Article Table Of Contents
Most Americans have never been to Louisiana. However, as the people who live there know, Louisiana is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Louisiana has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Pelican State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 173 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 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in Louisiana for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Vivian is the worst small town to live in Louisiana.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Louisiana has its stuff figured out.
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.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Louisiana For 2022
1. Vivian
/10
2. Richwood
/10
Population: 4,778
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 6)
Median Home Value: $61,300 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.7% (23rd worst)
More on Richwood: Data
3. Mansura
/10
Population: 1,529
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 10)
Median Home Value: $68,900 (2worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.4% (39th worst)
More on Mansura: Data
4. Merryville
/10
Population: 1,214
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $67,000 (16th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (60th worst)
More on Merryville: Data
5. Campti
/10
Population: 1,217
Rank Last Year: 38 (Up 33)
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.5% (4th worst)
More on Campti: Data
6. Jackson
/10
Population: 4,941
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $95,000 (60th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.9% (17th worst)
More on Jackson: Data
7. Mamou
/10
8. Empire
/10
Population: 1,124
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 6)
Median Home Value: $72,900 (27th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (89th worst)
More on Empire: Data
9. White Castle
/10
Population: 2,260
Rank Last Year: 51 (Up 42)
Median Home Value: $83,300 (44th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.6% (7th worst)
More on White Castle: Data
10. Homer
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Louisiana, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in Louisiana for 2022
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 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 a lot - 173 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
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:
- Watson (Pop. 1,225)
- Paulina (Pop. 1,761)
- Bayou Country Club (Pop. 1,363)
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Louisiana
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Vivian | 3,531 |
2 | Richwood | 4,778 |
3 | Mansura | 1,529 |
4 | Merryville | 1,214 |
5 | Campti | 1,217 |
6 | Jackson | 4,941 |
7 | Mamou | 3,137 |
8 | Empire | 1,124 |
9 | White Castle | 2,260 |
10 | Homer | 2,875 |
11 | Basile | 2,132 |
12 | Urania | 1,471 |
13 | Newellton | 1,047 |
14 | Coushatta | 2,246 |
15 | Minorca | 1,727 |
16 | Rayville | 3,515 |
17 | Cullen | 1,166 |
18 | Ringgold | 2,080 |
19 | Kentwood | 2,102 |
20 | Mansfield | 4,652 |
21 | Erwinville | 2,815 |
22 | Port Sulphur | 2,174 |
23 | Greensburg | 1,018 |
24 | Church Point | 4,429 |
25 | Zwolle | 2,312 |
26 | Chauvin | 2,771 |
27 | Montegut | 1,809 |
28 | Henderson | 2,261 |
29 | Kraemer | 1,041 |
30 | Lake Arthur | 2,742 |
31 | Grand Coteau | 1,038 |
32 | Lydia | 1,326 |
33 | Simmesport | 1,395 |
34 | Springhill | 4,851 |
35 | Jonesville | 1,377 |
36 | Poydras | 2,506 |
37 | Duson | 1,695 |
38 | Bernice | 1,686 |
39 | Glenmora | 1,413 |
40 | Roseland | 1,186 |
41 | Natalbany | 2,847 |
42 | Colfax | 2,261 |
43 | Many | 2,703 |
44 | Delhi | 2,809 |
45 | Jonesboro | 4,503 |
46 | Haynesville | 3,049 |
47 | Logansport | 1,878 |
48 | Deville | 1,248 |
49 | Brownsville | 3,718 |
50 | Independence | 2,578 |
51 | Amelia | 2,236 |
52 | Plain Dealing | 1,003 |
53 | Arnaudville | 1,614 |
54 | Port Barre | 1,619 |
55 | Winnsboro | 4,597 |
56 | Vienna Bend | 1,285 |
57 | Amite City | 4,459 |
58 | Oak Grove | 1,733 |
59 | Charenton | 1,560 |
60 | Olla | 1,912 |
61 | Oberlin | 1,778 |
62 | Pine Prairie | 1,589 |
63 | Lake Providence | 2,586 |
64 | Farmerville | 3,679 |
65 | Cottonport | 1,792 |
66 | Moreauville | 1,130 |
67 | Winnfield | 4,418 |
68 | New Sarpy | 1,265 |
69 | North Vacherie | 1,641 |
70 | Kaplan | 4,463 |
71 | Iota | 1,752 |
72 | Bayou L'ourse | 2,231 |
73 | Jean Lafitte | 2,329 |
74 | Bawcomville | 2,150 |
75 | Berwick | 4,478 |
76 | Fifth Ward | 1,069 |
77 | Des Allemands | 1,976 |
78 | Gueydan | 1,184 |
79 | Dubach | 1,014 |
80 | Bunkie | 3,903 |
81 | Ferriday | 3,247 |
82 | Kinder | 2,609 |
83 | Boyce | 1,236 |
84 | Arcadia | 2,738 |
85 | New Roads | 4,500 |
86 | Erath | 2,286 |
87 | Golden Meadow | 1,918 |
88 | Delcambre | 2,079 |
89 | Edgard | 1,788 |
90 | Banks Springs | 1,185 |
91 | Wallace | 1,240 |
92 | Elton | 1,322 |
93 | Leonville | 2,127 |
94 | Avondale | 4,889 |
95 | Center Point | 1,274 |
96 | Vidalia | 3,854 |
97 | Sterlington | 2,753 |
98 | Garyville | 1,966 |
99 | Vinton | 3,296 |
100 | Jena | 3,400 |