The 10 Best Counties To Live In Louisiana For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Louisiana have the most for people looking to make the move to Louisiana.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Louisiana a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Louisiana.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Pelican State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Louisiana, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 64 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Pelican State for 2022.

St. Charles Parish is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Louisiana. And you might want to avoid Tensas Parish if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Louisiana, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Louisiana and the cheapest places to live in Louisiana.

The Best Counties To Live In Louisiana For 2022

1. St. Charles Parish

Biggest Place: Luling

Population: 52,856
Median Income: $68,113.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $205,600.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (27th best)
More on St. Charles Parish: Data

2. St. Tammany Parish

Abita Springs, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Infrogmation of New Orlea | GFDL

Biggest Place: Slidell

Population: 258,447
Median Income: $70,730.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $223,300.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (17th best)
More on St. Tammany Parish: Photos | Data

3. Livingston Parish

Denham Springs, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Gloverepp | GFDL

Biggest Place: Denham Springs

Population: 140,524
Median Income: $67,365.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $173,200.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (14th best)
More on Livingston Parish: Photos | Data

4. Ascension Parish

Donaldsonville, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Z28scrambler | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Prairieville

Population: 125,061
Median Income: $82,594.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $224,300.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (26th best)
More on Ascension Parish: Photos | Data

5. Plaquemines Parish

Biggest Place: Belle Chasse

Population: 23,305
Median Income: $65,234.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $202,700.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2% (2nd best)
More on Plaquemines Parish: Data

6. St. James Parish

Biggest Place: South Vacherie

Population: 21,142
Median Income: $53,209.0 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $168,700.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (11th best)
More on St. James Parish: Data

7. Cameron Parish

Biggest Place: Hackberry

Population: 6,963
Median Income: $56,902.0 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $124,300.0 (32nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.9% (best)
More on Cameron Parish: Data

8. Lafayette Parish

Broussard, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Litherland | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Lafayette

Population: 243,692
Median Income: $58,761.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $189,700.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (12th best)
More on Lafayette Parish: Photos | Data

9. Bossier Parish

Bossier City, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn at en.wikip | GFDL

Biggest Place: Shreveport

Population: 126,952
Median Income: $55,448.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $176,700.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (18th best)
More on Bossier Parish: Photos | Data

10. East Feliciana Parish

Clinton, LA

Source: Wikipedia User Galen Parks Smith (Gsmith | GFDL

Biggest Place: Jackson

Population: 19,228
Median Income: $54,187.0 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $153,800.0 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (34th best)
More on East Feliciana Parish: Photos | Data

Methodology: How do you determine which Louisiana county is the best?

To give you the best county in Louisiana, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates
Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana

We then ranked each county in Louisiana across each of the criteria from one to 64, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Louisiana”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Pelican State.

Read on to see why St. Charles Parish is the best county, while Tensas Parish is probably in contention for being the worst county in Louisiana.

Summary: The Best Counties In Louisiana To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Louisiana can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Louisiana according to the data:

  1. Tensas Parish
  2. Evangeline Parish
  3. Madison Parish

For more Louisiana reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Louisiana

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
St. Charles Parish 1 52,856 $68,113.0 $205,600.0
St. Tammany Parish 2 258,447 $70,730.0 $223,300.0
Livingston Parish 3 140,524 $67,365.0 $173,200.0
Ascension Parish 4 125,061 $82,594.0 $224,300.0
Plaquemines Parish 5 23,305 $65,234.0 $202,700.0
St. James Parish 6 21,142 $53,209.0 $168,700.0
Cameron Parish 7 6,963 $56,902.0 $124,300.0
Lafayette Parish 8 243,692 $58,761.0 $189,700.0
Bossier Parish 9 126,952 $55,448.0 $176,700.0
East Feliciana Parish 10 19,228 $54,187.0 $153,800.0
West Baton Rouge Parish 11 26,395 $67,813.0 $197,000.0
West Feliciana Parish 12 15,441 $59,688.0 $230,400.0
Jefferson Parish 13 434,903 $54,825.0 $193,600.0
East Baton Rouge Parish 14 443,158 $56,076.0 $201,100.0
Grant Parish 15 22,339 $51,449.0 $122,600.0
Calcasieu Parish 16 202,858 $52,866.0 $160,800.0
Lasalle Parish 17 14,950 $51,141.0 $107,000.0
St. John The Baptist Parish 18 43,055 $55,429.0 $155,900.0
Union Parish 19 22,270 $45,094.0 $94,700.0
Lincoln Parish 20 47,118 $36,496.0 $152,400.0
Tangipahoa Parish 21 133,753 $48,745.0 $167,900.0
Beauregard Parish 22 37,387 $49,256.0 $141,600.0
Vernon Parish 23 49,315 $50,267.0 $126,000.0
Iberville Parish 24 32,626 $49,539.0 $139,100.0
Lafourche Parish 25 97,980 $54,530.0 $158,800.0
Caddo Parish 26 243,243 $42,003.0 $150,200.0
Allen Parish 27 25,572 $48,328.0 $107,400.0
Ouachita Parish 28 154,679 $44,934.0 $150,200.0
St. Mary Parish 29 50,020 $40,218.0 $105,800.0
Vermilion Parish 30 59,787 $52,219.0 $127,700.0
St. Martin Parish 31 53,607 $48,884.0 $123,700.0
Orleans Parish 32 391,249 $43,258.0 $250,000.0
Jefferson Davis Parish 33 31,425 $42,716.0 $110,800.0
Terrebonne Parish 34 111,297 $52,224.0 $155,600.0
Rapides Parish 35 130,376 $48,013.0 $147,200.0
Assumption Parish 36 22,236 $44,742.0 $118,900.0
Pointe Coupee Parish 37 21,883 $44,201.0 $157,900.0
De Soto Parish 38 27,395 $44,436.0 $116,500.0
Sabine Parish 39 23,915 $39,755.0 $87,600.0
Winn Parish 40 14,165 $37,764.0 $77,000.0
Jackson Parish 41 15,822 $41,760.0 $85,700.0
Webster Parish 42 38,813 $30,324.0 $85,300.0
Avoyelles Parish 43 40,465 $35,530.0 $103,900.0
Morehouse Parish 44 25,189 $33,780.0 $94,500.0
West Carroll Parish 45 10,934 $42,545.0 $85,800.0
Iberia Parish 46 70,763 $50,602.0 $120,500.0
St. Landry Parish 47 82,786 $40,859.0 $122,900.0
East Carroll Parish 48 6,947 $24,551.0 $62,800.0
St. Bernard Parish 49 46,694 $47,873.0 $152,600.0
Natchitoches Parish 50 38,505 $30,625.0 $148,300.0
Washington Parish 51 46,325 $39,185.0 $114,900.0
Acadia Parish 52 62,371 $44,412.0 $130,300.0
Caldwell Parish 53 9,959 $40,690.0 $79,100.0
Bienville Parish 54 13,391 $27,815.0 $73,700.0
Red River Parish 55 8,462 $33,817.0 $77,900.0
St. Helena Parish 56 10,227 $45,063.0 $115,500.0
Franklin Parish 57 20,109 $35,759.0 $86,600.0
Richland Parish 58 20,251 $40,491.0 $107,700.0
Claiborne Parish 59 15,854 $26,849.0 $75,500.0
Concordia Parish 60 19,533 $36,294.0 $94,500.0
Catahoula Parish 61 9,586 $40,973.0 $90,600.0
Madison Parish 62 11,137 $32,585.0 $77,600.0
Evangeline Parish 63 33,491 $31,427.0 $99,500.0
Tensas Parish 64 4,435 $29,767.0 $78,900.0
Download The Entire Louisiana Ranking Data
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Louisiana.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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