Violent Crime Rate is Falling in Louisiana

As the Louisiana crime rate remains a top concern for Louisianans — and as local and state leaders continue efforts to address it — there is good news to share: those efforts are paying off.

Violent crime in general, and murder specifically, fell substantially in Louisiana in 2022, according to Uniform Crime Report data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in mid-October.

Louisiana’s decline in 2022 was substantially larger than both the national average as well as neighboring states. In addition, publicly available data from the state’s largest law enforcement agencies suggests another sizable decline may be occurring in 2023. 

The FBI estimated that Louisiana’s violent crime rate fell 5 percent in 2022, from 663 per 100,000 in 2021 to 629 per 100,000 in 2022. The state’s murder rate declined by 18 percent in 2022, from 19.6 per 100,000 people in 2021 to 16.1 per 100,000 in 2022. Both measures rose beginning in 2020 following national increases in murder and violent crime in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 1 - Louisiana Violent Crime and Murder Rates Per 100,000, 1980 - 2022 (Source: FBI)

Louisiana experienced a larger decline in crime in 2022 compared to neighboring states as well as the national average. Louisiana had a larger percent change in violent crime rate than all but one neighboring state (Arkansas) and a larger percent change in murder rate than each of the neighboring states. Louisiana’s decline in both violent crime and murder were roughly three times larger than the national average in 2022.

Figure 2 – Comparison of Change in Violent Crime and Murder Rates, 2022 (Source: FBI)

There is only limited publicly available crime data for Louisiana law enforcement agencies in 2023. The New Orleans Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department, Shreveport Police Department, and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office accounted for 36 percent of statewide violent crime in 2022 and 57 percent of statewide murders. Those four agencies are the only agencies with publicly available data for 2023.

Murder is down 20 percent in those four agencies and violent crime is down 14 percent. Baton Rouge does not report violent crime data, though violent crime Calls for Service in Baton Rouge are down 5 percent this year. The decline in violent crime in New Orleans is particularly notable with a 44 percent decrease in carjackings, a 33 percent decrease in armed robbery, and a 25 percent decrease in murder so far this year as of early October. These four jurisdictions have typically been strongly predictive of the statewide trend, especially for murder, with the statewide trend matching the change in these jurisdictions in 16 of the 20 years between 2000 and 2020.

These reports are evidence that the targeted efforts of law enforcement and community leaders, primarily at the local level, are working. Creating safer, stronger, more thriving communities is indeed possible when leaders come together to problem solve, use strategies proven to work, target their efforts, and measure their progress. It’s a winning strategy that, if continued, can make a real difference in the lives of Louisianans and allow our state to thrive.