Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Louisiana with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Louisiana that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Louisiana at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Addis.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Louisiana For 2026
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Louisiana reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Louisiana
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Louisiana
- Best Places To Retire In Louisiana
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Louisiana For 2026
/10
Population: 7,252
Median Home Price: $244,631
Population Change: 2.8%
Home Price Change: 2.0%
More on Addis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,495
Median Home Price: $153,498
Population Change: -2.0%
Home Price Change: -6.4%
More on Leesville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,297
Median Home Price: $150,321
Population Change: -1.3%
Home Price Change: 1.5%
More on St. Martinville: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,744
Median Home Price: $136,405
Population Change: -1.0%
Home Price Change: -2.6%
More on Patterson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,390
Median Home Price: $253,184
Population Change: 0.1%
Home Price Change: 1.2%
More on Walker: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,075
Median Home Price: $159,906
Population Change: -1.0%
Home Price Change: -7.4%
More on Plaquemine: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,969
Median Home Price: $77,517
Population Change: -2.5%
Home Price Change: -8.1%
More on Tallulah: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,461
Median Home Price: $89,150
Population Change: -1.5%
Home Price Change: -4.6%
More on Franklin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,253
Median Home Price: $98,290
Population Change: -0.7%
Home Price Change: -12.6%
More on Ville Platte: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,808
Median Home Price: $247,933
Population Change: -0.4%
Home Price Change: 1.1%
More on Ponchatoula: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Louisiana for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 11. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Louisiana. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Louisiana with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Louisiana with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Louisiana, only 58 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 58 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Addis is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Pelican State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Louisiana for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Louisiana. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Louisiana are Addis, Leesville, St. Martinville, Patterson, Walker, Plaquemine, Tallulah, Franklin, Ville Platte, and Ponchatoula.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Louisiana reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Louisiana
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addis | 7,252 | $244,631 | 2.8% | 2.0% |
| 2 | Leesville | 5,495 | $153,498 | -2.0% | -6.4% |
| 3 | St. Martinville | 5,297 | $150,321 | -1.3% | 1.5% |
| 4 | Patterson | 5,744 | $136,405 | -1.0% | -2.6% |
| 5 | Walker | 6,390 | $253,184 | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| 6 | Plaquemine | 6,075 | $159,906 | -1.0% | -7.4% |
| 7 | Tallulah | 5,969 | $77,517 | -2.5% | -8.1% |
| 8 | Franklin | 6,461 | $89,150 | -1.5% | -4.6% |
| 9 | Ville Platte | 6,253 | $98,290 | -0.7% | -12.6% |
| 10 | Ponchatoula | 7,808 | $247,933 | -0.4% | 1.1% |
| 11 | St. Gabriel | 6,639 | $263,881 | 1.1% | -2.1% |
| 12 | Oakdale | 6,546 | $84,730 | -1.0% | -13.9% |
| 13 | Rayne | 7,105 | $173,349 | -0.6% | -0.4% |
| 14 | Breaux Bridge | 7,501 | $182,775 | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 15 | Westwego | 8,335 | $179,562 | -0.6% | 2.2% |
| 16 | Donaldsonville | 6,831 | $164,851 | 0.6% | 1.9% |
| 17 | Scott | 8,609 | $218,990 | 3.1% | 4.7% |
| 18 | Harahan | 8,904 | $315,750 | -0.4% | -0.9% |
| 19 | Carencro | 11,619 | $218,909 | 6.8% | 1.2% |
| 20 | Eunice | 9,239 | $109,304 | -0.2% | -6.4% |
| 21 | Jennings | 9,553 | $134,099 | -1.3% | 1.8% |
| 22 | Denham Springs | 9,323 | $255,930 | -0.4% | 1.2% |
| 23 | Bastrop | 9,232 | $89,353 | -1.9% | 9.0% |
| 24 | Covington | 11,658 | $317,481 | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| 25 | Gonzales | 13,108 | $288,155 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 26 | Deridder | 9,763 | $153,080 | -0.5% | -5.4% |
| 27 | Morgan City | 11,064 | $122,451 | -1.3% | -2.4% |
| 28 | Bogalusa | 10,468 | $85,577 | -0.7% | -3.9% |
| 29 | Minden | 11,455 | $140,974 | -1.3% | -2.4% |
| 30 | Abbeville | 11,003 | $138,932 | -0.7% | -2.0% |
| 31 | Broussard | 14,322 | $282,910 | 3.9% | 2.6% |
| 32 | West Monroe | 12,729 | $194,938 | -0.8% | 1.1% |
| 33 | Mandeville | 12,946 | $355,608 | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 34 | Crowley | 11,422 | $123,650 | -1.1% | 2.5% |
| 35 | Baker | 12,253 | $180,738 | -0.6% | -0.5% |
| 36 | Youngsville | 17,427 | $276,689 | 4.6% | 1.0% |
| 37 | Pineville | 14,160 | $193,576 | -0.8% | 0.5% |
| 38 | Thibodaux | 15,732 | $226,920 | -0.4% | 0.3% |
| 39 | Opelousas | 15,495 | $123,098 | -1.1% | -1.1% |
| 40 | Zachary | 19,952 | $267,773 | 1.6% | 0.1% |
| 41 | Natchitoches | 17,577 | $181,713 | -0.6% | -2.0% |
| 42 | Gretna | 17,389 | $238,820 | -0.5% | 0.4% |
| 43 | Sulphur | 20,775 | $195,533 | -1.1% | -0.7% |
| 44 | Hammond | 21,539 | $222,618 | 3.6% | 1.1% |
| 45 | Ruston | 22,284 | $225,351 | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| 46 | Slidell | 28,561 | $218,142 | -0.4% | -0.9% |
| 47 | New Iberia | 27,571 | $145,864 | -1.3% | 3.7% |
| 48 | Central | 29,783 | $282,212 | 0.6% | 3.6% |
| 49 | Houma | 32,392 | $184,222 | -1.1% | 1.3% |
| 50 | Alexandria | 44,060 | $144,328 | -1.1% | 3.5% |
| 51 | Monroe | 47,004 | $149,717 | -0.5% | 1.3% |
| 52 | Kenner | 64,904 | $268,195 | -0.3% | 2.9% |
| 53 | Bossier City | 62,901 | $228,172 | 0.1% | 2.0% |
| 54 | Lake Charles | 81,143 | $199,011 | -0.7% | -1.8% |
| 55 | Lafayette | 121,715 | $224,253 | 0.1% | 1.8% |
| 56 | Shreveport | 180,982 | $135,091 | -1.4% | 0.9% |
| 57 | Baton Rouge | 222,771 | $228,414 | -0.4% | 0.4% |
| 58 | New Orleans | 371,853 | $242,492 | -1.1% | 1.6% |