Catahoula
Louisiana

What stands out

Against every county in America, Catahoula Parish is unusual in three ways: the property tax rate is among the lowest in America (0.29%), population growth is in the bottom 2% of American counties (-2.2% a year), and high-school completion is in the bottom 3% of American counties (75%). Within Louisiana it ranks 11th of 64 counties for the property tax rate, counting from the bottom.

Where you are

You live in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. 8,895 people live here with you, so most faces are familiar. The population shrank 2.2% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -126).

Louisiana moved to a flat 3% income tax in 2025 and has one of the highest combined sales-tax rates in the nation. The homestead exemption removes the first $75,000 of home value from property tax, which keeps property bills low. Hurricane and flood exposure drives insurance costs across the southern parishes, and several insurers have left the state since 2020.

Money

The typical household here brings in $48,259 a year, lower than 82% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $38,908. Unemployment runs 4.1%, higher than 72% of American counties. 9% of workers work from home; for the rest the average commute is 30 minutes each way.

Louisiana takes 3.0% of that median income in state income tax, about $1,448 a year.

Home

The median home costs $119K, cheaper than 94% of American counties, about 1.4 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $579 a month. Property tax is 0.29% of home value, roughly $263 a year on that median home, lower than almost every county in America. 78% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 4.9 per 1,000 residents, higher than 92% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 29 people per 100,000 in 2024, one of the harder-hit counties in the country.

A child born here can expect to live 72.6 years, shorter than 83% of American counties. There are 2 active physicians in the county, about 2.2 per 10,000 people. 11.1% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

75% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 47 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 65% of eligible voters turned out. Under Louisiana law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is banned with narrow exceptions, and marijuana is medical only.

Weather and risk

The year averages 67°F, highs near 79 and lows near 55, warmer than 88% of American counties. About 52 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 32 out of 100, safer than 68% of American counties; the county has had 45 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 69 Mbps down, slower than 95% of American counties. There is 1 airport in the county, counting general aviation.