The 10 Poorest Cities In Louisiana For 2026

The 10 Poorest Cities In Louisiana For 2026

1. Donaldsonville

Donaldsonville, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Louisiana thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 6,831 people averages the lowest median household income in Louisiana and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Crowley

The second poorest city in Louisiana is Crowley.

The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 6th highest in the Pelican State.

3. Bastrop

Placing as the third poorest city, Bastrop’s median income ranks as the 6th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 40.09% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Pelican State.

4. Bogalusa

Bogalusa ranks as the fourth poorest place in Louisiana.

The town ranks as having the 4th lowest median household income and the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Ruston

The fifth poorest city in Louisiana is Ruston.

The city ranks as having the 5th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Louisiana.

Still not the best news for Ruston.

6. Tallulah

Tallulah ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Pelican State.

It ranks as having the 3rd highest incidence of poverty and the 25th highest unemployment rate.

7. Opelousas

Opelousas places as the seventh poorest city in Louisiana.

The city of over 15,495 ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Ville Platte

Ville Platte ranks as the eighth poorest city in Louisiana.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Abbeville

Abbeville couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Louisiana; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 8th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Abbeville ranks as having the 13th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Louisiana.

10. Eunice

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Louisiana is Eunice.

The city of 9,239 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Pelican State.