In a revealing intersection of popularity and risk, Houston has emerged as the top U.S. tourist destination where crime poses a real concern to overseas travellers. This is according to new research from Spartacus Law Firm, which scrutinises how visitor numbers overlap with crime rates to establish what they call a “Tourist-Risk Score.”

The study, released Tuesday, analysed metropolitan areas across the United States to examine whether cities drawing large overseas crowds also expose travellers to disproportionate crime. It combines figures from international visitation with overall crime rates to create a composite snapshot of risk.

Houston, Texas, leads the ranking with a score of 88.2, underscoring the complex mix of tourism and low safety ratings. With 887,000 foreign tourists annually and a crime rate of 2,656 per 100,000 residents, Houston presents what researchers identify as “significant exposure to non-violent crimes.”

Detroit, Michigan, ranks just behind Houston with a score of 84.3. It has the highest crime rate among the top 10 cities — 2,941 per 100,000 residents — despite receiving only 220,000 foreign tourists per year. This is followed by Denver, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Seattle, Washington in the top five.

Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Los Angeles in California, Dallas in Texas and Portland, Oregon make up the remaining five in the list.

Reflecting on the findings, Chandon Alexander, CEO of Spartacus Law Firm, noted: “American cities are grappling with a complex challenge where their most attractive tourist destinations often overlap with areas of heightened crime risk, creating safety concerns for both domestic and international travellers… (who) could become targets due to their unfamiliarity with potentially dangerous neighbourhoods adjacent to popular tourist zones.”

This analysis shifts the spotlight from postcard landmarks to local realities — a timely reminder for visitors to weigh their itineraries not only by appeal but by awareness.