We know that you’re dying to know where the best places to retire in Louisiana are.
The Bayou State’s best places to retire are safe and affordable, and the people living there are super friendly.
So, we created a list of the best places to retire in Louisiana for 2026. To determine the best place to retire in the Pelican State for 2026, we looked at the most recent FBI and Census data for places with 10,000 or more residents. We ended up with 24 cities. To set our list apart, we thought it would be interesting to see whether a place is close to an international airport.
The ying to this yang, however, is that the poverty rate for Louisiana’s 65 and older is high and the state’s senior healthcare could use an upgrade in the form of more geriatricians and better nursing homes.
$1,396 median rent · $75,851 median income · #21 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Covington is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2010 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$960 median rent · $52,072 median income · #11 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,567 at the 2010 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$767 median rent · $30,749 median income · #2 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
Washington Parish, Louisiana
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,179 median rent · $64,020 median income · #19 cheapest rent in Louisiana
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
$1,422 median rent · $94,405 median income · #22 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Mandeville is a small city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,560 at the 2010 census. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs. It is part of the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$931 median rent · $47,113 median income · #9 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes. Its neighboring city is Pineville. In 2010, the population was 47,723, an increase of 3 percent from the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$895 median rent · $34,294 median income · #8 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Minden is a small city in and the parish seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States. It is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in Caddo Parish. The population has been relatively stable since 1960, when it was 12,786. Minden is 51.7 percent African American.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$717 median rent · $32,964 median income · #1 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Opelousas is a small city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should have put the city’s population above 25,000. In the 2010 census, however, the population shrank to 16,634. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas-Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 92,178 in 2008. Opelousas is also the third largest city in the Lafayette-Acadiana Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 537,947.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$802 median rent · $37,133 median income · #3 cheapest rent in Louisiana
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
$1,375 median rent · $70,497 median income · #20 cheapest rent in Louisiana
Located in
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
Slidell is the largest city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain and St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 27,068 at the 2010 census. Greater Slidell has a population of about 90,000. It is part of the New OrleansMetairieKenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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.
Louisiana statewide median: $60,756
Louisiana statewide median: $211,635
On the map
Where to retire in Louisiana
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Pelican State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in Louisiana to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Pelican State — 473 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 24 places from across the state.
For these 24, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 24, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Covington, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in Louisiana.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In Louisiana
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Covington | 6.60 | 11,658 | $75,851 | $317,481 | $1,396 |
| 2 | Thibodaux | 7.30 | 15,732 | $52,072 | $226,921 | $960 |
| 3 | Bogalusa | 9.20 | 10,468 | $30,749 | $85,577 | $767 |
| 4 | Kenner | 9.40 | 64,904 | $64,020 | $268,195 | $1,179 |
| 5 | Mandeville | 9.80 | 12,946 | $94,405 | $355,608 | $1,422 |
| 6 | Alexandria | 10.60 | 44,060 | $47,113 | $144,328 | $931 |
| 7 | Minden | 10.60 | 11,455 | $34,294 | $140,974 | $895 |
| 8 | Opelousas | 11.00 | 15,495 | $32,964 | $123,099 | $717 |
| 9 | Natchitoches | 11.30 | 17,577 | $37,133 | $181,713 | $802 |
| 10 | Slidell | 11.60 | 28,561 | $70,497 | $218,143 | $1,375 |
| 11 | Gretna | 12.70 | 17,389 | $43,110 | $238,821 | $1,060 |
| 12 | New Iberia | 13.00 | 27,571 | $47,087 | $145,864 | $894 |
| 13 | Ruston | 13.20 | 22,284 | $31,120 | $225,352 | $816 |
| 14 | Gonzales | 13.60 | 13,108 | $75,451 | $288,155 | $1,497 |
| 15 | Baker | 13.80 | 12,253 | $54,750 | $180,739 | $993 |
| 16 | Zachary | 14.10 | 19,952 | $84,480 | $267,773 | $1,527 |
| 17 | Lake Charles | 14.40 | 81,143 | $59,235 | $199,012 | $1,109 |
| 18 | Monroe | 14.60 | 47,004 | $40,505 | $149,717 | $886 |
| 19 | Carencro | 14.60 | 11,619 | $63,401 | $218,909 | $944 |
| 20 | Sulphur | 15.10 | 20,775 | $61,760 | $195,533 | $994 |
| 21 | Shreveport | 15.20 | 180,982 | $48,699 | $135,092 | $987 |
| 22 | Broussard | 15.90 | 14,322 | $116,179 | $282,910 | $1,010 |
| 23 | Lafayette | 16.00 | 121,715 | $61,915 | $224,254 | $1,100 |
| 24 | West Monroe | 16.40 | 12,729 | $49,386 | $194,939 | $826 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 24 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Louisiana Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in Louisiana goes to Covington.
The best places to retire in Louisiana are Covington, Thibodaux, Bogalusa, Kenner, Mandeville, Alexandria, Minden, Opelousas, Natchitoches, and Slidell.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley. Not sold on Louisiana? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places To Retire In Louisiana FAQs
What is the best place to retire in Louisiana?
Covington is the best place to retire in Louisiana for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Thibodaux and Bogalusa are next.
What are the best places to retire in Louisiana?
The best places to retire in Louisiana are Covington, Thibodaux, Bogalusa, Kenner, Mandeville, Alexandria, Minden, Opelousas, Natchitoches, and Slidell. We ranked all 24 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank retirement spots?
We score every qualifying Louisiana city on rent, crime, things to do, weather, airport access, and median age. The city that balances all six best, Covington, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Covington?
The median home in Covington runs $317,481, against $211,635 across Louisiana as a whole. Across the full top ten, the median home costs $199,928.
Which Louisiana place came in last for retirees?
West Monroe lands at the bottom of the retirement ranking for Louisiana. Not ready to retire anyway? Then West Monroe might suit you fine.
