Is Lake Charles, LA Safe? 2026 Crime Rates & Safety Report
Key facts
- 01
Lake Charles, Louisiana reported 495.84 burglary offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.64 times the national reference of 188.15 per 100,000 and 307.69 per 100,000 above that reference, with 405 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 02
Lake Charles, Louisiana reported 525.23 aggravated assault offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.29 times the national reference of 229.56 per 100,000 and 295.67 per 100,000 above that reference, with 429 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 03
Lake Charles, Louisiana reported 1,716.48 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.55 times the national reference of 1,106.97 per 100,000 and 609.51 per 100,000 above that reference, with 1,402 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 04
Lake Charles, Louisiana reported 68.56 robbery offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.42 times the national reference of 48.24 per 100,000 and 20.32 per 100,000 above that reference, with 56 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 05
Lake Charles, Louisiana reported 166.51 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 0.86 times the national reference of 193.00 per 100,000 and 26.49 per 100,000 below that reference, with 136 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
Quick answer
In the Safety Atlas 2026 public safety index, Lake Charles, LA has an adjusted safety score of 33.68 out of 100. It ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Louisiana. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as stable.
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Data, definitions and reuse
Violent: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. Property: burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, arson. Subcategories are excluded to avoid double counting. Counts are offenses reported to police in this jurisdiction, not rates, neighborhood scores or a census of all crime.
| Month | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 159 |
| Feb | 30 | 148 |
| Mar | 53 | 136 |
| Apr | 47 | 200 |
| May | 43 | 173 |
| Jun | 46 | 194 |
| Jul | 71 | 154 |
| Aug | 37 | 202 |
| Sep | 37 | 146 |
| Oct | 44 | 155 |
| Nov | 41 | 154 |
| Dec | 48 | 125 |
Reuse under CC BY 4.0; indicate changes. The downloaded image carries our name, licence and source in its metadata. Embed code:
<img src="https://www.safetyatlas.us/img/charts/lake-charles-la-crime-trend-2025.webp" alt="Chart of Lake Charles, LA crime statistics: Lake Charles reported 533 violent offenses in 2025, 10.8% more than in 2024. Shows a dot chart of violent offenses in 2024 and 2025." width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto">
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.safetyatlas.us/safety/la/lake-charles">Safety Atlas, Lake Charles, LA</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.</p>
2026 edition, FBI source year 2025.
Lake Charles in 7 numbers
- Burglary fell 16%. 405 reports in 2025 vs 481 in 2024 (−16%), the largest year-over-year move of any indicator offense.
- More than a third of all reports are property crime. 2,098 of 5,164 reports (40.6%); larceny-theft alone is 1,402 (27.1%).
- Clearances skew toward violent crime. 50% of homicides cleared vs 4.4% of larcenies and 13.3% of burglaries (2025, reports cleared ÷ reports received).
- Aggravated Assault moved the other way. Up 14% (429 vs 375), with July (64) running 2.8× February (23).
- Burglary is volatile but down. Monthly counts swung 2.7× (Apr 54 vs Sep 20); the year finished 16% below 2024.
- The biggest volume isn’t violent. Simple assault (1,188) and vandalism (560) dwarf the whole personal-safety total (548, 10.6% of reports).
- Small months, big bars. December’s 21 burglaries vs April’s 54 is a gap of 33 reports, monthly charts amplify small-number swings. Read the 12-month direction, not one bar.
Takeaways are computed from FBI CDE reported counts (source year 2025, LA0100200). They describe reported data, not forecasts; check the methodology and coverage notes before reuse.
Every number on this page ships in the Louisiana workbook.
Key Public Safety Indicators
Reported rates per 100,000 residents; national references shown alongside.
| Offense Class | Annual Count | Rate per 100K | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 56 | 68.56 | 48.24 |
1.42× national |
| Aggravated Assault | 429 | 525.23 | 229.56 |
2.29× national |
| Burglary | 405 | 495.84 | 188.15 |
2.64× national |
| Larceny-theft | 1402 | 1716.48 | 1106.97 |
1.55× national |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 136 | 166.51 | 193.0 | 0.86× national |
Lake Charles monthly trend: reported counts through December 2025
Annual totals hide timing. The bars below show 2025 reported counts per month for the three highest-relative indicator offenses; each table carries the same numbers with FBI pre-computed rates. The full 19-offense monthly series (2020-2025) is downloadable below.
Burglary, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 405 reports vs 481 in 2024 (down 16% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 37 | 46.09 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 35 | 43.6 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 29 | 36.12 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 54 | 67.26 | Full |
| May 2025 | 36 | 44.84 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 46 | 57.3 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 31 | 38.61 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 37 | 46.09 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 20 | 24.91 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 26 | 32.39 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 33 | 41.11 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 21 | 26.16 | Full |
Aggravated Assault, month by month
↑ Increasing, 429 reports vs 375 in 2024 (up 14% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 28 | 34.88 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 23 | 28.65 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 41 | 51.07 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 36 | 44.84 | Full |
| May 2025 | 30 | 37.37 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 35 | 43.6 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 64 | 79.72 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 38.61 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 37.37 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 37 | 46.09 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 35 | 43.6 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 39 | 48.58 | Full |
Larceny-theft, month by month
→ Stable, 1402 reports vs 1296 in 2024 (about level in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 108 | 134.53 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 99 | 123.32 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 103 | 128.3 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 141 | 175.64 | Full |
| May 2025 | 116 | 144.49 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 135 | 168.16 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 110 | 137.02 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 147 | 183.11 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 114 | 142 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 120 | 149.48 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 112 | 139.51 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 97 | 120.83 | Full |
Clearances: what got cleared in 2025
50% of homicides cleared vs 4% of larcenies, clearance follows violent crime, not volume.
| Offense | Reported | Cleared | Clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 14 | 7 | 50.0% |
| Aggravated Assault | 429 | 170 | 39.6% |
| Robbery | 56 | 24 | 42.9% |
| Burglary | 405 | 54 | 13.3% |
| Larceny-theft | 1,402 | 62 | 4.4% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 136 | 12 | 8.8% |
Clearances ÷ reports received; clearances may concern earlier reports, so this is not a solve rate.
Monthly counts and FBI pre-computed rates per 100,000, FBI CDE source year 2025, LA0100200. Rates use FBI month-specific covered-population denominators and are shown as published, not recomputed. A hyphen (-) means not reported, not zero. Annual totals equal the sum of shown months within ±2% (see manifest).
Downloads: Lake Charles monthly series (JSON) · same data (CSV) · build manifest
Comparing Lake Charles to somewhere else? Take the file with you.
What drives Lake Charles's safety score?
Lake Charles ranks in the bottom quarter of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Louisiana, ahead of approximately 17% of that scored set. The profile uses a reporting population of 81,679 and source-year data through 2025; it is a citywide agency-level comparison, not a neighborhood forecast.
The strongest of the three score components is Property Security at 50.11, while Community Order is lowest at 24.06. The 26.05-point spread shows why the composite should be read by component instead of as a single absolute claim about safety.
Among the five public offense indicators, Burglary is highest relative to its national reference at 495.84 per 100,000 (2.64× the national rate). Motor Vehicle Theft is lowest on the same relative basis at 166.51 per 100,000 (0.86× national).
Coverage check: 18 of 18 tracked offense classes have reportable values in this profile. Missing values are not converted to zero.
Public indicator mix
Lake Charles, Louisiana recorded 1,402 larceny-theft offenses in 2025, 57.7% of the 2,428 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 56 robbery reports (2.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Lake Charles, Louisiana recorded 429 aggravated assault offenses in 2025, 17.7% of the 2,428 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 56 robbery reports (2.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Lake Charles, Louisiana recorded 405 burglary offenses in 2025, 16.7% of the 2,428 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 56 robbery reports (2.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Lake Charles, Louisiana uses a reporting population of 81,679 residents and has values for 18 of the 18 tracked offense classes (100.0%) in its 2025 profile; coverage describes available classes rather than the share of residents reporting crime.
Lake Charles, Louisiana has an adjusted score of 33.68 points out of 100 versus 51.69 in Kenner, Louisiana, a difference of 18.01 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Lake Charles ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Lake Charles, Louisiana has an adjusted score of 33.68 points out of 100 versus 47.83 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a difference of 14.15 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Lake Charles ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Detailed Crime Class Breakdown
Additional tracked offense classes
- Homicide
- Rape
- Kidnapping/Abduction
- Human Trafficking
- Arson
- Theft From Building
- Theft From Motor Vehicle
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Stolen Property Offenses
- Vandalism
- Weapon Law Violations
- Drug/Narcotic Violations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lake Charles safe compared to other places in Louisiana?
Lake Charles is classified as having low relative safety in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index. It has an adjusted safety score of 33.68 out of 100 and ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Louisiana.
What is the crime rate in Lake Charles?
Public offense rates are listed above.
What is Lake Charles's safety rating?
Lake Charles's safety rating in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index is 33.68 out of 100, which ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Louisiana. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as stable, using source-year data through 2025.
What is the safest neighborhood in Lake Charles?
This profile covers the reporting jurisdiction; consult local sources for neighborhood detail.
Why are some crime statistics locked for Lake Charles?
Full offense series: state workbook.
How fresh is the monthly crime data on this page?
Monthly figures track FBI CDE source year 2025, the same vintage as the annual table above. A new FBI release typically lags several months; the caption stamps the source year and export date. Values can revise when the FBI re-publishes. Full monthly series for Lake Charles are downloadable as JSON and CSV.
Why does the monthly chart move so much?
Monthly counts are small numbers, a difference of a few reports swings the bar. Reporting practice, staffing, and seasonal patterns all move single months. Read the 12-month direction in the trajectory line, not one bar. This profile measures the reporting jurisdiction only; it cannot rank neighborhoods within Lake Charles.
What does the clearance rate on this page mean?
It divides 2025 reports cleared by 2025 reports received for that offense, including clearances of earlier reports, so it is a workload snapshot, not a guarantee a given case is solved. In Lake Charles, violent offenses clear at far higher rates than property offenses (homicide 50%, larceny-theft 4.4%). Monthly clearance detail is not published yet.
Reading notes
Safety Atlas methodology · 2026 coverage report
Cite This Public Safety Profile
Citation formats:
Primary Source Data Integrity
- Crime Counts: FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database.
- Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimate boundaries.
- Methodology: Adjusted per-capita normalization with small-sample relief controls. View our complete Methodology Documentation.