Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Louisiana (2025 Update)

Ever wondered which places in Louisiana you should think twice about after dark? Louisiana is famous for its jazz, food, and bayous—but not all its cities feel equally safe. In this guide, we’ll dive into the ten most dangerous cities in Louisiana for 2025, highlighting their crime profiles and helping you understand the risks.

Whether you live here or are planning a visit, this snapshot will give you the lowdown on violent crime, property crime, and how likely you are to be a victim in each of dangerous cities in Louisiana.

Is Louisiana Dangerous?

The state of Louisiana reports 548 violent incidents with 2,630 property incidents among its 100,000 population in 2025. Each year, 5 people out of 100,000 residents suffer violent crimes, while property crimes affect more than 26 people annually. Louisiana stands above the national norms in terms of violent crime frequency (548 per 100,000) and property crime frequency (2,630 per 100,000).

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Louisiana

Below is our countdown of the ten Louisiana most dangerous cities, ranked by the violent crime rate per 100,000 people. For each, we’ll also share the total crime rate, property crime rate, and what that means in everyday terms.

1. Marksville

Violent crimes occur at a rate of 2,209 per 100,000 individuals in Marksville, making it the most dangerous area in Louisiana, with statistics exceeding four times the statewide average. The criminal activity rate for property offenses in this area measures at 5,628 per 100,000 people, where burglary and theft, and motor vehicle theft crimes belong.

Statistics show Marksville residents risk a 1 in 13 chance of falling victim to crime since violent crime counts to 0.22 per day and property crime totals reach 0.66 incidents per day. Marksville experiences high crime numbers because of its low economic standing, combined with jobless residents and insufficient police departments.

2. Monroe

The violent crime rate in Monroe reaches 2,104 incidents per 100,000 residents. The total number of property crimes in Monroe reaches 6,048 per 100,000 people, with figures showing 211 vehicle thefts that represent 450 per 100,000 residents and various counts of burglaries and thefts.

People living in Monroe experience a risk level of one violent crime victimization in forty-eight possible instances, along with one property crime occurring within every seventeen potential events. Research conducted through community surveys demonstrates that overnight time is dangerous since more than four-fifths of residents avoid walking alone after dark.

3. Alexandria

The violent crime rate in Alexandria measures 1,972 per 100,000 residents, which surpasses the state average by 260%. Property crimes throughout Alexandria reach 6,394 per 100,000 people, with various burglary offenses, theft cases, and automobile theft incidents observed among residents. The population of 47,000 people experiences 5.4 violent crimes combined with 14 property crimes every day.

4. Opelousas

The violent crime rate in Opelousas reaches 1,680 crimes per 100,000 residents, which exceeds statewide statistics by 300% or more. The combined crime statistics for theft combined with burglary, and motor vehicle theft in Opelousas amount to a rate of 5,762 per 100,000. More than 60 residents in 100 people will face violent crime each year, and 17 people among 100 will face property crime incidents annually.

5. New Orleans

The cultural fame of New Orleans does not prevent the city from reporting violent crimes at 1,361 per 100,000 residents, 148% above the Louisiana statewide average. Property offenses in the city reach rates of 5,090 per 100,000 citizens primarily because of burglaries and auto thefts. Individuals traveling to the area must exercise caution because statistics reveal 3.73 violent crimes and 13.95 property crimes daily for each 100,000 residents.

6. West Monroe

The violent crime rate between West Monroe and New Orleans matches exactly at 1,359 per 100,000 residents. The combined rate of property offenses reaches 5,895 incidents per 100,000 citizens in this location, where larceny accompanies auto theft. When residing in this area, the likelihood of experiencing violent crime stands at 1 in 74 and property crime at 1 in 17.

7. Bogalusa

Bogalusa experiences 1,231 violent offenses for every 100,000 residents, thus far, which exceeds the statewide average by 125%. The total number of property crimes recorded as 4,117 for every 100,000 residents includes burglary and car theft among its violations. Violent crime opportunities appear once to every 81 people, together with property crime opportunities at once to every 24 individuals.

8. Jennings

Jennings records 1,012 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents, and its rate exceeds the Louisiana average by 85 percent. The recorded property crime rate reaches 4,880 per 100,000 and includes more than a thousand residential break-ins along with fifty vehicle thefts. The citizens of Jennings face a 1 percent chance of encountering violent crime while property crime risks occur at a 5 percent rate.

9. Baton Rouge

The state capital, Baton Rouge, registers 1,004 violent crimes per 100,000—about 83% above average. Residents face a 5,526 per 100,000 instance of property crime, which comprises 1,244 burglaries along with 3,943 thefts, and 435 vehicle thefts per 100,000. The local residents have a one in one hundred probability of experiencing a violent offense and a one in eighteen chance of property offense occurrence.

10. Bossier City

Bossier City finishes the list by reporting 911 violent crimes per 100,000, which elevates the rate by 66% compared to the state average. Weapons offenses represent 4,570 instances per 100,000 residents among the various property crimes, which consist of larceny, burglary together with automobile theft. Violent crime and property crime statistics translate to 1 out of 110 people facing violent offenses and 1 out of 22 people encountering property offenses.

How We Determine Louisiana's Most Dangerous Cities?

By using crimes per 100,000, we normalize for city size and allow fair comparisons. Cities ranking highest in combined violent and property crime rates are flagged as “most dangerous.”
We gathered this information from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting data in 2025 through analysis of:

• Statistics show homicide along with assault, robbery, and rape at a rate of 100,000 individuals.
• The statistics include burglary together with larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft as property crimes calculated against each population of 100,000 residents.
• The data includes cities with a minimum of 5,000 residents to maintain reliable statistical numbers.

How to Stay Safe in Louisiana’s Worst Cities?

The following are some of the most common ways to stay safe in Louisiana’s worst cities:

1.** Stay Aware of Your Surroundings**: Pay attention to your surroundings by facing forward and keeping your phone in your pocket when walking through unfamiliar zones.
2. Travel in Groups: Travel with friends for enhanced safety when walking during the night.
3. Secure Your Property: Property security requires door locks and parking in well-lit areas alongside installing protective devices such as indoor or outdoor cameras.
4.** Use Local Resources**: Take advantage of local security measures by downloading community alert applications while monitoring the local police.
5. Plan Routes Ahead: Planned routes will enable you to decide areas to avoid while selecting routes that have better exposure to light and increased foot traffic.

FAQs

What city has the highest crime rate in Louisiana?

Marksville records the highest violent crime rate at 2,209 per 100,000 residents and total crimes at 7,837 per 100,000.

What is the #1 most violent city in the U.S.?

As of 2025, smaller cities like St. Louis, MO and Detroit, MI often top national lists. Among U.S. cities over 100,000 people, St. Louis leads with a violent crime rate near 2,000 per 100,000.

Is Baton Rouge or New Orleans more dangerous?

New Orleans has a slightly higher violent crime rate (1,361 per 100,000) than Baton Rouge (1,004 per 100,000), making New Orleans the more dangerous of the two by that metric.

Conclusion

Different cities throughout Louisiana experience radically different crime levels from each other. According to state averages, Louisiana leads the nation with high crime rates (2,630 per 100k for property crime and 548 per 100k for violent crime), but Marksville and Monroe exceed these values significantly by reaching fourfold levels of national crime rates.

Resident safety and visitor protection are possible when people understand the cities that harbor the most crime danger using complete crime statistic analysis. Did these findings shock you in any way? Please share your opinions and stories through the comments section.