Study: Louisiana violent crime rate fifth highest in U.S.

Violent crimes in Louisiana numbered 549.3 per every 100,000 residents of the state as of 2019, the fifth highest rate among the 50 states, according to a new analysis from the website 24/7 Wall St.

The total number of murders in Louisiana in 2019 came in at 544, according to the 24/7 Wall St. analysis of FBI crime data, while the state’s poverty rate was estimated at 19 percent. And the study’s authors pegged Opelousas as the most dangerous city in the state.

Nationwide, the violent crime rate for 2019 was found to be 366.7 incidents per 100,000 Americans, according to 24/7 Wall St. The violent crimes tracked in the study were aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assault and murders or non-negligent manslaughters.

The poorest states also tend to have the highest rates of violent incidents, the study’s authors concluded. New England states, which have relatively high incomes and less poverty, were among the safest in the nation, while many lower-income Southern states had the highest violent crime rates, the analysis found.

The most dangerous cities in Hawaii and Alabama could not be pinpointed due to a lack of municipal crime data in those states, according to 24/7 Wall St.

—

Violent Crime Rates by State as of 2019

Rank (50=Lowest)StateViolent Crime Rate (per 100,000)Total 2019 MurdersIncarceration Rate (per 100,000)Poverty RateMost Dangerous City50Maine115.22014610.9%Biddeford49New Hampshire152.5331977.3%Manchester48Connecticut183.610424510.0%New Haven47Vermont202.21118210.2%Rutland46New Jersey206.92622109.2%Camden45Virginia208.04264229.9%Portsmouth44Kentucky217.122151616.3%Louisville43Wyoming217.41342810.1%Riverton42Rhode Island221.12515610.8%Woonsocket41Idaho223.83547511.2%Garden City40Utah235.6722068.9%South Salt Lake39Minnesota236.41171769.0%Minneapolis38Iowa266.66029311.2%Council Bluffs37Mississippi277.933263619.6%Laurel36Oregon284.411635311.4%Astoria35North Dakota284.62423110.6%Williston34Hawaii285.5482159.3%–32 (tie)Ohio293.253843013.1%Cleveland32 (tie)Wisconsin293.217537810.4%Milwaukee31Washington293.91982509.8%Tacoma30Nebraska300.9452899.9%Omaha29Pennsylvania306.466935512.0%Scranton28West Virginia316.67838116.0%Huntington27Massachusetts327.61521339.4%Springfield26Georgia340.765450713.3%College Park25New York358.655822413.0%Newburgh24Indiana370.837739911.9%South Bend23North Carolina371.863231313.6%Henderson22Florida378.41,12244412.7%Florida City21Colorado381.02183419.3%Sterling20South Dakota399.01742811.9%Rapid City19Montana404.92744012.6%Helena18Illinois406.983230211.5%Sauk Village17Kansas410.810534211.4%Wichita16Texas418.91,40952913.6%Snyder15Delaware422.64838211.3%Wilmington14Oklahoma431.826663915.2%Muskogee13Michigan437.455638113.0%Muskegon Heights12California441.21,69031011.8%Stockton11Maryland454.15423059.0%Baltimore10Arizona455.336555813.5%Phoenix9Nevada493.814341312.5%North Las Vegas8Missouri495.056842412.9%St. Louis7Alabama510.835841915.5%–6South Carolina511.346435313.8%Greenwood5Louisiana549.354468019.0%Opelousas4Arkansas584.624258616.2%West Memphis3Tennessee595.249838413.9%Memphis2New Mexico832.218131618.2%Gallup1Alaska867.16924410.1%Anchorage

Source: 24/7 Wall St.

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square