Are you looking for love in Louisiana?
Or are you just hoping to hook up with a hot Louisianian?
Either way, we’ve got you covered here.
If you live in Louisiana, there’s a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Pelican State has plenty of people over 18 who aren’t married or in a serious relationship.
That’s great news for people who are single and looking to mingle.
So, where are the best cities for singles in Louisiana? We used Saturday Night Science to find out.
24.3 median age · 18.0% married households
Located in
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Ruston is a small city and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. it is the largest city in the Eastern Ark-La-Tex region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,859, reflecting an increase of 6.4 percent from the count of 20,546 counted in the 2000 Census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex region and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy is therefore based on its college population. Ruston hosts the annual Peach Festival.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
31.5 median age · 18.0% married households
Located in
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Baton Rouge ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana and its second-largest city. It forms the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish and is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
27.7 median age · 19.0% married households
Located in
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, located 45 miles east of Baton Rouge and 45 miles northwest of New Orleans. Its population was 20,019 in the 2010 census; Hammond is home to Southeastern Louisiana University and is the principal city of the Hammond Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Tangipahoa Parish.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
38.3 median age · 19.0% married households
Located in
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Gretna is the second-largest city and parish seat of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,736 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
36.9 median age · 30.0% married households
Located in
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city located along the Vermilion River in southwestern Louisiana. The city of Lafayette is the fourth-largest in the state, with a population of 127,657 according to 2015 U.S. Census estimates. It is the principal city of the Lafayette, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a 2015 estimated population of 490,488. The larger trade area or Combined Statistical Area of Lafayette-Opelousas-Morgan City CSA was 627,146 in 2015. Lafayette is the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Its nickname is The Hub City.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
38.8 median age · 17.0% married households
Located in
Orleans Parish, Louisiana
New Orleans ) is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
36.6 median age · 29.0% married households
Located in
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu Parish, it is a major industrial, cultural, and educational center in the southwest region of the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.0 median age · 29.0% married households
Located in
Iberia Parish, Louisiana
New Iberia is the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a small city located 30 miles southeast of Lafayette.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
26.5 median age · 18.0% married households
Located in
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a small city and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the indigenous Natchitoches people.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
39.3 median age · 23.0% married households
Located in
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Kenner is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. State of Louisiana. It is the largest city in Jefferson Parish, United States, Louisiana’s second-most populous parish, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Louisiana’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Louisiana’s singles cluster
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in Louisiana anyways?
To give you the places in Louisiana which are best for singles to find one another, we used Saturday Night Science to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city and make some assumptions about what single people like.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2020-2024 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of Louisiana, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Population density
- % of population that’s male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
- % of households with kids
- Median age
- Number of unmarried people in each city
We then gave each city a “Singles Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Louisiana, that meant a total of 33 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for singles in Louisiana.
Read on to see why Ruston is the talk of the town while Zachary is probably a bit on the bland side.
The full plate
Best Cities For Singles In Louisiana
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Singles Score | Population | Median Age | % Married Households | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruston | 6.60 | 22,284 | 24.3 | 18.0% | 20.1% |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | 6.80 | 222,771 | 31.5 | 18.0% | 24.7% |
| 3 | Hammond | 8.20 | 21,539 | 27.7 | 19.0% | 27.4% |
| 4 | Gretna | 8.70 | 17,389 | 38.3 | 19.0% | 26.9% |
| 5 | Lafayette | 10.60 | 121,715 | 36.9 | 30.0% | 24.6% |
| 6 | New Orleans | 11.80 | 371,853 | 38.8 | 17.0% | 23.1% |
| 7 | Lake Charles | 12.00 | 81,143 | 36.6 | 29.0% | 26.2% |
| 8 | New Iberia | 13.40 | 27,571 | 37.0 | 29.0% | 30.4% |
| 9 | Natchitoches | 13.60 | 17,577 | 26.5 | 18.0% | 25.0% |
| 10 | Kenner | 14.00 | 64,904 | 39.3 | 23.0% | 28.3% |
| 11 | Shreveport | 14.70 | 180,982 | 37.9 | 22.0% | 27.7% |
| 12 | Opelousas | 14.70 | 15,495 | 37.1 | 22.0% | 29.0% |
| 13 | Thibodaux | 14.90 | 15,732 | 39.0 | 33.0% | 21.1% |
| 14 | West Monroe | 15.40 | 12,729 | 35.4 | 26.0% | 29.8% |
| 15 | Houma | 15.60 | 32,392 | 34.9 | 36.0% | 36.2% |
| 16 | Abbeville | 15.60 | 11,003 | 33.9 | 19.0% | 32.9% |
| 17 | Pineville | 15.80 | 14,160 | 36.2 | 26.0% | 32.1% |
| 18 | Monroe | 16.00 | 47,004 | 35.0 | 20.0% | 32.6% |
| 19 | Crowley | 16.10 | 11,422 | 40.6 | 34.0% | 24.3% |
| 20 | Alexandria | 17.20 | 44,060 | 37.6 | 23.0% | 30.7% |
| 21 | Slidell | 17.90 | 28,561 | 38.9 | 29.0% | 31.5% |
| 22 | Sulphur | 18.60 | 20,775 | 38.0 | 30.0% | 33.0% |
| 23 | Baker | 20.40 | 12,253 | 33.5 | 27.0% | 35.0% |
| 24 | Mandeville | 21.30 | 12,946 | 43.7 | 34.0% | 33.5% |
| 25 | Gonzales | 22.10 | 13,108 | 38.9 | 31.0% | 29.2% |
| 26 | Broussard | 22.80 | 14,322 | 35.1 | 44.0% | 38.3% |
| 27 | Minden | 23.20 | 11,455 | 38.5 | 26.0% | 33.4% |
| 28 | Bogalusa | 23.20 | 10,468 | 40.0 | 23.0% | 33.1% |
| 29 | Covington | 23.50 | 11,658 | 39.0 | 30.0% | 33.5% |
| 30 | Carencro | 24.90 | 11,619 | 32.8 | 40.0% | 38.9% |
| 31 | Central | 26.80 | 29,783 | 40.4 | 45.0% | 34.5% |
| 32 | Youngsville | 26.80 | 17,427 | 34.8 | 47.0% | 46.1% |
| 33 | Zachary | 27.80 | 19,952 | 38.3 | 40.0% | 35.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 33 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Cities For Singles In Louisiana For 2026
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Louisiana ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.
The best cities for singles in Louisiana are Ruston, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Gretna, Lafayette, New Orleans, Lake Charles, New Iberia, Natchitoches, and Kenner. Not sold on Louisiana? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Cities For Singles In Louisiana FAQs
What is the best city for singles in Louisiana?
Ruston is the best city for singles in Louisiana for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Baton Rouge and Hammond are next.
What are the best cities for singles in Louisiana?
The best Louisiana cities for singles are Ruston, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Gretna, Lafayette, New Orleans, Lake Charles, New Iberia, Natchitoches, and Kenner. We ranked all 33 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank cities for singles?
Singles-friendliness is measured by population density, gender balance, median age, and the share of unmarried residents, all from Census American Community Survey data. More single people around means better odds.
Why did Ruston come out on top?
Ruston posts the best combination of unmarried residents, a dating-friendly age mix, and enough density to actually run into people. That combination beat the other 33 qualifying cities.
What is the toughest place to be single in Louisiana?
Zachary ranks last for singles in Louisiana — more married households and fewer chances to mingle. If you are single and settling there anyway, bring hobbies.
