Growing up or living in Killeen, Texas, you hear all the jokes and tongue-in-cheek remarks about "being safe" (that's the G-rated way of saying, anyway) when it comes to dating here. Our town has a reputation, especially since we're at the intersection of two major highways and home to a military base. But where does Killeen rank when it comes to STD rates, and is our city the "STD capital" of Texas, as some people like to say?

Nope! But we're not far from the top.

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No, Killeen Is Not The STD Capital of Texas

That's according to a report from health and wellness site innerbody.com, which earlier this year used CDC data to compile a list of the 150 cities in the United States with highest STD rates.

Killeen ranked at 66 on the list. The good news is that we're not at the top of the list. The bad news is that we did show up, and ranked about halfway down the list.

So, while you can sigh in relief that we're not #1 in cooties, we're still among the most STD-riddled cities in the entire country. That means it's just as important as ever to be smart, use protection, get tested, and carefully screen the people you date or hook up with.

Another Central Texas City Made the List

Don't worry, Killeen. We're not alone when it comes to representing Central Texas on this icky list. Waco ranked #106.

So Which City in Texas Has the Highest STD Rate?

If not Killeen, who?

That distinction belongs to none other than Lubbock. It ranked #60 on the list. In fact, a lot of Texas cities ranked in the 60s.

#61 - Dallas
#62 - Austin
#63 - Beaumont
#64 - Corpus Christi

Which U.S. City Has the Most STDs?

Thankfully, no Texas city came anywhere close to the top of the list. That said, which U.S. city needs to retake sex-ed?

That would be Jackson, Mississippi. They were ranked #1, followed closely by Baltimore, Maryland and San Francisco, California.

Let's Get Killeen OFF This List

I want my city to be known as number one for most accomplishments, but this right here is definitely not one of them. Practicing safe sex is literally something we’re taught in sex education in school. Besides, with COVID-19 and monkeypox running around, do you really want to be gambling with your health? I’m thinking the answer is no.

Stay safe out there, Texas. This is one "top cities in Texas" list we definitely don't need to be on.

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