Louisianans like to think that the only danger lurking in their state is the defensive line on the New Orleans Saints or running out of gas while hunting alligators in Shreveport, but that’s not the case.
Danger lurks in the top ten most dangerous cities in the Bayou State.
How’d we determine the most dangerous places in Louisiana? We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI’s latest crime numbers for violent and property crime statistics per capita for every place with over 5,000 residents in Louisiana.
These Louisiana cities contribute to the state’s ranking as the 3rd dangerous state in the country.
2,714 violent crimes /100k · 6,596 property crimes /100k · #1 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
Folks in Alexandria already know to avoid the city’s northeast side, the hotbed of its criminal activity. But they may not know that two violent crimes go down in Alexandria each day. So while there are lions and tigers and bears at The Alexandria Zoo, the really scary stuff is happening on the city’s streets.
While Alexandria doesn’t top this list, it did have the highest overall crime rate, which is nearly quadruple the national average.
That’s because Alexandria had the highest rate of property crime in Louisiana, with residents facing a 1 in 15 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged in 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,892 violent crimes /100k · 5,733 property crimes /100k · #2 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Monroe ranks as Louisiana’s second most dangerous city, mostly thanks to all the violence that goes down there. Monroe had the 20th highest rape and 11th highest murder rates in Louisiana.
Overall, residents had a 1 in 52 shot of being the victim of violence over 2024. That gives Monroe the second highest violent crime rate in all of Louisiana.
Monroe also experienced 649 burglaries over the year; we just hope nobody’s planning to heist the local Biedenharn Museum.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,422 violent crimes /100k · 4,834 property crimes /100k · #3 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Bastrop has consistently improved its crime numbers in recent years, but it still hasn’t quite figured things out. Still, a drop in violent crime and a drop in property crime are encouraging signs.
However, residents of Bastrop had a 1 in 20 chance of having their belongings stolen or vandalized over 2024. In other words, you might want to padlock your picnic basket before a day out at Chemin-A-Haut State Park.
Additionally, Bastrop had the second highest burglary rate in Louisiana, with 118 such cases recorded over the year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,369 violent crimes /100k · 5,019 property crimes /100k · #4 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
The data is in, and Opelousas turned out to be the fourth most dangerous city in Louisiana for 2026. Once a haven of gambling and prostitution, Opelousas has had a tough time moving away from those sorts of criminal activities. You can still gamble at Evangeline Downs, but you shouldn’t brag about your winnings too much.
That’s because Opelousas is the fourth most violent place in Louisiana, with residents facing a 1 in 73 shout of being assaulted, robbed, raped, or outright killed.That includes the 11th highest rape and highest murder rate statewide.
Opelousas didn’t fare much better in the property crime, considering the city also had the seventh highest burglary rate in Louisiana. Opelousas is located about 25 miles north of Lafayette.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,156 violent crimes /100k · 5,886 property crimes /100k · #7 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
West Monroe might not be as crime-ridden as its eastern neighbor, but it’s still far from safe. Property crime here ranked as the second highest in Louisiana, with folks facing a 1 in 17 chance of having something stolen or damaged over 2024.
There was also an average of two violent crimes here each week. So if you’re going out for a walk at Kiroli Park, bring a buddy and get home before the sun sets.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,228 violent crimes /100k · 3,990 property crimes /100k · #5 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third-largest city in the state of Louisiana and the 122nd-largest city in the United States. It is the seat of Caddo Parish and extends along the Red River into neighboring Bossier Parish. Bossier City is separated from Shreveport by the Red River. The population of Shreveport was 199,311 in 2010, and the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Area population exceeds 441,000. The Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks 111th in the United States, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,131 violent crimes /100k · 4,214 property crimes /100k · #8 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Washington Parish, Louisiana
Bogalusa gets its name from a Choctaw phrase meaning “smoky water.” Located in the far eastern part of the state, near the Mississippi border, Bogalusa existed as a lumber town for much of its early history, with sawmills and, eventually, paper mills dominating the economy.
You can imagine how dangerous a sawmill could be. A sharpened metal instrument designed to cut a tree in half will make quick work of a human torso. (Sorry, that got a little gruesome.) But saw accidents fall behind crime in terms of the dangers in this area. In fact, in town of just 10,252 people, Bogalusa saw 1 homicides last year — the number 21 highest murder rate in Louisiana.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,066 violent crimes /100k · 4,348 property crimes /100k · #9 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city located along the Vermilion River in southwestern Louisiana. The city of Lafayette is the fourth-largest in the state, with a population of 127,657 according to 2015 U.S. Census estimates. It is the principal city of the Lafayette, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a 2015 estimated population of 490,488. The larger trade area or Combined Statistical Area of Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City CSA was 627,146 in 2015. Lafayette is the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Its nickname is The Hub City.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
891 violent crimes /100k · 4,385 property crimes /100k · #13 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
As one of Louisana’s oldest cities, you’d think Natchitoches would have gotten its act together by now. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the poorest places in Louisiana, with about a third of the population living below the poverty line.
It makes you wonder how many residents can actually enjoy everything on display in the historic shopping district. Apparently not many, since Natchitoches had the third highest burglary rate statewide.
Not to mention the 5 murders in 2024; enough to give Natchitoches the sixth highest murder rate in Louisiana.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1,215 violent crimes /100k · 3,291 property crimes /100k · #6 most violent in Louisiana
Located in
Iberville Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,064 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Louisiana’s statewide median.
On the map
Where crime hits hardest in Louisiana
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Louisiana for 2026?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Louisiana. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Louisiana, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the 2024 data, specifically the 2024 Crime In The United States Report for Louisiana.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Louisiana cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 39 cities in Louisiana.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 39 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Louisiana — Alexandria. Any ties went to the smaller city.
This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our eleventh time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Louisiana and is updated for 2026.
The full plate
Crime By City In Louisiana
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Dangerous Index | Population | Total Crimes Per 100K | Violent Crimes Per 100K | Property Crimes Per 100K | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandria | 1.00 | 42,933 | 9,310 | 2,714 | 6,596 | 16 |
| 2 | Monroe | 2.50 | 46,290 | 7,626 | 1,892 | 5,733 | 7 |
| 3 | Bastrop | 4.00 | 8,792 | 6,256 | 1,422 | 4,834 | 2 |
| 4 | Opelousas | 4.00 | 15,263 | 6,388 | 1,369 | 5,019 | 6 |
| 5 | West Monroe | 4.50 | 12,368 | 7,042 | 1,156 | 5,886 | 1 |
| 6 | Shreveport | 7.00 | 175,092 | 5,219 | 1,228 | 3,990 | 47 |
| 7 | Bogalusa | 8.00 | 10,252 | 5,345 | 1,131 | 4,214 | 1 |
| 8 | Lafayette | 8.00 | 121,471 | 5,414 | 1,066 | 4,348 | 18 |
| 9 | Natchitoches | 9.50 | 16,945 | 5,276 | 891 | 4,385 | 5 |
| 10 | Plaquemine | 10.00 | 5,925 | 4,506 | 1,215 | 3,291 | 2 |
| 11 | Jennings | 12.00 | 9,230 | 4,355 | 1,008 | 3,348 | 1 |
| 12 | Bossier City | 12.00 | 62,750 | 4,593 | 913 | 3,680 | 7 |
| 13 | New Iberia | 13.00 | 26,653 | 4,135 | 1,009 | 3,125 | 9 |
| 14 | Walker | 15.00 | 6,398 | 3,892 | 703 | 3,188 | 0 |
| 15 | Gretna | 16.00 | 16,788 | 4,229 | 429 | 3,800 | 2 |
| 16 | Minden | 18.00 | 11,050 | 3,330 | 796 | 2,534 | 3 |
| 17 | Gonzales | 18.50 | 14,259 | 4,299 | 365 | 3,934 | 2 |
| 18 | Morgan City | 19.50 | 10,701 | 3,383 | 551 | 2,832 | 1 |
| 19 | Ruston | 20.00 | 22,259 | 3,383 | 427 | 2,956 | 3 |
| 20 | Lake Charles | 20.00 | 77,982 | 3,083 | 613 | 2,470 | 13 |
| 21 | Sulphur | 22.50 | 19,955 | 3,292 | 376 | 2,917 | 2 |
| 22 | Scott | 23.50 | 8,917 | 2,299 | 662 | 1,637 | 1 |
| 23 | Kenner | 24.00 | 62,377 | 3,177 | 345 | 2,833 | 6 |
| 24 | Ponchatoula | 24.50 | 7,784 | 2,428 | 450 | 1,978 | 3 |
| 25 | Westwego | 24.50 | 8,021 | 2,518 | 424 | 2,095 | 0 |
| 26 | Thibodaux | 24.50 | 15,562 | 3,232 | 257 | 2,975 | 1 |
| 27 | Carencro | 25.50 | 13,985 | 2,438 | 415 | 2,024 | 1 |
| 28 | Baker | 27.50 | 11,933 | 2,145 | 402 | 1,743 | 1 |
| 29 | Zachary | 28.50 | 20,142 | 2,353 | 333 | 2,021 | 1 |
| 30 | Slidell | 28.50 | 28,449 | 2,541 | 257 | 2,285 | 1 |
| 31 | Tallulah | 29.00 | 5,638 | 798 | 461 | 337 | 0 |
| 32 | Broussard | 29.50 | 14,906 | 2,348 | 195 | 2,153 | 1 |
| 33 | De Ridder | 31.00 | 9,517 | 1,744 | 294 | 1,450 | 0 |
| 34 | Patterson | 34.50 | 5,550 | 811 | 270 | 541 | 0 |
| 35 | Covington | 34.50 | 11,641 | 1,185 | 172 | 1,014 | 0 |
| 36 | Mandeville | 35.00 | 13,053 | 1,364 | 130 | 1,233 | 0 |
| 37 | Addis | 36.50 | 7,797 | 834 | 141 | 693 | 1 |
| 38 | Rayne | 37.00 | 6,910 | 955 | 72 | 883 | 0 |
| 39 | Harahan | 37.00 | 8,596 | 826 | 105 | 721 | 0 |
Source: FBI UCR 2024. 39 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Locking It All Up In Louisiana
So what is the most dangerous city in Louisiana? After analyzing 39 cities in Louisiana, Alexandria takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Louisiana based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2024.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Alexandria ranks as the most dangerous city in Louisiana for 2026.
The most dangerous cities in Louisiana are Alexandria, Monroe, Bastrop, Opelousas, West Monroe, Shreveport, Bogalusa, Lafayette, Natchitoches, and Plaquemine.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Alexandria and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
Questions and answers
Most Dangerous Places To Live In Louisiana FAQs
Is Louisiana a dangerous state?
Yes, Louisiana is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #2 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Louisiana ranks fifth most dangerous in the United States — 72.91% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Pelican State ranks most dangerous in the United States — 47.58% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Is New Orleans, LA a dangerous city?
Yes, New Orleans is a dangerous city. New Orleans ranks as the #23 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though New Orleans might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Lake Shore-Lake Vista is the safest in New Orleans, while Tulane-Gravier is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in New Orleans ranks 14th highest in America — 160.89% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 28th highest in the United States — 70.07% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
