Benefit checks make up 40 cents of every dollar of income in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
In Caldwell Parish, 40.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caldwell Parish's score
In Caldwell Parish, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 85.4. Bankruptcy filings ran at 372.8 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 84.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caldwell Parish: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Caldwell Parish does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.0%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.7% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people372.8 · 2025top 5%
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- 84.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.0% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score61.7% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 79.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.8% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.3% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,399 · 202487th percentile
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- 71.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent34.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202747th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Caldwell Parish comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Caldwell Parish, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caldwell Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Caldwell Parish had its largest rise, from 26.3% in 1989 to 33.4% in 1994.
In Caldwell Parish, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 40.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a fifth more than benefit checks
In Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caldwell Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.4% in 2019 to 23.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Caldwell Parish getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2017, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 12.4% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.
How Caldwell Parish has changed
Caldwell Parish's population had its largest drop, from 10,672 in 1984 to 10,019 in 1989.
Caldwell Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 10,672 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell Parish rose most sharply from its first year (2,019 in 1990) to 2,414 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Caldwell Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 2,579 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.4% | 2024 21.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,217 | 2024 $52,399 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Caldwell Parish's history
1838
Founded in 1838. Wikipedia
1864
Civil War skirmish in Columbia between Federal and Confederate troops. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 12,046. The 2020 Census counted 9,645, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in January 1973 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in October 2009 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in March 2016 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A thunderstorm in May 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caldwell Parish, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caldwell Parish beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Caldwell Parish, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Caldwell Parish ranks 3rd of the eight; Franklin Parish is highest, at 44.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catahoula Parish, LA | 96 | 22.6% | 43.2% |
| Richland Parish, LA | 96 | 26.4% | 38.2% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 95 | 21.8% | 40.2% |
| Franklin Parish, LA | 92 | 25.8% | 44.3% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 92 | 23.7% | 32.8% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 90 | 19.6% | 29.1% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 84 | 17.8% | 36.3% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 52 | 18.0% | 35.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Caldwell Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Caldwell Parish's poverty rate was 21.8% in 2024, 25th highest of 64 in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is East Carroll Parish, at 44.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Caldwell Parish ranks 18th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caldwell Parish
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Acadiana Legal Service Corporation
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Caldwell Parish · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Caldwell Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.