BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Louisiana follows behind Mississippi in the highest homicide rates in the nation.
The state of Louisiana has 19.9 homicides per 100,000 people, according to a study based on 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total population in Louisiana was 4,657,757, according to 2020 census data.
Mississippi’s homicide rate is 20.5 and Arkansas’s is 13.
Data on crime in Louisiana showed that the state saw an increase in murders in 2020, a problem not just in the state but nationwide. Before 2020, murders were decreasing but the trend reversed.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office reported 135 homicides in 2022, which is a decrease from 170 in 2021 and 136 in 2020.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said the city of Baton Rouge “will not tolerate any crime of any magnitude” in her State of the City Address. Leaders outlined a plan to combat gun violence, including community engagement, prioritizing gun crimes and high-risk offenses, blight clean up and proactive policing.
