Louisiana’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Louisiana reported some of the highest crime rates in the nation. But it’s not all doom and gloom: violent crime in The Pelican State decreased year over year. Despite some improvements, Louisianans are the most concerned state in the country when it comes to general crime and safety.

Even though violent crime dipped year over year, Louisiana is the most concerned state when it comes to violent crime and gun violence, according to our most recent State of Safety survey.

Louisiana has the ninth-highest violent crime rate (down from fourth last year) and the fifth highest property crime crime rate in the US. Property crime in Louisiana rose by 11% year over year and violent crime decreased by 23%.

About 61% of Louisiana survey respondents said they're worried about property crime—the fourth-highest percentage nationwide—and 58% are worried about package theft—more than the national average of 53%. 

• Louisiana's property crime rate is 29.6 incidents per 1,000, 43% higher than the nationwide rate of 20.7.
• 6 in 10 Louisiana respondents told us they're highly concerned about property crime—the fourth-highest in the US.
• Reported experience with property crime dropped from 43% to 34% in our latest survey, but it's still the seventh-highest in the country.
• Burglary accounts for 19% of all property crime in Louisiana (down from 22% last year), which is still higher than the nationwide prevalence of 13%. 
• Of the Louisiana residents who use some form of property protection (83%), most prefer security cameras (47%) or a guard dog (41%).
• Of the Louisianans who use some form of package theft prevention (79%), most prefer to verify delivery and track packages (LA 28%, US 25%).

Over seven in ten Louisiana respondents (73%) told us they are highly concerned about violent crime happening to them, which is the highest percentage in the nation (US 50%).

This fear flies in the face of falling violent crime rates in The Pelican State. This year Louisiana has the ninth highest violent crime rate in the country, but it was No. 1 in last year's report.

• Louisiana's violent crime rate is 5.1 incidents per 1,000 people, down from 6.6 last year.
• Nearly 3 in 10 survey respondents (29%) told us they had a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey—the highest percentage in the US (US 15%).
• Violent crime accounts for 15% of all crime in Louisiana (US 16%).
• 49% of Louisiana respondents use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
• Of the Louisianans who use personal protection, 45% prefer concealed firearms and pocket knives.

• Over 7 in 10 Louisianans worry about gun violence (72%), which is the highest percentage in the nation (US 51%).
• 23% told us they had an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is the third highest percentage in the nation.
• 31 mass shooting events occurred in Louisiana in 2023, an increase from 28 in 2022.
• Firearms are the top method of personal protection (tied with pocket knives) and third most popular choice for property protection in Louisiana according to our State of Safety survey.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 32 Louisiana cities met the criteria for ranking.
• 3 cities are new to the top 10 this year: Addis, Covington, and Mandeville.
• Addis debuts as the safest city in Louisiana this year.
• Zachary made the biggest leap up the list, moving up 13 spots to land in seventh place.
• Rayne reported the fewest total violent crimes with 3—all aggravated assaults.
• Harahan reported the fewest burglaries, with 4.

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.