accurately, but they should be read as a snapshot rather than a permanent ceiling.
What the Property Crime Number Actually Means
The first thing most people notice when they look at Lakeway's crime data is that property crime — a property crime rate of 12.3 per 1,000 residents — is substantially higher than the violent crime figure. That gap is real, but context changes what it means considerably.
Of the 234 property crime incidents reported in 2024, 191 involved larceny-theft — the category that covers shoplifting, theft from unlocked vehicles, package theft, and similar offenses. That is more than 80% of Lakeway's total property crime count concentrated in a single, lower-severity category. Burglary and motor vehicle theft account for the remainder, and both run at low absolute counts in a city this size.
This breakdown matters because larceny-theft is qualitatively different from the crimes most people picture when they hear "property crime." A stolen package from a doorstep and a home burglary are both counted in the same category in aggregate statistics, but they carry very different implications for how residents actually experience safety in their neighborhood.
Lakeway's property figures sit within a broader national trend of improvement in property crime rather than running against it. The practical takeaway: lock your car, bring packages inside promptly, and do not leave valuables visible in a parked vehicle. These are the behaviors that address the actual risk profile here — not the kind of safety posture that suggests a neighborhood in decline.
Neighborhood Safety Across Lakeway
Lakeway's neighborhoods are not identical in character, and a few have structural features that affect both the perception and the reality of safety. Understanding those differences helps when you are deciding which part of the city fits your priorities. For a deeper look at how the neighborhoods compare on character and housing, see the best neighborhoods in Lakeway guide.
The Hills of Lakeway
The Hills of Lakeway is a 24/7 guard-gated community with a controlled perimeter that keeps through-traffic minimal by design. Residents consistently describe the streets as quiet and private, and the gating structure means that most people moving through the neighborhood either live there or are visiting someone who does. That physical access control adds a layer to safety that crime statistics alone do not fully capture.
Best for: Privacy Quiet
Rough Hollow
Rough Hollow is a master-planned community built around Lake Travis access, trails, and resort-style amenities. Its resident-focused design — meaning the community infrastructure is oriented inward rather than toward pass-through traffic — creates a similar sense of controlled, low-traffic living without a gated perimeter. Families and active residents are drawn here specifically because of how the neighborhood is laid out.
Best for: Families Nature
Serene Hills
Serene Hills sits at the quieter end of Lakeway's residential spectrum. Larger lots, mature tree canopy, and a lower-density layout mean fewer neighbors, less foot traffic, and the kind of privacy that comes with genuine Hill Country acreage. It is not the most amenity-intensive area in the city, but residents who prioritize quiet over convenience find it delivers.
Best for: Privacy Views
Old Lakeway, Flintrock Falls, Lakeway Highlands, Cardinal Hills, Bella Montagna
The remaining neighborhoods — Old Lakeway, Flintrock Falls, Lakeway Highlands, Cardinal Hills, and Bella Montagna — each carry their own character, but share the same city-wide safety profile. None of them have specific crime concentrations that would make them stand out negatively. Old Lakeway, as the oldest part of the city, has a more established residential feel with mature landscaping and long-term owner-occupants who have invested heavily in the community over decades.
Best for: Families Value
The honest note for any Lakeway neighborhood: the property crime that does occur tends to be concentrated in moments of opportunity — unlocked cars near commercial areas, packages left unattended. None of the neighborhoods above have a structural problem that requires a different calculus from a safety standpoint.
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The Lakeway Police Department: What They Actually Do
A crime rate is only partly a function of demographics and geography. It is also a function of how the local police department operates. The Lakeway Police Department is a four-time accredited agency — a designation that requires documented compliance with recognized law enforcement standards and periodic re-evaluation. That accreditation status is worth noting because it is not automatic, and most small Texas cities do not hold it.
The department runs a Citizens Police Academy, a free program capped at 30 participants that is designed to build genuine mutual understanding between residents and officers. It is not a ride-along curiosity program — participants go through a background check, and the department describes the experience as a two-way exchange where officers learn as much about community concerns as residents learn about policing. That framing signals something real about how the department positions itself in the community.
The department also organizes an annual National Night Out event, where residents can tour the facility, meet officers across divisions, and pick up crime-prevention resources. The Lakeway Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association helps run it — which means there is an ongoing civic layer, not just a department event.
What does this mean practically? A department that invests in accreditation, community education, and resident partnership programs tends to be more transparent about the crime it does see, more proactive in communicating patterns to residents, and more responsive to neighborhood-level concerns. The community sentiment data from Nextdoor backs this up: residents describe Lakeway as a place where neighbors actively share local safety information and where the overall sense of security is high.
Six months in, most Lakeway newcomers say the same thing: they expected the city to feel safe given the demographics, but they did not expect how genuinely engaged the police department would feel. It is a specific, earned reputation, not an assumption.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Neighborhood
Lakeway's overall safety profile is strong, but a few practical considerations are worth keeping in mind as you evaluate specific areas. None of them should alarm you — they are the kind of ground-level details that separate an informed decision from one based on statistics alone.
Proximity to Commercial Corridors
The property crime that does occur in Lakeway is heavily concentrated in larceny-theft, which tends to cluster near commercial activity — shopping areas, parking lots, and stretches with higher vehicle turnover. If you are evaluating a home near RM-620's commercial strip, understand that the ambient property crime exposure there is slightly higher than in the interior residential neighborhoods simply by virtue of the foot traffic those areas attract. That is a feature of every city, not a knock on Lakeway specifically.
Gated vs. Non-Gated Living
If controlled access is a priority — for reasons of traffic management as much as security — The Hills of Lakeway's 24/7 guard gate is the only neighborhood in the city that offers it. Every other Lakeway neighborhood relies on the city-wide safety infrastructure: the Police Department, community engagement, and the self-reinforcing effect of a high-income, heavily owner-occupied residential base. For most buyers, the non-gated neighborhoods are more than adequate. For buyers who specifically want a gated perimeter, the options are limited to one.
Emergency Response
A full-campus hospital inside city limits matters for emergency response times in a way that many outer-Austin communities cannot claim. A regional health system of that scale, inside the city rather than a drive away, is a meaningful quality-of-life and safety variable for families and anyone with health considerations.
The Seasonal Reality
Lakeway's population swells in summer. Lake Travis draws significant recreational traffic, and areas near the waterfront see noticeably more strangers moving through than they do in winter. Residents who have been here a few years describe the summer months as the time when the otherwise low-key property crime figures tick up slightly — package and car break-ins near lake access points, mostly. It is not dramatic, but it is the honest seasonal pattern worth knowing before you move.
For a broader picture of how Lakeway's neighborhoods compare on character and community feel, the best neighborhoods guide covers the full picture in detail.
Local Expert Takeaway: Lakeway's violent crime rate — a violent crime rate of 1 per 1,000 residents — is not a marketing claim. It holds up against both state and national benchmarks from the same reporting series. The property crime that does exist here is dominated by larceny-theft: unlocked cars, unattended packages, opportunistic minor theft near commercial areas. That is a behavioral adjustment, not a safety crisis. The Police Department's four-time accreditation and its Citizens Police Academy signal a department that takes community trust seriously. And a full-campus hospital being inside city limits — not a drive away — is the kind of emergency-response infrastructure detail that rarely shows up in a safety conversation but probably should.
Quick Takeaways & FAQs
✅ Lakeway reports a violent crime rate of 1 per 1,000 residents — roughly one-quarter of the Texas state average and among the lowest figures in the Austin metro for a city of this size.
⚠️ Property crime runs below state and national averages, but over 80% of it is larceny-theft — theft from vehicles and similar opportunistic offenses — rather than burglary or serious property crimes.
📍 The Hills of Lakeway is the city's only 24/7 guard-gated neighborhood; every other area relies on the city-wide safety infrastructure, which is strong but not gated.
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