You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Louisiana. Best suburbs in Louisiana. Best counties in Louisiana.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Pelican State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Louisiana based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Louisiana ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$111,696 median income · 2.3% unemployment
$72,679 median income · 0.5% unemployment
$70,245 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$162,951 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$88,839 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$112,000 median income · 14.9% unemployment
$125,654 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$91,875 median income · 0.2% unemployment
$117,604 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$96,780 median income · 3.0% unemployment
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
Louisiana statewide median: 6.3%
On the map
Where Louisiana’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Louisiana
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Louisiana possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 160 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 160, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Louisiana. Top of that list — Bayou Country Club.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Louisiana.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Louisiana
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayou Country Club | 1,497 | $111,696 | $324,930 | 2.3% |
| 2 | Choudrant | 1,319 | $72,679 | $252,266 | 0.5% |
| 3 | Westminster | 2,559 | $70,245 | $260,120 | 0.0% |
| 4 | Bayou Gauche | 1,908 | $162,951 | $301,078 | 0.0% |
| 5 | Paulina | 1,785 | $88,839 | $310,756 | 0.0% |
| 6 | Presquille | 2,062 | $112,000 | $265,985 | 14.9% |
| 7 | Lockport Heights | 1,481 | $125,654 | $315,448 | 0.0% |
| 8 | Montz | 2,074 | $91,875 | $301,860 | 0.2% |
| 9 | Sorrento | 2,203 | $117,604 | $311,700 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Watson | 1,357 | $96,780 | $246,337 | 3.0% |
| 11 | Brusly | 2,593 | $105,538 | $280,271 | 19.1% |
| 12 | Greenwood | 3,110 | $64,063 | $236,880 | 1.3% |
| 13 | Westlake | 4,743 | $68,381 | $174,865 | 0.0% |
| 14 | South Vacherie | 2,954 | $81,310 | $229,328 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Hahnville | 3,520 | $100,956 | $275,590 | 0.0% |
| 16 | Ball | 3,869 | $80,074 | $167,679 | 5.6% |
| 17 | Norco | 2,781 | $71,220 | $207,206 | 3.9% |
| 18 | Mathews | 1,598 | $86,607 | $200,882 | 1.6% |
| 19 | Woodworth | 2,432 | $84,500 | $317,265 | 1.6% |
| 20 | Grand Point | 2,341 | $88,674 | $248,096 | 4.6% |
| 21 | Lafourche Crossing | 2,790 | $73,309 | $263,052 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Blanchard | 3,437 | $75,069 | $203,912 | 8.5% |
| 23 | Abita Springs | 2,699 | $77,257 | $282,888 | 1.7% |
| 24 | Iowa | 3,200 | $59,779 | $239,257 | 4.4% |
| 25 | Eastwood | 4,440 | $80,603 | $252,300 | 3.0% |
| 26 | Gramercy | 2,814 | $67,813 | $206,599 | 4.9% |
| 27 | St. Francisville | 1,805 | $57,105 | $376,750 | 5.8% |
| 28 | Ventress | 1,166 | $71,458 | $287,588 | 0.0% |
| 29 | Lakeshore | 3,437 | $48,214 | $163,051 | 4.5% |
| 30 | Stonewall | 2,392 | $56,557 | $353,891 | 0.4% |
| 31 | Sterlington | 2,229 | $69,007 | $216,320 | 1.4% |
| 32 | Swartz | 4,110 | $67,287 | $195,310 | 2.0% |
| 33 | Ama | 1,483 | $73,359 | $228,512 | 2.3% |
| 34 | Oak Grove | 1,264 | $51,136 | $80,316 | 2.2% |
| 35 | Port Allen | 4,942 | $59,474 | $213,735 | 6.2% |
| 36 | Sunset | 3,074 | $60,964 | $206,380 | 4.2% |
| 37 | Livingston | 1,747 | $61,750 | $253,164 | 2.6% |
| 38 | Carlyss | 4,412 | $78,179 | $169,308 | 0.1% |
| 39 | Bourg | 2,239 | $69,094 | $227,214 | 4.0% |
| 40 | Milton | 2,793 | $105,625 | $258,849 | 4.6% |
| 41 | Monticello | 3,999 | $70,441 | $172,045 | 4.5% |
| 42 | Benton | 2,548 | $58,143 | $349,524 | 4.1% |
| 43 | Vidalia | 3,928 | $48,250 | $120,750 | 5.3% |
| 44 | Welsh | 3,313 | $78,185 | $155,935 | 0.0% |
| 45 | Maurice | 2,584 | $90,833 | $252,066 | 3.4% |
| 46 | Lutcher | 2,991 | $60,375 | $171,039 | 2.2% |
| 47 | Lockport | 2,618 | $60,398 | $167,376 | 5.6% |
| 48 | Haughton | 4,485 | $51,932 | $255,993 | 7.5% |
| 49 | Jena | 4,160 | $71,730 | $157,026 | 1.6% |
| 50 | Slaughter | 1,250 | $72,438 | $235,251 | 2.1% |
| 51 | Des Allemands | 2,382 | $88,390 | $226,872 | 2.5% |
| 52 | Leonville | 1,395 | $43,015 | $178,692 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Cecilia | 1,742 | $67,109 | $132,823 | 2.1% |
| 54 | Berwick | 4,607 | $51,580 | $144,252 | 5.2% |
| 55 | Boyce | 1,037 | $37,895 | $177,812 | 6.4% |
| 56 | Golden Meadow | 1,854 | $71,875 | $81,442 | 1.2% |
| 57 | Arabi | 4,625 | $56,813 | $217,970 | 9.4% |
| 58 | Bayou Vista | 3,842 | $40,500 | $141,448 | 2.0% |
| 59 | Cade | 1,710 | $72,839 | $200,295 | 1.5% |
| 60 | Rosepine | 1,702 | $60,625 | $190,078 | 0.0% |
| 61 | Erath | 1,907 | $47,568 | $149,516 | 4.2% |
| 62 | Pearl River | 2,614 | $56,719 | $227,297 | 4.8% |
| 63 | Amite City | 4,048 | $44,636 | $110,265 | 4.8% |
| 64 | Egan | 1,015 | $93,196 | $215,056 | 6.9% |
| 65 | Jonesville | 1,288 | $43,684 | $120,970 | 6.4% |
| 66 | Killian | 1,694 | $67,634 | $252,007 | 3.4% |
| 67 | New Roads | 4,404 | $51,328 | $152,312 | 10.0% |
| 68 | Livonia | 1,097 | $72,500 | $206,454 | 1.6% |
| 69 | Charenton | 1,440 | $63,463 | $119,649 | 2.5% |
| 70 | French Settlement | 1,295 | $72,396 | $225,845 | 5.8% |
| 71 | Violet | 4,122 | $51,038 | $162,242 | 9.4% |
| 72 | Port Barre | 2,275 | $41,278 | $122,034 | 4.4% |
| 73 | Clinton | 1,136 | $57,609 | $220,533 | 4.1% |
| 74 | New Llano | 2,144 | $52,135 | $105,957 | 15.5% |
| 75 | Boutte | 2,027 | $68,220 | $207,261 | 13.0% |
| 76 | Delhi | 2,573 | $52,132 | $139,680 | 8.2% |
| 77 | Ridgecrest | 1,007 | $41,910 | $56,208 | 0.0% |
| 78 | Pierre Part | 2,308 | $60,144 | $198,256 | 8.7% |
| 79 | Bayou L’Ourse | 2,132 | $60,219 | $85,827 | 3.1% |
| 80 | Many | 2,166 | $36,563 | $113,980 | 3.6% |
| 81 | Edgard | 1,482 | $68,953 | $178,790 | 10.3% |
| 82 | Kaplan | 4,238 | $40,109 | $125,414 | 8.8% |
| 83 | North Vacherie | 1,905 | $37,083 | $216,913 | 6.4% |
| 84 | Brownfields | 4,261 | $65,929 | $202,544 | 19.7% |
| 85 | Winnsboro | 4,725 | $35,573 | $108,850 | 10.9% |
| 86 | Sibley | 1,376 | $42,061 | $144,869 | 2.4% |
| 87 | Henderson | 1,779 | $48,750 | $111,414 | 1.1% |
| 88 | Delcambre | 2,552 | $59,038 | $102,714 | 7.0% |
| 89 | Oberlin | 1,809 | $31,738 | $91,527 | 3.1% |
| 90 | Avondale | 4,608 | $48,661 | $133,335 | 8.6% |
| 91 | Garyville | 2,119 | $88,060 | $167,744 | 6.3% |
| 92 | Fort Polk North | 2,401 | $47,588 | $0 | 12.7% |
| 93 | DeQuincy | 2,931 | $44,281 | $121,702 | 1.9% |
| 94 | Belle Rose | 1,400 | $60,976 | $120,236 | 9.6% |
| 95 | Rayville | 3,261 | $27,273 | $172,458 | 12.2% |
| 96 | Vienna Bend | 1,502 | $29,327 | $120,725 | 5.3% |
| 97 | Jonesboro | 4,063 | $41,786 | $78,495 | 6.4% |
| 98 | Lake Providence | 3,349 | $27,580 | $56,634 | 15.5% |
| 99 | Winnfield | 4,021 | $42,318 | $101,440 | 11.8% |
| 100 | Jean Lafitte | 2,266 | $64,452 | $206,814 | 16.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 160 Louisiana towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Louisiana are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Louisiana are Bayou Country Club, Choudrant, Westminster, Bayou Gauche, Paulina, Presquille, Lockport Heights, Montz, Sorrento, and Watson.
