New Orleans, Louisiana Ranks No. 9 in the Country When It Comes to Homicides

NEW ORLEANS, La. (KPEL News) - Unfortunately for the Big Easy, as much as it boasts some of the state's biggest tourist attractions, it's also a hotbed of some of the worst crimes. It's been the focus of news reports and plenty of spilled ink.

A new study, this time from WalletHub, only makes things worse.

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In their latest study, WalletHub looks at the Cities with the Biggest Homicide Rate Problems, and New Orleans has landed in the Top 10.

Cities with Biggest Homicide Rate Problems

1. Memphis, TN
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Kansas City, MO
4. Washington, DC
5. Detroit, MI
6. Richmond, VA
7. St. Petersburg, FL
8. Chicago, IL
9. New Orleans, LA
10. Oklahoma City, OK

New Orleans Homicide - By the Numbers

WalletHub looked at a few different metrics when determining its list, all based on the second quarter of the year (April through June): Homicide Cases Per Capita, Change in Homicide Cases Per Capita (2023 vs. 2022), and Change in Homicide Cases Per Capita (2023 vs. 2021).

In Homicide Cases Per Capita, New Orleans ranked No. 4 in the country with 10.42 homicide cases per 100,000 people. According to WalletHub, that number has dropped by 3.39 cases per capita since the second quarter of 2022, which is the lowest among the 40 cities surveyed.

However, this year's number is up slightly, 0.26, since 2021, which is the seventh-highest increase on the list.

Red vs. Blue

WalletHub also looked at the typical political alignment of the cities - specifically, the party of the mayor of the city - on the list and found that typically "blue" (Democratic) cities have a higher increase in their homicide rates than typically "red" (Republican) cities.

A Growing Problem?

Crime rates, in general, have been growing since the COVID-19 pandemic, and even with some dips in the past year or so, homicide levels are still higher than they were before the pandemic.