Like all states, Louisiana has certain places that are going on hard times. These Louisiana places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Louisiana.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 60 cities in Louisiana with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Louisiana For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Louisiana? According to the facts, Donaldsonville is the poorest place in Louisiana for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Louisiana
- Cheapest Places To Live In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Louisiana For 2024
1. Donaldsonville
/10
Population: 6,799
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $22,110 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 47.4% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,220
More on Donaldsonville: Data | Cost Of Living
Donaldsonville, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Louisiana thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 6,799 people averages the lowest median household income in Louisiana and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Grambling
/10
Population: 5,315
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $25,050 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 49.3% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,622
More on Grambling: Data | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Louisiana is Grambling.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 48th highest in the Pelican State.
3. Ville Platte
/10
Population: 6,364
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $24,341 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 41.7% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,653
More on Ville Platte: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Ville Platte’s median income ranks as the 2nd lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 41.7% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Pelican State.
4. Tallulah
/10
Population: 6,290
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Income: $31,070 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 47.1% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,960
More on Tallulah: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Tallulah ranks as the fourth poorest place in Louisiana.
The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 3rd highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Crowley
/10
Population: 11,726
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $28,827 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 41.6% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,873
More on Crowley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Louisiana is Crowley.
The city ranks as having the 5th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Louisiana.
Still not the best news for Crowley.
6. Bastrop
/10
Population: 9,623
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 4)
Median Income: $29,286 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.7% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,821
More on Bastrop: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Bastrop ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Pelican State.
It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the 8th highest unemployment rate.
7. Minden
/10
Population: 11,789
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Income: $28,233 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.4% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,058
More on Minden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Minden places as the seventh poorest city in Louisiana.
The city of over 11,789 ranks as having the 14th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Ruston
/10
Population: 22,282
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Income: $32,877 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 36.2% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 8,059
More on Ruston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Ruston ranks as the eighth poorest city in Louisiana.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Natchitoches
/10
Population: 17,908
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Income: $34,020 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 38.0% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 6,808
More on Natchitoches: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Natchitoches couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Louisiana; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 11th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Natchitoches ranks as having the 8th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Louisiana.
10. Opelousas
/10
Population: 15,810
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $34,271 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.0% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 6,159
More on Opelousas: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Louisiana is Opelousas.
The city of 15,810 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Pelican State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Louisiana for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 60 places with more than 5,000 people in Louisiana, we ranked each place from 1 to 60 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Donaldsonville, crowned the “Poorest Place In Louisiana For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Louisiana.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Louisiana For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Louisiana, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Louisiana.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Louisiana, according to data:
-
Richest: Addis
2nd Richest: Youngsville
3rd Richest: Denham Springs
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Louisiana
- Safest Places In Louisiana
- Worst Places To Live In Louisiana
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Louisiana
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Louisiana
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donaldsonville | 6,799 | 47.4% | $22,110 | 3,220 |
| 2 | Grambling | 5,315 | 49.3% | $25,050 | 2,622 |
| 3 | Ville Platte | 6,364 | 41.7% | $24,341 | 2,653 |
| 4 | Tallulah | 6,290 | 47.1% | $31,070 | 2,960 |
| 5 | Crowley | 11,726 | 41.6% | $28,827 | 4,873 |
| 6 | Bastrop | 9,623 | 39.7% | $29,286 | 3,821 |
| 7 | Minden | 11,789 | 34.4% | $28,233 | 4,058 |
| 8 | Ruston | 22,282 | 36.2% | $32,877 | 8,059 |
| 9 | Natchitoches | 17,908 | 38.0% | $34,020 | 6,808 |
| 10 | Opelousas | 15,810 | 39.0% | $34,271 | 6,159 |
| 11 | Marksville | 5,034 | 35.6% | $33,635 | 1,792 |
| 12 | Eunice | 9,440 | 35.3% | $37,828 | 3,332 |
| 13 | Monroe | 47,631 | 35.1% | $36,550 | 16,732 |
| 14 | Leesville | 5,681 | 32.6% | $35,652 | 1,851 |
| 15 | Rayne | 7,223 | 28.6% | $34,725 | 2,062 |
| 16 | St. Martinville | 5,447 | 24.3% | $32,781 | 1,321 |
| 17 | Hammond | 20,239 | 34.5% | $42,049 | 6,974 |
| 18 | Abbeville | 11,213 | 31.7% | $39,566 | 3,552 |
| 19 | Bogalusa | 10,689 | 29.6% | $39,213 | 3,168 |
| 20 | Breaux Bridge | 7,544 | 30.6% | $45,619 | 2,312 |
| 21 | Patterson | 5,868 | 29.1% | $46,189 | 1,704 |
| 22 | New Iberia | 28,363 | 30.4% | $47,108 | 8,633 |
| 23 | Westwego | 8,466 | 24.1% | $43,981 | 2,042 |
| 24 | Ponchatoula | 7,805 | 21.4% | $38,249 | 1,673 |
| 25 | Oakdale | 6,701 | 25.6% | $46,250 | 1,712 |
| 26 | West Monroe | 12,987 | 28.3% | $47,129 | 3,679 |
| 27 | Franklin | 6,666 | 20.6% | $39,068 | 1,371 |
| 28 | Gretna | 17,640 | 25.2% | $47,010 | 4,448 |
| 29 | Shreveport | 186,183 | 23.4% | $45,967 | 43,604 |
| 30 | Jennings | 9,819 | 21.4% | $39,888 | 2,106 |
| 31 | Alexandria | 45,133 | 25.7% | $49,049 | 11,590 |
| 32 | Baton Rouge | 225,500 | 24.0% | $50,155 | 54,165 |
| 33 | Morgan City | 11,373 | 21.5% | $48,857 | 2,442 |
| 34 | New Orleans | 380,408 | 22.9% | $51,116 | 87,189 |
| 35 | Lake Charles | 82,430 | 22.6% | $54,761 | 18,604 |
| 36 | Thibodaux | 15,738 | 20.1% | $51,704 | 3,157 |
| 37 | Bossier City | 62,971 | 20.4% | $54,100 | 12,820 |
| 38 | Pineville | 14,357 | 15.9% | $51,752 | 2,282 |
| 39 | Carencro | 10,194 | 20.0% | $56,352 | 2,037 |
| 40 | DeRidder | 9,850 | 17.7% | $56,607 | 1,742 |
| 41 | Lafayette | 121,706 | 19.2% | $58,850 | 23,379 |
| 42 | Houma | 33,094 | 16.6% | $56,823 | 5,510 |
| 43 | Scott | 8,271 | 15.6% | $55,057 | 1,288 |
| 44 | Sulphur | 21,286 | 14.1% | $53,606 | 2,997 |
| 45 | Baker | 12,463 | 18.5% | $60,555 | 2,309 |
| 46 | St. Gabriel | 6,526 | 12.7% | $55,735 | 829 |
| 47 | Slidell | 28,690 | 15.6% | $63,004 | 4,475 |
| 48 | Kenner | 65,785 | 14.7% | $60,557 | 9,663 |
| 49 | Plaquemine | 6,218 | 14.6% | $69,183 | 904 |
| 50 | Gonzales | 12,356 | 11.5% | $66,310 | 1,418 |
| 51 | Broussard | 13,322 | 16.2% | $94,912 | 2,154 |
| 52 | Covington | 11,444 | 13.4% | $71,719 | 1,533 |
| 53 | Harahan | 9,043 | 9.1% | $75,099 | 822 |
| 54 | Mandeville | 13,194 | 9.8% | $84,886 | 1,299 |
| 55 | Walker | 6,359 | 10.9% | $86,446 | 696 |
| 56 | Central | 29,518 | 4.4% | $82,714 | 1,289 |
| 57 | Zachary | 19,401 | 7.5% | $88,811 | 1,455 |
| 58 | Denham Springs | 9,393 | 5.8% | $85,625 | 541 |
| 59 | Youngsville | 15,990 | 8.2% | $111,619 | 1,314 |
| 60 | Addis | 6,779 | 7.3% | $101,450 | 494 |
You should include Waterproof, Louisiana, 71375.
The poverty level and lack of resources are horrid.