Most Americans have never been to small town Louisiana. However, as the Louisianian who live there know, small town Louisiana is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Louisiana has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Pelican State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 170 of Louisiana’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Louisiana where you’d never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in Louisiana for 2023:
So what is the worst small town to call home in Louisiana for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Newellton is the worst small town to live in Louisiana.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Newellton home. Everyone
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Louisiana or the worst places to live in Louisiana.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Louisiana For 2023
1. Newellton
/10
Population: 1,174
Median Home Value: $47,200 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.7% (7th worst)
2. Vivian
/10
Population: 3,153
Median Home Value: $56,800 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.7% (28th worst)
3. Richwood
/10
Population: 4,837
Median Home Value: $60,300 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.6% (29th worst)
4. Port Sulphur
/10
Population: 1,749
Median Home Value: $88,200 (49th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.9% (9th worst)
5. Campti
/10
Population: 1,180
Median Home Value: $68,500 (19th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 26.0% (2nd worst)
6. White Castle
/10
Population: 2,258
Median Home Value: $90,000 (5worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.9% (5th worst)
7. Zwolle
/10
Population: 1,963
Median Home Value: $63,000 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.9% (23rd worst)
8. Basile
/10
Population: 2,073
Median Home Value: $59,600 (7th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.6% (16th worst)
9. Merryville
/10
Population: 1,154
Median Home Value: $78,000 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.5% (67th worst)
10. Mansura
/10
Population: 1,098
Median Home Value: $76,900 (33rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.0% (11th worst)
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Louisiana is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Louisiana, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 170 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Louisiana.
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Louisiana
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Pelican State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Louisiana, according to science:
- Paulina (Pop. 1,883)
- Lafourche Crossing (Pop. 1,896)
- Bayou Country Club (Pop. 1,568)
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Louisiana
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Newellton | 1,174 |
2 | Vivian | 3,153 |
3 | Richwood | 4,837 |
4 | Port Sulphur | 1,749 |
5 | Campti | 1,180 |
6 | White Castle | 2,258 |
7 | Zwolle | 1,963 |
8 | Basile | 2,073 |
9 | Merryville | 1,154 |
10 | Mansura | 1,098 |
11 | Natalbany | 2,475 |
12 | Ferriday | 3,194 |
13 | Minorca | 1,430 |
14 | Henderson | 1,732 |
15 | Jackson | 4,662 |
16 | Rayville | 3,386 |
17 | Ringgold | 1,753 |
18 | Mansfield | 4,608 |
19 | Colfax | 2,010 |
20 | Haynesville | 2,402 |
21 | Banks Springs | 1,514 |
22 | Chauvin | 2,837 |
23 | Bunkie | 3,415 |
24 | Arnaudville | 1,729 |
25 | Bawcomville | 2,700 |
26 | Logansport | 1,950 |
27 | North Vacherie | 1,650 |
28 | Pine Prairie | 1,516 |
29 | Lake Arthur | 2,627 |
30 | Homer | 2,636 |
31 | Kentwood | 2,304 |
32 | Simmesport | 1,247 |
33 | Glenmora | 1,423 |
34 | Montegut | 1,469 |
35 | Jonesville | 1,364 |
36 | Duson | 1,592 |
37 | Bayou L’ourse | 2,150 |
38 | Winnsboro | 4,891 |
39 | Amelia | 1,995 |
40 | Erwinville | 3,130 |
41 | Many | 2,337 |
42 | Farmerville | 3,382 |
43 | Greensburg | 1,101 |
44 | Kraemer | 1,053 |
45 | Moreauville | 1,071 |
46 | Springhill | 4,855 |
47 | Brownsville | 4,272 |
48 | Lake Providence | 3,288 |
49 | Coushatta | 2,217 |
50 | Independence | 2,068 |
51 | Roseland | 1,262 |
52 | Bernice | 1,182 |
53 | Church Point | 4,252 |
54 | Vienna Bend | 1,535 |
55 | Olla | 1,533 |
56 | Gueydan | 1,053 |
57 | Mamou | 2,979 |
58 | Kinder | 1,866 |
59 | Elton | 1,377 |
60 | Cottonport | 1,965 |
61 | Delhi | 2,648 |
62 | Labadieville | 1,327 |
63 | Start | 1,089 |
64 | Amite City | 3,840 |
65 | Port Barre | 2,145 |
66 | Jonesboro | 4,292 |
67 | Jean Lafitte | 2,450 |
68 | Poydras | 2,664 |
69 | Avondale | 4,969 |
70 | Winnfield | 4,172 |
71 | Urania | 1,338 |
72 | Edgard | 1,290 |
73 | Baldwin | 1,797 |
74 | Iota | 1,463 |
75 | Vinton | 3,364 |
76 | Wallace | 1,201 |
77 | Golden Meadow | 2,184 |
78 | Oak Grove | 1,593 |
79 | Belle Rose | 2,413 |
80 | Morse | 1,073 |
81 | Lawtell | 1,126 |
82 | Leonville | 1,742 |
83 | Dubach | 1,066 |
84 | Oberlin | 1,524 |
85 | Jeanerette | 4,892 |
86 | Franklinton | 3,646 |
87 | Boyce | 1,466 |
88 | Berwick | 4,757 |
89 | Arabi | 4,080 |
90 | Ossun | 2,450 |
91 | Fifth Ward | 1,025 |
92 | Tickfaw | 1,010 |
93 | Sibley | 1,290 |
94 | Erath | 2,160 |
95 | Arcadia | 2,737 |
96 | New Roads | 4,516 |
97 | Kaplan | 4,384 |
98 | Rosepine | 1,753 |
99 | Charenton | 1,407 |
100 | Livonia | 1,189 |