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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, Fort Polk South has the smallest share of long commutes (2.2%), followed by Prien and Harahan. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in Louisiana that we cover, the median is 11.9% and the average 13.4%; the figure runs from 2.2% (Fort Polk South) to 38.0% (Meraux). That is a spread of 17.3 times between the two ends. The state figure is 15.2%; 25 of the 80 places are above it and 55 at or below.
The first five are Fort Polk South, Prien, Harahan, Bossier City, Lake Charles. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: short commutes can mean a self-contained job market or a small town with few employers. 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 ⇅ | Commute of 45 minutes or more ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Polk South (unincorporated) | Vernon Parish | 2.2% | 7,869 | $63,800 | $1,202 |
| 2 | Prien (unincorporated) | Calcasieu Parish | 3.2% | 7,119 | $87,292 | $1,292 |
| 3 | Harahan | Jefferson Parish | 3.5% | 8,904 | $79,516 | $1,082 |
| 4 | Bossier City | Bossier Parish | 4.0% | 62,901 | $55,819 | $1,107 |
| 5 | Lake Charles | Calcasieu Parish | 4.1% | 81,143 | $59,235 | $1,109 |
| 6 | Oak Hills Place (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 4.2% | 9,038 | $92,306 | $1,422 |
| 7 | Pineville | Rapides Parish | 4.3% | 14,160 | $49,774 | $910 |
| 8 | Sulphur | Calcasieu Parish | 4.4% | 20,775 | $61,760 | $994 |
| 9 | Shreveport | Caddo Parish | 4.5% | 180,982 | $48,699 | $987 |
| 10 | Broussard | Lafayette Parish | 4.7% | 14,322 | $116,179 | $1,010 |
| 11 | Claiborne (unincorporated) | Ouachita Parish | 5.0% | 13,308 | $72,420 | $1,206 |
| 12 | Youngsville | Lafayette Parish | 7.0% | 17,427 | $105,876 | $1,278 |
| 13 | Ruston | Lincoln Parish | 7.1% | 22,284 | $31,120 | $816 |
| 14 | Alexandria | Rapides Parish | 7.2% | 44,060 | $47,113 | $931 |
| 15 | Lafayette | Lafayette Parish | 7.6% | 121,715 | $61,915 | $1,100 |
| 16 | Metairie (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 7.7% | 139,729 | $73,042 | $1,175 |
| 17 | Natchitoches | Natchitoches Parish | 8.0% | 17,577 | $37,133 | $802 |
| 18 | Jefferson (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 8.0% | 9,703 | $57,235 | $1,097 |
| 19 | West Monroe | Ouachita Parish | 8.1% | 12,729 | $49,386 | $826 |
| 20 | Baton Rouge | East Baton Rouge Parish | 8.2% | 222,771 | $49,994 | $1,067 |
| 21 | Timberlane (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 8.9% | 10,886 | $65,901 | $1,443 |
| 22 | Bayou Cane (unincorporated) | Terrebonne Parish | 9.1% | 21,253 | $74,350 | $1,101 |
| 23 | Houma | Terrebonne Parish | 9.4% | 32,392 | $58,194 | $1,058 |
| 24 | Addis | West Baton Rouge Parish | 9.4% | 7,252 | $108,041 | $1,273 |
| 25 | River Ridge (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 9.6% | 13,312 | $84,336 | $1,127 |
| 26 | Monroe | Ouachita Parish | 9.6% | 47,004 | $40,505 | $886 |
| 27 | New Iberia | Iberia Parish | 9.8% | 27,571 | $47,087 | $894 |
| 28 | Reserve (unincorporated) | Saint John the Baptist Parish | 9.9% | 7,791 | $55,450 | $1,381 |
| 29 | New Orleans | Orleans Parish | 10.1% | 371,853 | $56,631 | $1,251 |
| 30 | Scott | Lafayette Parish | 10.2% | 8,609 | $56,299 | $1,052 |
| 31 | Moss Bluff (unincorporated) | Calcasieu Parish | 10.4% | 12,482 | $92,036 | $1,324 |
| 32 | Westwego | Jefferson Parish | 10.4% | 8,335 | $46,261 | $1,049 |
| 33 | Bridge City (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 10.5% | 7,297 | $57,031 | $1,281 |
| 34 | Breaux Bridge | Saint Martin Parish | 10.6% | 7,501 | $47,806 | $891 |
| 35 | Gardere (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 11.3% | 12,223 | $55,409 | $1,157 |
| 36 | Luling (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 11.4% | 13,960 | $76,539 | $1,625 |
| 37 | Marrero (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 11.6% | 32,540 | $41,402 | $1,042 |
| 38 | Abbeville | Vermilion Parish | 11.7% | 11,003 | $33,015 | $829 |
| 39 | St. Rose (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 11.8% | 7,644 | $74,075 | $856 |
| 40 | Gretna | Jefferson Parish | 11.8% | 17,389 | $43,110 | $1,060 |
| 41 | Kenner | Jefferson Parish | 11.9% | 64,904 | $64,020 | $1,179 |
| 42 | Baker | East Baton Rouge Parish | 12.1% | 12,253 | $54,750 | $993 |
| 43 | Old Jefferson (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 12.4% | 7,860 | $92,075 | $1,357 |
| 44 | Thibodaux | Lafourche Parish | 12.9% | 15,732 | $52,072 | $960 |
| 45 | Merrydale (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 13.0% | 9,490 | $41,500 | $1,311 |
| 46 | Central | East Baton Rouge Parish | 13.2% | 29,783 | $89,554 | $1,309 |
| 47 | Terrytown (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 13.4% | 24,726 | $51,718 | $1,135 |
| 48 | DeRidder | Beauregard Parish | 13.6% | 9,763 | $59,801 | $958 |
| 49 | Shenandoah (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 13.8% | 17,998 | $107,021 | $1,201 |
| 50 | Opelousas | Saint Landry Parish | 13.9% | 15,495 | $32,964 | $717 |
| 51 | Crowley | Acadia Parish | 14.1% | 11,422 | $28,642 | $594 |
| 52 | Gonzales | Ascension Parish | 14.4% | 13,108 | $75,451 | $1,497 |
| 53 | Morgan City | Saint Mary Parish | 15.0% | 11,064 | $56,474 | $917 |
| 54 | Carencro | Lafayette Parish | 15.1% | 11,619 | $63,401 | $944 |
| 55 | Destrehan (unincorporated) | Saint Charles Parish | 15.1% | 11,619 | $90,509 | $1,257 |
| 56 | Belle Chasse (unincorporated) | Plaquemines Parish | 15.2% | 10,934 | $115,012 | $1,485 |
| 57 | Denham Springs | Livingston Parish | 15.7% | 9,323 | $71,569 | $1,014 |
| 58 | Village St. George (unincorporated) | East Baton Rouge Parish | 15.9% | 8,273 | $96,364 | $1,451 |
| 59 | Woodmere (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 16.0% | 11,879 | $75,828 | $1,382 |
| 60 | Minden | Webster Parish | 16.2% | 11,455 | $34,294 | $895 |
| 61 | Hammond | Tangipahoa Parish | 16.8% | 21,539 | $48,166 | $1,061 |
| 62 | Eunice | Saint Landry Parish | 18.4% | 9,239 | $35,436 | $799 |
| 63 | Estelle (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 18.7% | 16,341 | $78,869 | $1,442 |
| 64 | Harvey (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 18.9% | 20,915 | $48,774 | $1,190 |
| 65 | Raceland (unincorporated) | Lafourche Parish | 19.7% | 9,585 | $60,286 | $629 |
| 66 | Waggaman (unincorporated) | Jefferson Parish | 19.9% | 11,330 | $68,374 | $1,510 |
| 67 | Bayou Blue (unincorporated) | Lafourche Parish | 20.4% | 12,218 | $63,958 | $1,107 |
| 68 | Zachary | East Baton Rouge Parish | 20.9% | 19,952 | $84,480 | $1,527 |
| 69 | Prairieville (unincorporated) | Ascension Parish | 21.3% | 35,238 | $104,923 | $1,324 |
| 70 | Chalmette (unincorporated) | Saint Bernard Parish | 21.4% | 22,616 | $54,904 | $1,110 |
| 71 | Bogalusa | Washington Parish | 21.6% | 10,468 | $30,749 | $767 |
| 72 | Mandeville | Saint Tammany Parish | 21.7% | 12,946 | $94,405 | $1,422 |
| 73 | Bastrop | Morehouse Parish | 22.0% | 9,232 | $32,605 | $839 |
| 74 | Slidell | Saint Tammany Parish | 23.0% | 28,561 | $70,497 | $1,375 |
| 75 | Laplace (unincorporated) | Saint John the Baptist Parish | 25.1% | 28,343 | $69,030 | $1,351 |
| 76 | Covington | Saint Tammany Parish | 25.4% | 11,658 | $75,851 | $1,396 |
| 77 | Jennings | Jefferson Davis Parish | 26.1% | 9,553 | $48,558 | $881 |
| 78 | Ponchatoula | Tangipahoa Parish | 35.1% | 7,808 | $51,161 | $762 |
| 79 | Eden Isle (unincorporated) | Saint Tammany Parish | 35.6% | 7,683 | $78,426 | $1,328 |
| 80 | Meraux (unincorporated) | Saint Bernard Parish | 38.0% | 7,918 | $76,021 | $1,055 |
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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.
Fort Polk South, with 2.2% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in Louisiana by population.