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Crime Rate in Lafayette, LA (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Lafayette, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

17/100
FCritical risk

Crime Index

Population: 122,489
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#2 most dangerous of 5 cities in Louisiana
100% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Lafayette safe?

For 2025, Lafayette scores 17/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade F (critical risk), which means it reports more crime than the typical US city. Its violent-crime rate of 1,131 per 100k is 3.6× the US average, and burglary stands out most: 1,047 reported in 2025, 4.6× the national rate. Reported crime is up 13% since 2021. It ranks #2 most dangerous of 5 cities in Louisiana.

Violent crime
1,131/100k
3.6× US avg
3.1× LA avg
Property crime
3,468/100k
2.3× US avg
2.4× LA avg
Homicide
4.1/100k
in line with US avg
0.7× LA avg
Total reported
4,599/100k
2.6× US avg
2.5× LA avg
2%

Safer than 2% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 88

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 29

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Lafayette

Reported crime in Lafayette is up 13% since 2021.
5,8274,7473,668202120222023202420254,0564,599
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
-1% US
4.1
5 total
Rape
+2% US
35.9
44 total
Robbery
+38% US
66.1
81 total
Aggravated assault
›
4.5× US
1,025
1,255 total

Property crime

Burglary
›
4.6× US
855
1,047 total
Larceny-theft
2.1× US
2,305
2,823 total
Motor vehicle theft
1.6× US
305
373 total
Arson
0.4× US
4.1
5 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

4.08per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

-1% lower than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Lafayette compares

Lafayette against the Louisiana and US averages for 2025.

MetricLafayetteLouisianaUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)17F71C73C
Violent crime /100k1,131362315
Property crime /100k3,4681,4461,487
Homicide /100k4.16.34.1
Total reported /100k4,5991,8081,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

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Security guides for Lafayette

Louisiana Security Guard & Company License: Requirements & How to Verify (2026)

Hiring security in Louisiana? Here's who regulates it, what a company and its guards must be licensed to hold, how armed guards are permitted, and how to verify a license yourself in minutes.

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How Much Does a Security Guard Cost? (2026 US Pricing Guide)

Unarmed guards typically run $20–$35 an hour and armed guards $35–$75 — but the number on your quote is built from local wages, insurance, and coverage hours, and it varies by 50% across states. Here's how security pricing actually works in 2026, state by state, and how to avoid overpaying.

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How to Hire a Security Guard Company: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Hiring security is easy to get wrong — the cheapest bid is often the riskiest. This step-by-step guide walks you through vetting a licensed company the right way, from license checks and state-by-state training standards to the questions that separate pros from pretenders.

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How to Verify a Security Company's License (State-by-State, 2026)

There is no federal security license in the US — every state runs its own registry, and a legitimate company must be in it. Here's exactly how to check, with a state-by-state table of licensing agencies, credentials, insurance minimums, and official lookups.

Read guide

No area has zero risk

A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.

Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →

Compare Lafayette to other Louisiana cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Lafayette.

Kenner71 CLake Charles48 DBossier41 EShreveport14 F

Head-to-head comparisons

Lafayette vs Lake CharlesLafayette vs BossierLafayette vs Shreveport

Frequently asked questions

Is Lafayette safe?
Lafayette has a Crime Index of 17 out of 100 (grade F — critical risk) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #4 of 5 cities in Louisiana by reported crime. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
What does a "F" grade mean?
A "Critical risk" grade means Lafayette's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 0–29 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Lafayette?
The most frequently reported offense in Lafayette for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 2,823 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Lafayette getting better or worse?
Reported crime in Lafayette is up 13% since 2021, so the trend is worsening. Year-to-year figures can shift with FBI reporting changes, not just real crime.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Lafayette?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Lafayette residents face roughly a 1 in 88 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 29 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Lafayette compare to other US cities?
Lafayette is safer than 2% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is 3.1× the Louisiana average and its property-crime rate is 2.4× the Louisiana average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
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