Natchitoches
Louisiana

What stands out

Three things set Natchitoches Parish apart from the other 3,142 counties: homeownership is in the bottom 5% of American counties (57%), the property tax rate is in the bottom 7% of American counties (0.44%), and the share working from home is in the bottom 7% of American counties (3%). Within Louisiana it ranks 5th of 64 counties for homeownership, counting from the bottom.

Where you are

You live in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. 37,478 people live here with you. The population shrank 1.0% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -276).

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 $41,310 a year, lower than 92% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $46,001. Unemployment runs 3.9%, higher than 68% of American counties. 3% of workers work from home; for the rest the average commute is 23 minutes each way.

Louisiana takes 3.0% of that median income in state income tax, about $1,239 a year.

Home

The median home costs $177K, cheaper than 73% of American counties, about 2.5 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $802 a month. Property tax is 0.44% of home value, roughly $685 a year on that median home, lower than 93% of American counties. 57% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 4.6 per 1,000 residents, higher than 84% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 28 people per 100,000 in 2024, one of the harder-hit counties in the country.

A child born here can expect to live 71.9 years, shorter than 88% of American counties. There are 58 active physicians in the county, about 15.5 per 10,000 people. Medicare rates the local hospitals 4.0 of 5 stars. 7.9% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

88% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 15 points. 56% 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 68°F, highs near 79 and lows near 56, warmer than 91% of American counties. About 52 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 62 out of 100, riskier than 62% of American counties; the county has had 41 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 200 Mbps down, faster than 50% of American counties. There are 2 airports in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.8 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people, 4 museums, 1 National Park Service site.