Highlights
- Baton Rouge ranks 179th out of 182 cities in WalletHub’s 2025 safety study—second-worst in America
- New Orleans ranks 178th, just ahead of Baton Rouge, though murders dropped 60% from recent peaks
- Shreveport comes in at 155th, making it Louisiana’s “safest” major city
- All three Louisiana cities land in the bottom 20 for home and community safety
- New Orleans crime dropped 43% in two years, showing that rapid improvement is possible
Louisiana’s Three Largest Cities Land Near Bottom of National Safety Rankings
BATON ROUGE, La. (KPEL News) — Louisiana’s three largest cities landed near the bottom of a national safety study. Baton Rouge and New Orleans took two of the five least-safe spots among nearly 200 American cities.
According to WalletHub’s 2025 “Safest Cities in America” report, Baton Rouge ranks 179th safest out of 182 cities. The capital scored 36.23 out of 100. New Orleans came in at 178th with 37.53 points. Shreveport placed 155th with 48.43 points.
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That puts Baton Rouge and New Orleans right alongside Memphis, Detroit, and St. Louis. The numbers confirm what residents already know—public safety remains a serious problem across Louisiana.
What Louisiana Families Need to Know
WalletHub looked at more than 180 cities using 41 different safety measures. The study tracked violent crime rates, traffic deaths, natural disaster risk, and financial stability. Cities got scored in three categories: Home and Community Safety, Natural Disaster Risk, and Financial Safety.
Baton Rouge came in dead last—182nd out of 182—for Home and Community Safety. That category makes up half the total score. It measures violent crime, property crime, police resources, traffic safety, and other protection factors.
New Orleans ranked 181st in that same category. Both cities also scored poorly on Financial Safety. Baton Rouge placed 148th and New Orleans 175th. Those numbers reflect high unemployment, lots of uninsured residents, and people struggling financially…