The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Jackson Parish, LA
Jackson Parish is home to 14,900 residents and includes Jonesboro and Chatham · Updated November 2026
Is Jackson Parish, LA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Jackson Parish has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 98% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 986 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
98% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Jackson Parish as a whole, and 2% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Jackson Parish scores 986.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Jackson Parish, LA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Jackson Parish, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Jackson Parish
Thefts are uncommon. Jackson Parish has thefts at less than half the US rate: 4.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Jackson Parish
Every part of Jackson Parish where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Jackson Parish run from A+ to A; every part of Jackson Parish has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the north side has the least crime and the west side the most.
Is crime going up in Jackson Parish?
Reported property crime in Jackson Parish has fallen 55% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 3.3 to 1.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 40%.
Property crime, change since 2019
Jackson ParishUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Jackson Parish. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Jackson Parish
Property, US
2016
-1%
+15%
2017
-5%
+12%
2018
+100%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+44%
-8%
2021
+89%
-10%
2022
+56%
-6%
2023
-25%
-7%
2024
-55%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Jackson Parish
CrimeGrade™ estimates Jackson Parish has about 9.6 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 74% less than the US as a whole and 79% less than Louisiana.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft makes up about 44% of crime reported in Jackson Parish. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does far more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Jackson Parish compares with nearby counties
Jackson Parish has less crime than 9 of its 10 nearest counties; only LaSalle Parish has less.
Empty homes, walkability and density in Jackson Parish
Two things set Jackson Parish apart: it has 16.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (4 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.16.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (4 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 97% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.24 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 95% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.29% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 94% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.8.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 86% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Jackson Parish
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Jackson Parish about $320 a year per household, 73% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $7.3 million a year, or $492 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$400,000
$27
Rape
$68,000
$5
Robbery
$740
under $1
Assault
$800,000
$54
Burglary
$83,000
$6
Theft
$320,000
$22
Vehicle theft
$56,000
$4
Arson
$150,000
$10
Vandalism
$62,000
$4
Total
$1.9 million
$130
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Jackson Parish means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Jackson Parish, LA average a SchoolGrade of D: 22% of students test proficient, against 26% projected for schools like them. Overall, they underperform expectations. See schools in Jackson Parish on SchoolGrade
