Crime & Safety in Lake Charles, LA
Violent and property crime rates, clearance data, and trends — 2024 Data
Crime Overview
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)Violent Crime Rate
6.13
per 1,000 residents
+37% vs national
Property Crime Rate
24.70
per 1,000 residents
+14% vs national
Total Crimes
2,404
2024
Violent Clearance
39%
cases solved
-8% vs national
Property Clearance
9%
cases solved
vs Similar Cities
+82%
vs 50K-100K avg
+82% vs 50K-100K
YoY Change
-3.7%
violent crime rate
improving vs 2023
How Lake Charles Compares
Source: FBI (2024)Lake Charles vs Similar Cities
Source: FBI (2024)Compared to cities with 50,000 - 100,000 residents. Lake Charles is highlighted in green.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)
Murder Rate (per 1,000)
Violent Crime Clearance Rate
Crime Rate Trends
Source: FBICrime Composition
Source: FBI (2024)Violent Crime Breakdown
Property Crime Breakdown
Crime Clearance (Solve) Rates
Source: FBI (2024)Lake Charles police solve 69% of murder cases but only 5% of rape cases. The national violent crime clearance rate is 42%.
Weapon Used in Violent Crime
Source: FBI (2024)Crime Breakdown
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024)| Crime Type | Category | Count | Rate per 1K | Clearance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | Violent | 13 | 0.17 | 69.2% |
| Rape | Violent | 41 | 0.53 | 4.9% |
| Robbery | Violent | 50 | 0.64 | 20.0% |
| Aggravated Assault | Violent | 374 | 4.80 | 44.1% |
| Burglary | Property | 478 | 6.13 | 16.7% |
| Larceny/Theft | Property | 1,288 | 16.52 | 6.1% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | Property | 160 | 2.05 | 12.5% |
Lake Charles, LA reported 478 violent crimes and 1,926 property crimes in 2024. The violent crime rate of 6.13 per 1,000 residents is 36.8% above the national average of 4.48 per 1,000. Law enforcement cleared 39% of violent crimes. Larceny/theft accounts for 1,288 of the property crime reports. Firearms were involved in 42.8% of aggravated assaults. Compared to similarly sized cities (50,000 - 100,000 population), Lake Charles's violent crime rate is 82% higher. Violent crime has been trending downward.
Crime History
Source: FBI| Year | Violent | Property | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 478 | 1,926 | 6.13 | 24.70 |
| 2023 | 486 | 2,245 | 6.36 | 29.39 |
| 2022 | 487 | 2,406 | 6.32 | 31.22 |
| 2021 | 449 | 2,184 | 5.68 | 27.63 |
| 2020 | 410 | 2,528 | 5.18 | 31.97 |
| 2019 | 413 | 2,907 | 5.25 | 36.92 |
| 2018 | 575 | 3,777 | 7.39 | 48.52 |
| 2017 | 639 | 3,524 | 8.23 | 45.38 |
| 2016 | 655 | 3,153 | 8.52 | 41.02 |
| 2015 | 561 | 3,057 | 7.42 | 40.46 |
School Shootings
Source: The Washington PostTotal Incidents
1
Total Killed
0
Total Injured
1
| Date | School | Killed | Injured | Type | Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2017 | Moss Bluff Elementary School | 0 | 1 | accidental | .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun |
Data from The Washington Post, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.