The 10 Worst Small Towns In Louisiana For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in LA are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 39,765 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Louisiana.

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:

  1. Vivian
  2. Richwood
  3. Mansura
  4. Merryville
  5. Campti
  6. Jackson
  7. Mamou
  8. Empire
  9. White Castle
  10. Homer

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

Vivian, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,531
Rank Last Year: 30 (Up 29)
Median Home Value: $55,500 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.1% (42nd worst)
More on Vivian:  Data | Photos

2. Richwood

Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Overall SnackAbility

3
/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

Overall SnackAbility

2
/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

Jackson, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Tjean314 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Mamou, LA

Source: Wikipedia User John | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,137
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 13)
Median Home Value: $66,300 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.1% (5th worst)
More on Mamou:  Data | Photos

8. Empire

Overall SnackAbility

4
/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

Overall SnackAbility

3
/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

Homer, LA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,875
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $64,300 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (105th worst)
More on Homer:  Data | Photos

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:

  1. Watson (Pop. 1,225)
  2. Paulina (Pop. 1,761)
  3. Bayou Country Club (Pop. 1,363)

For more Louisiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Louisiana

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Vivian 3,531 11.1% $55,500
2 Richwood 4,778 14.7% $61,300
3 Mansura 1,529 11.4% $68,900
4 Merryville 1,214 7.9% $67,000
5 Campti 1,217 22.5% $1,000
6 Jackson 4,941 15.9% $95,000
7 Mamou 3,137 22.1% $66,300
8 Empire 1,124 5.8% $72,900
9 White Castle 2,260 19.6% $83,300
10 Homer 2,875 4.2% $64,300
11 Basile 2,132 15.2% $56,000
12 Urania 1,471 1.4% $47,300
13 Newellton 1,047 17.7% $83,300
14 Coushatta 2,246 3.5% $68,600
15 Minorca 1,727 14.0% $101,600
16 Rayville 3,515 8.6% $68,000
17 Cullen 1,166 6.0% $40,700
18 Ringgold 2,080 13.1% $115,900
19 Kentwood 2,102 7.7% $70,300
20 Mansfield 4,652 15.6% $75,200
21 Erwinville 2,815 30.5% $146,500
22 Port Sulphur 2,174 12.8% $93,100
23 Greensburg 1,018 16.0% $157,000
24 Church Point 4,429 18.1% $87,100
25 Zwolle 2,312 14.7% $48,400
26 Chauvin 2,771 18.1% $80,500
27 Montegut 1,809 3.9% $88,500
28 Henderson 2,261 6.4% $92,000
29 Kraemer 1,041 13.3% $114,200
30 Lake Arthur 2,742 14.0% $72,400
31 Grand Coteau 1,038 3.0% $125,800
32 Lydia 1,326 23.3% $111,200
33 Simmesport 1,395 3.2% $49,400
34 Springhill 4,851 13.5% $68,500
35 Jonesville 1,377 6.8% $78,800
36 Poydras 2,506 7.1% $106,600
37 Duson 1,695 5.1% $82,000
38 Bernice 1,686 2.0% $75,200
39 Glenmora 1,413 4.3% $65,300
40 Roseland 1,186 12.2% $93,100
41 Natalbany 2,847 8.3% $111,800
42 Colfax 2,261 3.8% $70,800
43 Many 2,703 18.1% $98,600
44 Delhi 2,809 9.5% $112,100
45 Jonesboro 4,503 2.9% $74,000
46 Haynesville 3,049 7.0% $76,700
47 Logansport 1,878 9.9% $83,900
48 Deville 1,248 4.9% $102,600
49 Brownsville 3,718 6.9% $73,000
50 Independence 2,578 11.9% $95,500
51 Amelia 2,236 6.5% $1,000
52 Plain Dealing 1,003 7.3% $85,900
53 Arnaudville 1,614 3.1% $77,800
54 Port Barre 1,619 9.8% $78,700
55 Winnsboro 4,597 4.4% $83,700
56 Vienna Bend 1,285 21.2% $1,000
57 Amite City 4,459 16.5% $95,800
58 Oak Grove 1,733 2.5% $74,200
59 Charenton 1,560 1.9% $78,800
60 Olla 1,912 4.0% $68,200
61 Oberlin 1,778 6.4% $69,600
62 Pine Prairie 1,589 16.7% $158,800
63 Lake Providence 2,586 1.8% $42,900
64 Farmerville 3,679 11.1% $105,400
65 Cottonport 1,792 3.5% $93,100
66 Moreauville 1,130 2.5% $125,500
67 Winnfield 4,418 4.3% $67,000
68 New Sarpy 1,265 6.1% $109,000
69 North Vacherie 1,641 13.0% $177,300
70 Kaplan 4,463 17.7% $77,300
71 Iota 1,752 7.5% $147,100
72 Bayou L'ourse 2,231 3.2% $113,800
73 Jean Lafitte 2,329 14.8% $175,300
74 Bawcomville 2,150 0.0% $49,400
75 Berwick 4,478 7.1% $138,700
76 Fifth Ward 1,069 9.0% $130,400
77 Des Allemands 1,976 4.5% $102,000
78 Gueydan 1,184 18.1% $90,000
79 Dubach 1,014 3.7% $103,100
80 Bunkie 3,903 15.2% $83,600
81 Ferriday 3,247 0.1% $69,200
82 Kinder 2,609 5.9% $128,800
83 Boyce 1,236 4.8% $53,500
84 Arcadia 2,738 3.4% $66,100
85 New Roads 4,500 6.3% $133,000
86 Erath 2,286 5.2% $114,400
87 Golden Meadow 1,918 2.3% $106,600
88 Delcambre 2,079 10.7% $87,300
89 Edgard 1,788 9.9% $161,600
90 Banks Springs 1,185 0.0% $1,000
91 Wallace 1,240 12.6% $206,400
92 Elton 1,322 1.4% $83,100
93 Leonville 2,127 0.6% $114,400
94 Avondale 4,889 3.8% $98,100
95 Center Point 1,274 0.0% $151,000
96 Vidalia 3,854 11.0% $110,700
97 Sterlington 2,753 2.3% $127,200
98 Garyville 1,966 12.4% $154,600
99 Vinton 3,296 1.0% $94,900
100 Jena 3,400 8.9% $146,800
Download The Entire Louisiana Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst