Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Louisiana?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Louisiana.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Pelican State for 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in Louisiana? The city with the highest murder rate in Louisiana is Bastrop with 83.8 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Louisiana with highest number of murders? The city in Louisiana with the highest number of murders is New Orleans with 201 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Louisiana ranked. There were ‘only’ 35 cities in Louisiana where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 16 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Pelican State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Louisiana
- Cheapest Places To Live In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Louisiana For 2023
/10
Population: 393,779
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 201 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 51.0 (3rd Most)
More on New Orleans: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 32,351
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 20 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 61.8 (2nd Most)
More on Houma: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 45,343
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 21 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 46.3 (5th Most)
More on Alexandria: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,543
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 8 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 83.8 (Most)
More on Bastrop: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 218,060
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 88 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 40.4 (9th Most)
More on Baton Rouge: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 185,588
Rank Last Year: 5
Murders: 69 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 37.2 (10th Most)
More on Shreveport: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 46,808
Rank Last Year: 7
Murders: 19 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 40.6 (8th Most)
More on Monroe: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 11,334
Rank Last Year: 2
Murders: 5 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 44.1 (6th Most)
More on Bogalusa: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 17,374
Rank Last Year: 10
Murders: 6 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.5 (12th Most)
More on Natchitoches: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,387
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 4 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.6 (7th Most)
More on Carencro: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Louisiana
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in Louisiana for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 35 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in Louisiana and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Louisiana For 2023
If you’re looking at the places in Louisiana with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana
- Fastest Growing Cities In Louisiana
- Safest Places In Louisiana
- Best Cities For Singles In Louisiana
- Worst Places To Live In Louisiana
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Louisiana For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans, LA | 201 |
| 2 | Houma, LA | 20 |
| 3 | Alexandria, LA | 21 |
| 4 | Bastrop, LA | 8 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge, LA | 88 |
| 6 | Shreveport, LA | 69 |
| 7 | Monroe, LA | 19 |
| 8 | Bogalusa, LA | 5 |
| 9 | Natchitoches, LA | 6 |
| 10 | Carencro, LA | 4 |
| 11 | Tallulah, LA | 3 |
| 12 | Opelousas, LA | 5 |
| 13 | Hammond, LA | 5 |
| 14 | Westwego, LA | 3 |
| 15 | Zachary, LA | 4 |
| 16 | Lafayette, LA | 14 |
| 17 | Lake Charles, LA | 9 |
| 18 | Kenner, LA | 8 |
| 19 | Ruston, LA | 4 |
| 20 | Breaux Bridge, LA | 2 |
| 21 | Slidell, LA | 4 |
| 22 | Eunice, LA | 2 |
| 23 | Abbeville, LA | 2 |
| 24 | Bossier City, LA | 5 |
| 25 | West Monroe, LA | 2 |
| 26 | Broussard, LA | 2 |
| 27 | Marksville, LA | 1 |
| 28 | St. Gabriel, LA | 1 |
| 29 | Harahan, LA | 1 |
| 30 | Gonzales, LA | 1 |
| 31 | Crowley, LA | 1 |
| 32 | Pineville, LA | 1 |
| 33 | Thibodaux, LA | 1 |
| 34 | Gretna, LA | 1 |
| 35 | Sulphur, LA | 1 |
