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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 80 largest places in Louisiana, Moss Bluff has the lowest unemployment rate (1.1%), followed by Youngsville and Oak Hills Place. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in Louisiana that we cover, the median is 6.0% and the average 6.7%; the figure runs from 1.1% (Moss Bluff) to 19.5% (Merrydale). That is a spread of 17.6 times between the two ends. The state figure is 6.3%; 39 of the 80 places are above it and 41 at or below.
The first five are Moss Bluff, Youngsville, Oak Hills Place, Addis, Central. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: unemployment from the ACS is a survey estimate with a margin of error, and small places can swing widely. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Unemployment (ACS) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moss Bluff (unincorporated) | Calcasieu Parish | 1.1% | 12,482 | $92,036 | $1,324 |
| 2 | Youngsville | Lafayette Parish | 1.2% | 17,427 | $105,876 | $1,278 |
| 3 | Oak Hills Place (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 1.4% | 9,038 | $92,306 | $1,422 |
| 4 | Addis | West Baton Rouge Parish | 1.8% | 7,252 | $108,041 | $1,273 |
| 5 | Central | East Baton Rouge Parish | 2.2% | 29,783 | $89,554 | $1,309 |
| 6 | Ponchatoula | Tangipahoa Parish | 2.3% | 7,808 | $51,161 | $762 |
| 7 | Prairieville (unincorporated) | Ascension Parish | 2.4% | 35,238 | $104,923 | $1,324 |
| 8 | Belle Chasse (unincorporated) | Plaquemines Parish | 2.5% | 10,934 | $115,012 | $1,485 |
| 9 | Jefferson (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 2.7% | 9,703 | $57,235 | $1,097 |
| 10 | Minden | Webster Parish | 2.7% | 11,455 | $34,294 | $895 |
| 11 | Westwego | Jefferson Parish | 2.7% | 8,335 | $46,261 | $1,049 |
| 12 | Meraux (unincorporated) | Saint Bernard Parish | 2.9% | 7,918 | $76,021 | $1,055 |
| 13 | Mandeville | Saint Tammany Parish | 2.9% | 12,946 | $94,405 | $1,422 |
| 14 | Village St. George (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 3.0% | 8,273 | $96,364 | $1,451 |
| 15 | Claiborne (unincorporated) | Ouachita Parish | 3.1% | 13,308 | $72,420 | $1,206 |
| 16 | River Ridge (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 3.3% | 13,312 | $84,336 | $1,127 |
| 17 | Houma | Terrebonne Parish | 3.3% | 32,392 | $58,194 | $1,058 |
| 18 | Pineville | Rapides Parish | 3.4% | 14,160 | $49,774 | $910 |
| 19 | Ruston | Lincoln Parish | 3.4% | 22,284 | $31,120 | $816 |
| 20 | Breaux Bridge | Saint Martin Parish | 3.5% | 7,501 | $47,806 | $891 |
| 21 | Broussard | Lafayette Parish | 3.6% | 14,322 | $116,179 | $1,010 |
| 22 | Harahan | Jefferson Parish | 3.8% | 8,904 | $79,516 | $1,082 |
| 23 | Jennings | Jefferson Davis Parish | 4.0% | 9,553 | $48,558 | $881 |
| 24 | Fort Polk South (unincorporated) | Vernon Parish | 4.1% | 7,869 | $63,800 | $1,202 |
| 25 | Thibodaux | Lafourche Parish | 4.3% | 15,732 | $52,072 | $960 |
| 26 | Sulphur | Calcasieu Parish | 4.3% | 20,775 | $61,760 | $994 |
| 27 | Metairie (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 4.6% | 139,729 | $73,042 | $1,175 |
| 28 | Luling (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 4.6% | 13,960 | $76,539 | $1,625 |
| 29 | Shenandoah (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 4.8% | 17,998 | $107,021 | $1,201 |
| 30 | Gardere (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 4.9% | 12,223 | $55,409 | $1,157 |
| 31 | Old Jefferson (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 5.0% | 7,860 | $92,075 | $1,357 |
| 32 | Bayou Cane (unincorporated) | Terrebonne Parish | 5.0% | 21,253 | $74,350 | $1,101 |
| 33 | Lafayette | Lafayette Parish | 5.2% | 121,715 | $61,915 | $1,100 |
| 34 | Alexandria | Rapides Parish | 5.2% | 44,060 | $47,113 | $931 |
| 35 | Bayou Blue (unincorporated) | Lafourche Parish | 5.3% | 12,218 | $63,958 | $1,107 |
| 36 | Abbeville | Vermilion Parish | 5.5% | 11,003 | $33,015 | $829 |
| 37 | Covington | Saint Tammany Parish | 5.6% | 11,658 | $75,851 | $1,396 |
| 38 | Slidell | Saint Tammany Parish | 5.8% | 28,561 | $70,497 | $1,375 |
| 39 | Hammond | Tangipahoa Parish | 5.9% | 21,539 | $48,166 | $1,061 |
| 40 | Scott | Lafayette Parish | 5.9% | 8,609 | $56,299 | $1,052 |
| 41 | Raceland (unincorporated) | Lafourche Parish | 6.0% | 9,585 | $60,286 | $629 |
| 42 | Gretna | Jefferson Parish | 6.3% | 17,389 | $43,110 | $1,060 |
| 43 | Bossier City | Bossier Parish | 6.5% | 62,901 | $55,819 | $1,107 |
| 44 | Kenner | Jefferson Parish | 6.6% | 64,904 | $64,020 | $1,179 |
| 45 | Lake Charles | Calcasieu Parish | 6.6% | 81,143 | $59,235 | $1,109 |
| 46 | Carencro | Lafayette Parish | 6.7% | 11,619 | $63,401 | $944 |
| 47 | Zachary | East Baton Rouge Parish | 6.8% | 19,952 | $84,480 | $1,527 |
| 48 | Prien (unincorporated) | Calcasieu Parish | 6.9% | 7,119 | $87,292 | $1,292 |
| 49 | Harvey (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 7.0% | 20,915 | $48,774 | $1,190 |
| 50 | Natchitoches | Natchitoches Parish | 7.1% | 17,577 | $37,133 | $802 |
| 51 | Eden Isle (unincorporated) | Saint Tammany Parish | 7.3% | 7,683 | $78,426 | $1,328 |
| 52 | Denham Springs | Livingston Parish | 7.4% | 9,323 | $71,569 | $1,014 |
| 53 | New Orleans | Orleans Parish | 7.5% | 371,853 | $56,631 | $1,251 |
| 54 | Morgan City | Saint Mary Parish | 7.7% | 11,064 | $56,474 | $917 |
| 55 | Estelle (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 7.8% | 16,341 | $78,869 | $1,442 |
| 56 | Gonzales | Ascension Parish | 7.9% | 13,108 | $75,451 | $1,497 |
| 57 | Marrero (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 8.2% | 32,540 | $41,402 | $1,042 |
| 58 | Terrytown (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 8.4% | 24,726 | $51,718 | $1,135 |
| 59 | Waggaman (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 8.5% | 11,330 | $68,374 | $1,510 |
| 60 | Eunice | Saint Landry Parish | 8.6% | 9,239 | $35,436 | $799 |
| 61 | St. Rose (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 8.8% | 7,644 | $74,075 | $856 |
| 62 | Shreveport | Caddo Parish | 9.0% | 180,982 | $48,699 | $987 |
| 63 | Chalmette (unincorporated) | Saint Bernard Parish | 9.0% | 22,616 | $54,904 | $1,110 |
| 64 | Baton Rouge | East Baton Rouge Parish | 9.2% | 222,771 | $49,994 | $1,067 |
| 65 | West Monroe | Ouachita Parish | 9.6% | 12,729 | $49,386 | $826 |
| 66 | Woodmere (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 9.6% | 11,879 | $75,828 | $1,382 |
| 67 | DeRidder | Beauregard Parish | 10.1% | 9,763 | $59,801 | $958 |
| 68 | Laplace (unincorporated) | Saint John the Baptist Parish | 10.1% | 28,343 | $69,030 | $1,351 |
| 69 | Monroe | Ouachita Parish | 10.2% | 47,004 | $40,505 | $886 |
| 70 | New Iberia | Iberia Parish | 10.7% | 27,571 | $47,087 | $894 |
| 71 | Timberlane (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 11.2% | 10,886 | $65,901 | $1,443 |
| 72 | Opelousas | Saint Landry Parish | 11.9% | 15,495 | $32,964 | $717 |
| 73 | Destrehan (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 12.0% | 11,619 | $90,509 | $1,257 |
| 74 | Bridge City (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 13.2% | 7,297 | $57,031 | $1,281 |
| 75 | Crowley | Acadia Parish | 14.3% | 11,422 | $28,642 | $594 |
| 76 | Reserve (unincorporated) | Saint John the Baptist Parish | 14.5% | 7,791 | $55,450 | $1,381 |
| 77 | Bastrop | Morehouse Parish | 15.1% | 9,232 | $32,605 | $839 |
| 78 | Bogalusa | Washington Parish | 15.7% | 10,468 | $30,749 | $767 |
| 79 | Baker | East Baton Rouge Parish | 16.6% | 12,253 | $54,750 | $993 |
| 80 | Merrydale (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 19.5% | 9,490 | $41,500 | $1,311 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Moss Bluff, with 1.1% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in Louisiana by population.