A COMPARISON OF THE CRIME RATES IN TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES IS MADE FOR 1970 THROUGH 1977. OVER THIS PERIOD, CHANGES IN THE OVERALL CRIME RATE IN TEXAS (99.4 PERCENT) WERE HIGHER THAN FOR THE UNITED STATES (84.4 PERCENT); HOWEVER, THE 12.8 PERCENT INCREASE IN VIOLENT CRIMES IN TEXAS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE 29.6 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE INCREASE IN PROPERTY CRIME IN TEXAS (112.8 PERCENT) OVER THE 8-YEAR PERIOD WAS HIGHER THAN FOR THE UNITED STATES (92.7 PERCENT). THE INCREASE IN HOMICIDE RATES WAS SIMILAR (TEXAS, 14.7 PERCENT; UNITED STATES, 12.8 PERCENT), AS WAS THE INCREASE IN THE RATE OF FORCIBLE RAPE (TEXAS, 61.0 PERCENT; UNITED STATES, 59.0 PERCENT). TEXAS HAD A SLIGHTLY GREATER INCREASE IN THE ROBBERY RATE (13.6 PERCENT) THAN DID THE UNITED STATES (9.0 PERCENT), AND THE RATE OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT IN TEXAS INCREASED 6.9 PERCENT COMPARED TO A 48.7 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE. TEXAS EXPERIENCED A GREATER INCREASE IN BURGLARY THAN DID THE UNITED STATES (39.2 PERCENT COMPARED TO 32.1 PERCENT). THE RATE OF LARCENY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IN TEXAS (274.2 PERCENT) THAN IN THE UNITED STATES (217.7 PERCENT). CRIME DATA ARE PRESENTED FOR EACH OF THE 24 STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS IN TEXAS FOR 1978. COMPARATIVE DATA ARE ALSO PRESENTED FOR ALL COUNTIES REPORTING CRIME STATISTICS FOR THE YEARS 1970 AND 1977. THE DATA REPRESENT THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT TO DATE TO PREPARE COMPARATIVE CRIME STATISTICS FOR TEXAS. MAPS AND A LIST OF DEFINITIONS ARE APPENDED. (RCB)