Is Little Rock, Arkansas Safe? 2025 Safety Guide

Visitors and future residents keep asking the same short question: Is Little Rock Arkansas safe? This up-to-date safety guide provides straightforward answers in 2025. It is to ensure you can determine whether to walk down the street after eating, build a family in an age-old street, or reserve an outing trip without fearing it.

All figures and tipping are based on publicly available reports of the city and states, police releases, and legislative associations pamphlets that were up-to-date in case of September 2025.

Is Little Rock, Arkansas Safe?

Little Rock is safer than it was five years ago, but it is not crime-free. The city stands only slightly above the national average of violent crime and far above property crime. Shot shoot Tragedies in the news headlines, but the majority of violence remains within a few zip codes.

Is North Little Rock, Arkansas Safe?

North Little Rock, on the other side of the Arkansas River, maintains a separate police force. The end-of-year 2024 report records that robberies and aggravated assaults have reduced by nine percent and twelve percent, respectively, over the past year 2023. Additional patrols are placed along these areas on a nightly basis: the Argenta Historic District, the river trail, and the new ballpark.

Is West Little Rock, Arkansas Safe?

West Little Rock lies west of I-430 and is connected to Chenal Valley and covers the money corridors of Cantrell and Rahling Roads. This city has the fewest violent crime data within the metro area. The 2024 statistics are the 1.3 violent crimes per a thousand inhabitants, excluding the older eastern wards, which are 11.2.

Is Little Rock Arkansas a Safe Place to Live?

People choose a hometown based on schools, jobs, cost, and peace of mind. The next bullets show how Little Rock scores on the comfort side of that ledger.

• Housing cost versus income: The median home price is $217,000, while the median household income is $58,700. That ratio keeps mortgage stress lower than in most metros, so owners can afford solid doors, cameras, and alarm systems that add safety.

• Health care reach: Three full-scale hospitals sit inside city limits. Ambulance response inside the I-430 loop averages seven minutes, which beats many southern cities and matters if a violent event or traffic crash occurs.

• School security upgrades: The public district added clear-bag rules, single-point entries, and twenty-four-hour camera watch after 2022. Parents report that the visible officers on each campus make them feel the city cares about child safety.

• Job stability: State government, the port, and three corporate headquarters keep unemployment under four percent. Stable work lowers property crime because fewer people turn to theft.

• Neighborhood associations: Fifty-five active groups meet monthly with the police department. The city mails free motion-sensor lights to any block that fills out a safety checklist. That partnership keeps eyes on the street and builds mutual trust.

How Safe Is Little Rock, Arkansas? Crime Rate Overview

The 2024 full-year numbers were released on 15 January 2025. They let us see how often crime really happens and where it clusters.

• Violent crime rate: The city recorded 1,940 violent incidents, which equals 9.8 per one thousand residents. The U.S. big-city average is 8.2, so Little Rock is about nineteen percent higher. Homicide fell from sixty-four in 2020 to forty-nine in 2024, a drop the police link to new shot-spotter microphones and faster EMS response.

• Property crime rate: Police took 8,640 property-crime reports, or 43.5 per one thousand people. The national figure is 27. The most common event is theft from cars in parking lots, followed by apartment mailroom package theft.

• Hot-times map: Monday evening from seven to eleven produces the highest call volume. Friday night runs a close second. Knowing the pattern helps residents plan grocery runs or dog walks at quieter hours.

• Repeat addresses: Forty-two convenience stores and nine motel corridors generated one-quarter of all robbery reports. The city now stations a mobile camera trailer at each of those addresses each weekend night.

• Gun recovery: Officers took 847 firearms off the street in 2024, a thirty-one percent jump from 2023. Each gun removed lowers the chance of an argument turning deadly.

Safest and Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Little Rock, Arkansas

Crime does not spread itself like peanut butter. One block can sparkle while another three streets away stays on edge. The next lists come straight from the 2024 crime map that the Little Rock Police open-data portal published.

Top 10 safest neighborhoods in Little Rock, Arkansas

• Chenal Valley – Master-planned area, private security cars, 0.9 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Pleasant Valley – Southwest of Cantrell, wide lots, good lighting, 1.2 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Westwind – North of Chenal, newer builds, neighborhood Facebook watch, 1.3 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Henson Hollow – Family pocket off Shackelford Road, dead-end streets, 1.4 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Breckenridge – Gated sections, speed humps, 1.5 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Walnut Valley – Split between Little Rock and Pulaski County, the county sheriff adds patrol, with 1.5 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Newport Addition – Near the country club, older money, private patrol contract, 1.6 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Reservoir Park Area – South of I-630, active garden club, monthly clean-ups, 1.7 violent crimes per one thousand.
• Tanglewood – Southwest edge, new elementary school built in 2021, 1.7 violent crimes per one thousand.
• I-430 Corridor Condos – High-rise condos with key-card entries, 1.8 violent crimes per one thousand.

Top 10 neighborhoods to avoid or to enter only with extra care

• South End Roosevelt Road – 31 violent crimes per one thousand, open-air drug trade visible at night.
• 12th and Oak Street Corridor – 28 violent crimes per one thousand, high foot traffic between bus stops and liquor stores.
• Baseline and Interstate Park – 26 violent crimes per one thousand, several motels used as short-term rentals.
• East 21st Street to East 6th Street – 25 violent crimes per one thousand, ageing apartment blocks, poor lighting.
• College Station – 24 violent crimes per one thousand, pockets between highways, and limited police access roads.
• South Main at 65th Street – 23 violent crimes per one thousand, a mixture of vacant lots and fast-food parking.
• Pike Avenue North – 22 violent crimes per one thousand; railroad tracks cut off quick patrol routes.
• Mabelvale Cut-Off – 21 violent crimes per one thousand, small motels, and 24-hour gas stations draw late-night traffic.
• West 26th to West 19th – 20 violent crimes per one thousand, many rentals with high turnover, and limited neighborhood watch.
• Arch and East Cedar – 19 violent crimes per one thousand; empty industrial buildings provide hiding spots.

Safety Tips for Living in Little Rock, Arkansas

Most problems arrive because someone ignores a basic step. The city is not a war zone, yet it still asks you to pay attention. The next pointers come from neighborhood watch leaders and the 2024 police crime-prevention unit.

• Lock, then look again: Half of all stolen cars had keys left inside. Even if you dash into a gas station for coffee, take the keys and lock the door.
• Light your lot: The city hands out free LED porch bulbs. A well-lit yard cuts burglary by thirty percent because thieves hate being seen. Floodlight cameras can also enhance the effectiveness of your surveillance.

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• Use the River Trail in daylight only: The fifteen-mile river path is gorgeous, but sections near the Clinton Library and the Dillard’s headquarters have no lighting after sunset. Plan runs before seven p.m. or pick the NAFTA trailhead section where patrol cars orbit.
• Choose parking spots with a camera in sight: Walmart, Target, and the mall lots post tall poles with blue steady lights. Those poles hold live cameras and call boxes. Thieves skip rows that are watched.
• Join or start a watch text thread: Most burglars hit two homes on the same street within an hour. A fast group text can get a license plate to the police before the second door is kicked.

FAQs

Is it safe to walk around Little Rock, Arkansas?

Yes, in most areas during daylight. Downtown corridors around the library, Capitol, and River Market have uniformed security and camera coverage until ten p.m. After that, use rideshare or walk with a group.

Where to avoid in Little Rock, Arkansas?

Avoid the blocks listed as high-crime above, especially South End Roosevelt, 12th and Oak, and the motel strips on Baseline unless you have a specific reason and daylight hours.

Why is Little Rock dangerous?

Concentrated poverty, easy interstate access that helps drug movement, and leftover blocks of poorly lit rentals allow violent crews to take hold. City programs now focus on those exact gaps.

Conclusion

Little Rock is neither crime-free nor a place you must flee. Violent crime rate decreases, property crime is stable but avoidable, and even the safest neighborhoods are as secure as in any mid-sized southern city. The trick is to select your street attentively, lock your doors, and remain alert at night.

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