Counties in Louisiana by poverty rate

East Carroll Parish had the highest poverty rate of 64 counties in 2020, at 37.6%. Ascension Parish had the lowest, at 9.6%. The median was 20.8% and the figure for Louisiana was 17.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Median20.864 counties
Louisiana17.8History

Top 40 counties, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

East Carroll ParishEast Carroll Parish: 37.6 %37.6Madison ParishMadison Parish: 33.6 %33.6Claiborne ParishClaiborne Parish: 31.9 %31.9Tensas ParishTensas Parish: 30.8 %30.8Concordia ParishConcordia Parish: 28.6 %28.6Catahoula ParishCatahoula Parish: 28.4 %28.4Union ParishUnion Parish: 26.7 %26.7Evangeline ParishEvangeline Parish: 24.5 %24.5Franklin ParishFranklin Parish: 24.1 %24.1Iberville ParishIberville Parish: 23.7 %23.7Ouachita ParishOuachita Parish: 23.7 %23.7Red River ParishRed River Parish: 23.7 %23.7Morehouse ParishMorehouse Parish: 23.3 %23.3Bienville ParishBienville Parish: 22.8 %22.8St. Helena ParishSt. Helena Parish: 22.7 %22.7St. Landry ParishSt. Landry Parish: 22.6 %22.6Winn ParishWinn Parish: 22.6 %22.6Iberia ParishIberia Parish: 22.5 %22.5Richland ParishRichland Parish: 22.5 %22.5Washington ParishWashington Parish: 22.5 %22.5Sabine ParishSabine Parish: 22.1 %22.1West Feliciana ParishWest Feliciana Parish: 21.9 %21.9Lincoln ParishLincoln Parish: 21.7 %21.7Natchitoches ParishNatchitoches Parish: 21.7 %21.7Avoyelles ParishAvoyelles Parish: 21.6 %21.6Caldwell ParishCaldwell Parish: 21.4 %21.4St. Bernard ParishSt. Bernard Parish: 21.3 %21.3Allen ParishAllen Parish: 21.1 %21.1Orleans ParishOrleans Parish: 21.1 %21.1Caddo ParishCaddo Parish: 20.9 %20.9Jackson ParishJackson Parish: 20.9 %20.9West Carroll ParishWest Carroll Parish: 20.8 %20.8Acadia ParishAcadia Parish: 20.7 %20.7Tangipahoa ParishTangipahoa Parish: 20.1 %20.1East Feliciana ParishEast Feliciana Parish: 19.9 %19.9De Soto ParishDe Soto Parish: 19.8 %19.8St. Mary ParishSt. Mary Parish: 19.8 %19.8Webster ParishWebster Parish: 19.7 %19.7Rapides ParishRapides Parish: 18.7 %18.7Grant ParishGrant Parish: 18.2 %18.2
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1East Carroll Parish37.6-0.8 pts
2Madison Parish33.6-7.5 pts
3Claiborne Parish31.9-0.6 pts
4Tensas Parish30.8+1.9 pts
5Concordia Parish28.6+1.1 pts
6Catahoula Parish28.4+2 pts
7Union Parish26.7+7.3 pts
8Evangeline Parish24.5-4.1 pts
9Franklin Parish24.1-1.7 pts
10Iberville Parish23.7+5 pts
10Ouachita Parish23.7-0.2 pts
10Red River Parish23.7-0.2 pts
13Morehouse Parish23.3-7.7 pts
14Bienville Parish22.8-1.6 pts
15St. Helena Parish22.7+3.1 pts
16St. Landry Parish22.60 pts
16Winn Parish22.6-0.8 pts
18Iberia Parish22.5+0.6 pts
18Richland Parish22.5-2.6 pts
18Washington Parish22.5-2.4 pts
21Sabine Parish22.1+3.7 pts
22West Feliciana Parish21.9-0.2 pts
23Lincoln Parish21.7-7.8 pts
23Natchitoches Parish21.7+2.1 pts
25Avoyelles Parish21.6-2.8 pts
26Caldwell Parish21.4+1.9 pts
27St. Bernard Parish21.3+2.1 pts
28Allen Parish21.1-0.5 pts
28Orleans Parish21.1-2.4 pts
30Caddo Parish20.9-3.2 pts
30Jackson Parish20.9+1.7 pts
32West Carroll Parish20.8-0.2 pts
33Acadia Parish20.7+0.4 pts
34Tangipahoa Parish20.1-1.6 pts
35East Feliciana Parish19.9+1.2 pts
36De Soto Parish19.8+1.8 pts
36St. Mary Parish19.8-4 pts
38Webster Parish19.7-9.9 pts
39Rapides Parish18.7+0.4 pts
40Grant Parish18.2-0.4 pts
41Bossier Parish17.8+1.4 pts
42Jefferson Davis Parish17.6-1.5 pts
43LaSalle Parish17.3+0.4 pts
43Pointe Coupee Parish17.3-2.7 pts
45St. Martin Parish17-1.7 pts
46St. John the Baptist Parish16.9+0.9 pts
47Calcasieu Parish16.6-2.3 pts
47Plaquemines Parish16.6+1.5 pts
49East Baton Rouge Parish16.4-1.3 pts
50Lafayette Parish16.2-0.4 pts
51Jefferson Parish16.1+1.5 pts
51Vernon Parish16.1+0.8 pts
53Assumption Parish15.8-3 pts
54Terrebonne Parish15.7-3.3 pts
55Vermilion Parish15.4-1.6 pts
56West Baton Rouge Parish14.6+0.2 pts
57Beauregard Parish14.5+0.2 pts
57Lafourche Parish14.5-3 pts
59Cameron Parish13.1-0.6 pts
60St. James Parish13-3.6 pts
61Livingston Parish11.7-0.3 pts
62St. Charles Parish11.3+0.2 pts
63St. Tammany Parish10-1.5 pts
64Ascension Parish9.60 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2020/2020-state-and-county/est20all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

East Carroll Parish, with 37.6% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Ascension Parish, with 9.6% in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Louisiana: more rankings