Louisiana’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to the latest FBI crime data, Louisiana sees some of the highest violent crime and property crime rates in the nation. But our State of Safety survey tells a different story, one where first-hand crime experiences are decreasing. Still, Louisiana residents remain wary of crime. 

The violent crime rate in Louisiana is 9.12 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Louisiana reported a much lower violent crime rate of 5.1. Only Maryland reports a higher violent crime rate than Louisiana.

Property crime in The Pelican State has also increased in recent years, jumping from 29.96 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 36.33 incidents in this year's report. That's higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89. Only New Mexico reports a higher property crime rate than Louisiana.

Given those high crime rates, it may come as no surprise to learn that only 34% of Louisianans say they feel safe in the state. That's the second lowest confidence level in the nation and represents a decrease from 36% in last year's report.

Daily concerns about overall safety increased year over year from 56% to 63%. Only Pennsylvania residents worry more (66%).

According to our State of Safety survey, Louisianans experienced less property crime compared to the previous year. However, concern about property crime is on the rise across The Pelican State. 

• 55% of Louisiana respondents told us they're highly concerned about property crime, down from 63% the year before (US 46%). 
• Reported experience with property crime dropped from 31% to 25% in our latest survey, but it's still higher than the national average of 21%.
• The percentage of Louisianans who worry about package theft increased slightly from 56% to 60% year over year, while the percentage of those who experienced package theft fell from 37% to 33%. 
• 31% of Louisiana residents told us they increased their security or safety measures in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 32%).
• Louisiana residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (53%), firearms (43%), and security systems (37%). 

Louisianans tend to worry about natural disasters more than the average American. This may not come as a surprise given the state's history of devastating hurricanes and floods.

• 80% of Louisianans expressed concern about Hurricanes—the second highest percentage in the country behind Florida (US 29%).
• 71% worry about floods—the highest percentage nationwide (US 40%).
• Louisiana residents are also among those who worry most about strong winds and extreme temperatures.
• 22% of Louisianans reported evacuating due to a natural disaster in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 9%).

Concern about violent crime remains incredibly high in Louisiana. However, residents who took our State of Safety survey were less likely to have first-hand experience with violent crime compared to the previous year.

• 15% of survey respondents told us they had a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, down from 26% the year before (US 12%). 
• 70% of Louisianans worry about violent crime, down from 71% the previous year (US 55%).
• Only Marylanders (74%) worry about violent crime more than Louisianans. 
• 40% of Louisiana respondents use some form of personal protection.
• Louisianans prefer to protect themselves with firearms (55%), pocket knives (43%), and pepper spray (28%). 

• 71% of Louisianans worry about gun violence, which is the second highest percentage in the nation (US 55%). Only residents of Maryland and Illinois worry more. 
• The percentage of Louisianans who worry about gun violence increased from 66% the previous year.
• 12% of Louisianans told us they had an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, down from 19% the previous year (US 9%).
• 16 mass shooting events occurred in Louisiana in 2025, a decrease from 21 in 2024.

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.

• 33 Louisiana cities met the criteria for ranking.
• Harahan, Louisiana's #1 safest city for 2026, has seen decreases in both violent crime and property crime for two years in a row.
• Slidell also saw year-over-year decreases in both violent and property crime.
• Property crime rates decreased year-over-year in DeRidder, Baker, and Zachary, but violent crime rates in these towns either stayed the same or increased.
• Most of Louisiana's safest cities have crime rates that are lower than the national averages. The violent crime rate in Carencro matches the national average, and the property crime rate in Slidell is slightly higher than the national average.
• Most of the 10 safest cities in Louisiana are located in the southeast portion of the state around major cities like New Orleans, Baton Rogue, and Lafayette, as well as around the northeastern shores of Lake Pontchartrain. 
• Harahan, Mandeville, Broussard, and Carencro reported zero rapes.

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