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New Orleans's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in New Orleans.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in New Orleans. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which New Orleans neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which New Orleans hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the New Orleans area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Audubon ranks way above the rest.
We examined 68 of New Orleans's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to New Orleans's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In New Orleans For 2021
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in New Orleans for 2021? According to the most recent census data, Desire looks to be the worst neighborhood in New Orleans.
Read on to see how we determined the places around New Orleans that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of New Orleans.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Louisiana
- Cheapest Places To Live In Louisiana
- Most Dangerous Places In Louisiana
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In New Orleans For 2021
/10
Population: 2,629
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $26,725 (worst)
Median Income: $16,345 (2nd worst)
More on Desire: Data
/10
Population: 983
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $93,750 (7th worst)
Median Income: $14,722 (worst)
More on Viavant-Venetian Isles: Data
/10
Population: 3,187
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $119,375 (15th worst)
Median Income: $20,048 (7th worst)
More on Pines Village: Data
/10
Population: 1,427
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $85,386 (4th worst)
Median Income: $17,125 (4th worst)
More on Florida: Data
/10
Population: 1,061
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $95,667 (8th worst)
Median Income: $21,098 (9th worst)
More on Fischer Dev: Data
/10
Population: 1,458
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $66,100 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $16,628 (3rd worst)
More on Dixon: Data
/10
Population: 3,636
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $104,867 (10th worst)
Median Income: $25,937 (17th worst)
More on Lower 9th Ward: Data
/10
Population: 3,437
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $70,620 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $19,298 (5th worst)
More on Tulane-Gravier: Data
/10
Population: 4,260
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $114,375 (13th worst)
Median Income: $26,270 (19th worst)
More on West Lake Forest: Data
/10
Population: 4,082
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $89,960 (5th worst)
Median Income: $19,409 (6th worst)
More on Gert Town: Data
How we determined the worst New Orleans hoods in 2021
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in New Orleans:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of New Orleans.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around New Orleans to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 68 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
The 'hoods around New Orleans that are really hoods
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in New Orleans with Desire landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in New Orleans aren't all bad. Audubon takes the cake as the best place to live in New Orleans.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
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