Cities with highest divorce rate in Louisiana research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Louisiana’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Louisiana based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in Louisiana is Ponchatoula based on the most recent Census data.
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Ponchatoula is 17.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in Louisiana is Grambling.
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Grambling is 3.0% Divorced.
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Louisiana is 9.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 332,061 people living in Louisiana over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2026.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Pelican State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Louisiana with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Louisiana With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in Louisiana with the highest divorce rate? That would be Ponchatoula, with 17.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Louisiana divorce rate? According to the 2020-2024 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Louisiana is 9.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Louisiana.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana
- Richest Cities In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Louisiana For 2026
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Population: 7,808
Divorce Rate: 17.0%
Divorcees: 1,061
Median Income: $51,161
More on Ponchatoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 11,003
Divorce Rate: 16.0%
Divorcees: 1,408
Median Income: $33,015
More on Abbeville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,609
Divorce Rate: 15.0%
Divorcees: 1,033
Median Income: $56,299
More on Scott: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 20,775
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 2,326
Median Income: $61,760
More on Sulphur: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 9,239
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 1,034
Median Income: $35,436
More on Eunice: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 10,468
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 1,172
Median Income: $30,749
More on Bogalusa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 9,323
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 1,044
Median Income: $71,569
More on Denham Springs: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 27,571
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 2,867
Median Income: $47,087
More on New Iberia: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 14,160
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,472
Median Income: $49,774
More on Pineville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 8,335
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 866
Median Income: $46,261
More on Westwego: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
How We Determined The Places In Louisiana That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 59 places in Louisiana with a population of over 5,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Louisiana the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Ponchatoula.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Grambling, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Louisiana.
We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Louisiana with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Louisiana After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Louisiana: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Pelican State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Louisiana are Ponchatoula, Abbeville, Scott, Sulphur, Eunice, Bogalusa, Denham Springs, New Iberia, Pineville, and Westwego.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Louisiana could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana
- Richest Cities In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Louisiana
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ponchatoula, LA | 7,808 | 1,061 | 17.0% |
| 2 | Abbeville, LA | 11,003 | 1,408 | 16.0% |
| 3 | Scott, LA | 8,609 | 1,033 | 15.0% |
| 4 | Sulphur, LA | 20,775 | 2,326 | 14.0% |
| 5 | Eunice, LA | 9,239 | 1,034 | 14.0% |
| 6 | Bogalusa, LA | 10,468 | 1,172 | 14.0% |
| 7 | Denham Springs, LA | 9,323 | 1,044 | 14.0% |
| 8 | New Iberia, LA | 27,571 | 2,867 | 13.0% |
| 9 | Pineville, LA | 14,160 | 1,472 | 13.0% |
| 10 | Westwego, LA | 8,335 | 866 | 13.0% |
| 11 | St. Martinville, LA | 5,297 | 550 | 13.0% |
| 12 | Plaquemine, LA | 6,075 | 631 | 13.0% |
| 13 | Crowley, LA | 11,422 | 1,096 | 12.0% |
| 14 | Morgan City, LA | 11,064 | 1,062 | 12.0% |
| 15 | Covington, LA | 11,658 | 1,119 | 12.0% |
| 16 | Bastrop, LA | 9,232 | 886 | 12.0% |
| 17 | Shreveport, LA | 180,982 | 15,926 | 11.0% |
| 18 | Alexandria, LA | 44,060 | 3,877 | 11.0% |
| 19 | Jennings, LA | 9,553 | 840 | 11.0% |
| 20 | Central, LA | 29,783 | 2,620 | 11.0% |
| 21 | Houma, LA | 32,392 | 2,850 | 11.0% |
| 22 | Leesville, LA | 5,495 | 483 | 11.0% |
| 23 | Baker, LA | 12,253 | 980 | 10.0% |
| 24 | West Monroe, LA | 12,729 | 1,018 | 10.0% |
| 25 | Opelousas, LA | 15,495 | 1,239 | 10.0% |
| 26 | Rayne, LA | 7,105 | 568 | 10.0% |
| 27 | Patterson, LA | 5,744 | 459 | 10.0% |
| 28 | Franklin, LA | 6,461 | 516 | 10.0% |
| 29 | Tallulah, LA | 5,969 | 477 | 10.0% |
| 30 | Thibodaux, LA | 15,732 | 1,132 | 9.0% |
| 31 | Gonzales, LA | 13,108 | 943 | 9.0% |
| 32 | Oakdale, LA | 6,546 | 471 | 9.0% |
| 33 | Carencro, LA | 11,619 | 836 | 9.0% |
| 34 | St. Gabriel, LA | 6,639 | 478 | 9.0% |
| 35 | Walker, LA | 6,390 | 460 | 9.0% |
| 36 | Gretna, LA | 17,389 | 1,252 | 9.0% |
| 37 | Donaldsonville, LA | 6,831 | 491 | 9.0% |
| 38 | Monroe, LA | 47,004 | 3,008 | 8.0% |
| 39 | Breaux Bridge, LA | 7,501 | 480 | 8.0% |
| 40 | Zachary, LA | 19,952 | 1,276 | 8.0% |
| 41 | Kenner, LA | 64,904 | 4,153 | 8.0% |
| 42 | Harahan, LA | 8,904 | 569 | 8.0% |
| 43 | Deridder, LA | 9,763 | 624 | 8.0% |
| 44 | New Orleans, LA | 371,853 | 23,798 | 8.0% |
| 45 | Minden, LA | 11,455 | 733 | 8.0% |
| 46 | Mandeville, LA | 12,946 | 828 | 8.0% |
| 47 | Lafayette, LA | 121,715 | 7,789 | 8.0% |
| 48 | Lake Charles, LA | 81,143 | 5,193 | 8.0% |
| 49 | Ville Platte, LA | 6,253 | 400 | 8.0% |
| 50 | Bossier City, LA | 62,901 | 3,522 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Slidell, LA | 28,561 | 1,599 | 7.0% |
| 52 | Hammond, LA | 21,539 | 1,206 | 7.0% |
| 53 | Natchitoches, LA | 17,577 | 984 | 7.0% |
| 54 | Addis, LA | 7,252 | 406 | 7.0% |
| 55 | Baton Rouge, LA | 222,771 | 12,475 | 7.0% |
| 56 | Broussard, LA | 14,322 | 687 | 6.0% |
| 57 | Youngsville, LA | 17,427 | 697 | 5.0% |
| 58 | Ruston, LA | 22,284 | 891 | 5.0% |
| 59 | Grambling, LA | 5,287 | 126 | 3.0% |