Lafayette Parish Crime & Safety

Lafayette Parish has a total crime rate of 3099.4 per 100,000 residents, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. This includes both violent crimes (367.2 per 100K) and property crimes (2732.2 per 100K).

Lafayette Parish has a safety score of 7/100, rated "High Crime". A higher safety score indicates lower crime rates relative to other counties nationwide. It ranks #54 out of 63 counties in Louisiana for safety (1 = safest).

The parish's safety score of 95.1 is two points lower than the state average of 97.1. Total crime also significantly exceeds the statewide average of 1853.7 per 100K.

Property crime accounts for 2732.2 incidents per 100K, while violent crime remains near the national average at 367.2. This indicates that theft and burglary are the primary public safety challenges.

Crime data for Lafayette Parish comes from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Local law enforcement agencies submit data on violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) to the FBI. Rates are calculated per 100,000 residents to allow fair comparison between counties of different sizes. The safety score (0-100) is derived from these rates, with higher scores indicating safer counties.

Lafayette Parish has a safety score of 7/100, which is below the Louisiana average of 42/100. Many counties with above-average crime rates invest in community policing, crime prevention programs, neighborhood watch initiatives, and social services aimed at reducing crime over time.