Safest places to live in Louisiana
The parishes and cities with the lowest natural disaster risk, ranked from FEMA's National Risk Index and checked against storm, hurricane and earthquake records.
Grant Parish has the lowest natural disaster risk of the 45 Louisiana parishes with 20,000 or more people, followed by West Baton Rouge Parish and De Soto Parish. At the other end, Jefferson Parish carries the highest risk in the state, mostly from hurricane. Ranks use FEMA's overall risk score, which weighs expected yearly losses against how vulnerable and how resilient each parish is.
Lowest-risk parishes
All 64 parishes ›22,122 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 32 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 34 federal declarations.2West Baton Rouge Parish
27,101 people. Top hazard: Hurricane. 11 tornadoes since 1950, 21 hurricanes within 65 miles, 35 federal declarations.3De Soto Parish
26,713 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 77 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 30 federal declarations.4Union Parish
21,031 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 57 tornadoes since 1950, 2 hurricanes within 65 miles, 34 federal declarations.5Allen Parish
22,708 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 29 tornadoes since 1950, 14 hurricanes within 65 miles, 37 federal declarations.6Morehouse Parish
25,583 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 48 tornadoes since 1950, 1 hurricanes within 65 miles, 32 federal declarations.7Beauregard Parish
36,508 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 61 tornadoes since 1950, 13 hurricanes within 65 miles, 40 federal declarations.8Natchitoches Parish
37,330 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 68 tornadoes since 1950, 3 hurricanes within 65 miles, 38 federal declarations.9Sabine Parish
22,039 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 43 tornadoes since 1950, 5 hurricanes within 65 miles, 30 federal declarations.10Pointe Coupee Parish
20,697 people. Top hazard: Cold wave. 21 tornadoes since 1950, 18 hurricanes within 65 miles, 44 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›St. John the Baptist Parish, 28,343 people2Bossier City
Bossier Parish, 62,901 people3Alexandria
Rapides Parish, 44,060 people4Monroe
Ouachita Parish, 47,004 people5New Iberia
Iberia Parish, 27,571 people6Prairieville
Ascension Parish, 35,238 people7Shreveport
Caddo Parish, 180,982 people8Houma
Terrebonne Parish, 32,392 people9Lafayette
Lafayette Parish, 121,715 people10Lake Charles
Calcasieu Parish, 81,143 people
Cities with 25,000 or more people. The rating is for the parish the city is in.
Highest-risk parishes
Top hazard: Hurricane. 66 tornadoes since 1950, 34 hurricanes within 65 miles, 46 federal declarations.2Orleans Parish
Top hazard: Hurricane. 25 tornadoes since 1950, 30 hurricanes within 65 miles, 35 federal declarations.3East Baton Rouge Parish
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 46 tornadoes since 1950, 20 hurricanes within 65 miles, 44 federal declarations.4St. Tammany Parish
Top hazard: Hurricane. 74 tornadoes since 1950, 21 hurricanes within 65 miles, 47 federal declarations.5Calcasieu Parish
Top hazard: Hurricane. 114 tornadoes since 1950, 18 hurricanes within 65 miles, 39 federal declarations.
Before you move
A county rating is an average. Inside any parish, homes near rivers, coasts or steep slopes carry more risk than the rest. Look up the exact address with our flood zone lookup, ask the seller about past flood or storm claims, and get an insurance quote before you commit.
Questions
What is the safest parish in Louisiana from natural disasters?
Grant Parish has the lowest overall risk score among Louisiana parishes with 20,000 or more people, rated very low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Louisiana from natural disasters?
Laplace sits in St. John the Baptist Parish, which has the lowest risk score of any Louisiana parish containing a city of 25,000 or more people. County ratings cover the whole county, so check the flood zone of any address you are considering.
Which parishes in Louisiana have the highest disaster risk?
Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish have the highest overall risk scores in the state.
Does a low rating mean no disasters?
No. A low rating means lower expected losses compared with other US counties, after accounting for how many people and buildings are exposed and how well the area recovers. Floods and severe storms can happen anywhere, and most flood claims come from outside mapped high-risk zones.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); NOAA Storm Events and HURDAT2; USGS earthquake catalog; OpenFEMA declarations since 1953.