Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Alexandria earns a D, 135th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 100% of U.S. towns, with 1,044 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, its schools rank ahead of 75% of Louisiana towns. 51% of working residents work locally in Alexandria, above both the Louisiana town median (9.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Bailey's Dam Site and Arna Wendell Bontemps House. Only 11 of Louisiana’s 255 towns score higher on hazard risk.
Where Alexandria beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Kent Plantation House
Its 39 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Louisiana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 814 in 1840, 45,275 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 4 maps from 1941 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Alexandria is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alexandria, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Alexandria.
Alexandria carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding) and draws workers from Pineville and beyond, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Louisiana rate.
Violent crime runs at 24.5 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Louisiana rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 57.7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Louisiana rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Alexandria is 24.5 per 1,000 residents. No town among the 53 in Louisiana we compare has a higher property crime rate than Alexandria. Alexandria reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 57.7 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Rapides Parish school district. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott M. Brame Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 709 | B |
| Alexandria Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,475 | A− |
| Phoenix Magnet Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 314 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 70% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
19% of Alexandria adults have diabetes. Alexandria beats the Louisiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 33% of Alexandria adults worry about having enough food.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 44% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 33% |
| What stands out | Alexandria | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.2% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.2% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
32,163 jobs are based in Alexandria, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.4 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
27% of residents live below the poverty line in Alexandria. Jobs based in Alexandria fell to 32,163 in 2023, 2,876 fewer than in 2013. Alexandria’s average trip to work is 17 minutes.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 5.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
9.2 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Alexandria Zoological Park, 25 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alexandria Zoological Park | 1.2 mi | 25 |
| 2. Compton Park | 0.8 mi | 25 |
| 3. Cheatham Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.5 years of the Alexandria metro’s $56K median household income, the typical home (about $144K) costs less against local pay than in 76% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Alexandria home is worth about $144,000, up 2.9% in a year, 33% below the Louisiana typical home.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $931 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 92% of Louisiana towns, with expected losses of about $250 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on. 1,224 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 197 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 1,224 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alexandria.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Alexandria has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 39° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Louisiana average. Alexandria has lost 5.2% of its people since 2020, down to 42,938 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Alexandria | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.6 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 20% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.9, men 36.2.
| Alexandria | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.7% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.9% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.1% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.9% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.4% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alexandria. Close and well known come first.
24 mi National forestKisatchie National Forestin town Zoo & aquariumAlexandria Zoological Park
33 mi National Historical ParkCane River Creole National Historical Park11K visitors a year
in town MuseumAlexandria Museum of Art
in town MuseumLouisiana History MuseumKisatchie National Forest: US Forest Service, Public domain · Cane River Creole National Historical Park: James W. Rosenthal, Public domain · Alexandria Museum of Art: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Louisiana History Museum: Freeneth at en.wikipedia, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Alexandria
About 5 of every 100 Alexandria residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
39 places in Alexandria on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Alexandria.
City in Louisiana, United States
Alexandria is a city in the central part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Lying on the south bank of the Red River of the South in almost the exact geographic center of the state, it is the ninth-largest city in the state, and the parish seat of and the largest city in Rapides Parish. With a population of 45,275 in 2020, Alexandria is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes and has a population of 153,922. Its neighboring city is Pineville, Louisiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Alexandria.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | #135 | D | C+ | D− | A− | D− |
| Pineville | #46 | C+ | C+ | — | A− | C− |
Pineville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Alexandria with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alexandria grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #135 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($56,353 across the Alexandria, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
44 notable people were born here, including Faith Ford and Muse Watson.
