Located in the Southern region of the United States, Louisiana is home to 4.6 million residents. Ranked the 25th most populous of the U.S. states, its largest city is New Orleans, and the capital of the state is Baton Rouge. Instead of counties, the political subdivisions of the state are called “parishes.” Fifteen percent of Louisiana’s land mass is water, whether it be lakes, rivers, deltas, coastal marsh, or swamp, giving way to a diverse selection of animal life and vegetation. If you’d like to make the Bayou State your home, here are the ten safest cities in Louisiana.
Related: Check out our Louisiana Public Records guide.
Our list was compiled based on FBI violent crime stats and proprietary backgroundchecks.org research data. Rates are normalized per 100,000 residents with the state average being 515 for violent crime and 3,459 for property crime. This is calculated by taking (# of crimes/population) * 100,000.
Get the Badge!
Did Your City Make the List? Click here to get the badge and display it on your website!
#1 Baker
Located in East Baton Rouge Parish, the city of Baker is home to 13,800 residents. Just five miles from the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, the community sits adjacent to the Baton Rouge Zoo and is known for its popular annual Baker Buffalo Festival in September. Baker is the safest place to live in Louisiana, with a violent crime rate of 185.4 and the chance of being affected by property crime here just 3.2%.
#2 Kenner
A city in Jefferson Parish, Kenner is home to 66,700 residents. Considered a suburb of New Orleans, this community that sits along the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was founded in 1855 and is the site of both the New Orleans airport and its main convention center. Another safe choice, the violent crime rate in Kenner is 239.2, and residents have a 3.8% chance of being involved in a property crime.
#3 Mandeville
Located in St. Tammany Parish, the city of Mandeville is home to 11,500 residents. The community sits on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, across the lake from New Orleans, and the city was awarded Google’s eCity award in 2013. Another safe place to call home, the violent crime rate here is 265.7, and the chance of being affected by property crime in Mandeville is 3.2%.
#4 Jennings
A city in Jefferson Parish, Jennings is home 11,400 residents. Also the parish seat, the community sits halfway between Lake Charles and Lafayette and is known as the “Cradle of Louisiana Oil” due to its history in oil production. The violent crime rate in Jennings is 391.3, and residents of the city have a 2.9% chance of being involved in a property crime.
#5 Gonzales
Located in Ascension Parish, the city of Gonzales is home to 9,700 residents. Settled in the mid-1800’s, the community encompasses 8.5 square miles and is known as the “Jambalaya Capital of the World,” with a popular annual Jambalaya Festival. The violent crime rate here is 435.7, and the chance of being affected by property crime in Gonzales is 7.2%.
#6 Morgan City
A city in St. Mary Parish, Morgan City is home to 12,400 residents. The community sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River, was once named the “jumbo shrimp capital of the world”, and has a nineteen-block historic district. The violent crime rate in Morgan City is 447.4, and residents here have a 3.3% chance of being involved in a property crime.
#7 Slidell
Located in St. Tammany Parish, the city of Slidell has a current population of 27,000 residents. The community lies on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain and is home to the regional National Weather Service office as well as the headquarters of Vesco Tennis Courts and Textron Marine & Land Systems. The violent crime rate here is 450.3, and residents of Slidell have a 5.5% chance of being affected by property crime.
#8 Thibodaux
A city in Lafourche Parish, Thibodaux is home 14,500 residents. Also the parish seat, the community was incorporated in 1830, encompasses 5.5 square miles of land, and is the site of Nicholls State University, a public 287-acre university. The violent crime rate in Thibodaux is 476.2, and the chance of being involved in a property crime here is 4%.
#9 Zachary
Located in East Baton Rouge Parish, the city of Zachary is home to 11,200 residents. Just 16 miles north of the city of Baton Rouge, the community was incorporated in 1889, encompasses 23.9 square miles, and is served by the Zachary Community School Board. The violent crime rate here is 582.9, and residents of Zachary have a 1.8% chance of being affected by property crime.
#10 Bossier City
A city in Bossier Parish, Bossier City is home to 66,300 residents. Considered a sister-city to Shreveport, the community sits on the eastern bank of the Red River, is home to four riverboat casino resorts as well as Barksdale Air Force Base and Louisiana Tech University. The violent crime rate in Bossier City is 596.4, and the chance of being involved in a property crime here is 3.8%.
