The crime rate in Lafayette is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 26 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Lafayette is 1 in 38. Based on FBI crime data, Lafayette is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Indiana, Lafayette has a crime rate that is higher than 95% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

Importantly, when you compare Lafayette to other communities of similar population, then Lafayette crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Lafayette does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Lafayette does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Lafayette.

For Lafayette, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Lafayette is one in 168.

NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that Lafayette's rate for property crime is 20 per one thousand population. This makes Lafayette a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in Lafayette is one in 49.

Importantly, we found that Lafayette has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, your chance of getting your car stolen if you live in Lafayette is one in 405.