Best places to live in Louisiana (2026)

All 9 ranked places in Louisiana, by all-round score. 1 other place without FBI crime data is on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Kenner, LASmall city · 3-bed $251k · safe54
2. 2Baton Rouge, LAMid-size city · 3-bed $237k · higher crime50
3. 3New Orleans, LABig city · 3-bed $208k · higher crime49
4. 4Lafayette, LACollege town · 3-bed $226k · moderate crime43
5. 5Lake Charles, LASmall city · 3-bed $211k · moderate crime41
6. 6Shreveport, LAMid-size city · 3-bed $152k · higher crime38
7. 7Bossier City, LASuburb · 3-bed $202k · higher crime37
8. 8Alexandria, LASmall city · 3-bed $164k · higher crime34
9. 9Monroe, LASmall city · 3-bed $161k · higher crime34

Cheapest places to live in Louisiana

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Shreveport, LAMid-size city · rent $1,460/mo · cost of living 85$152k
2. 2Monroe, LASmall city · rent $1,320/mo · cost of living 84$161k
3. 3Alexandria, LASmall city · rent $1,340/mo · cost of living 86$164k
4. 4Bossier City, LASuburb · rent $1,460/mo · cost of living 85$202k
5. 5New Orleans, LABig city · rent $1,700/mo · cost of living 93$208k

Safest places to live in Louisiana

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Kenner, LASmall city · violent crime 0.6× the US rate224 per 100k
2. 2Lafayette, LACollege town · violent crime 1.4× the US rate524 per 100k
3. 3Lake Charles, LASmall city · violent crime 1.4× the US rate525 per 100k
4. 4Shreveport, LAMid-size city · violent crime 2.1× the US rate780 per 100k
5. 5Bossier City, LASuburb · violent crime 2.1× the US rate791 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Louisiana

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Alexandria, LA15 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes67
2. 2Shreveport, LA12 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, heat waves64
3. 3Bossier City, LA13 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly heat waves, flooding61
4. 4Monroe, LA17 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes61
5. 5Lake Charles, LA14 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly hurricanes, flooding54

Best places to live for families in Louisiana

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Kenner, LASmall city · kids poor · safety good · 3-bed $251k58
2. 2Lafayette, LACollege town · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $226k48
3. 3New Orleans, LABig city · kids poor · safety poor · 3-bed $208k47
4. 4Baton Rouge, LAMid-size city · kids poor · safety below average · 3-bed $237k45
5. 5Lake Charles, LASmall city · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $211k43

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.