Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.4 | 8,414 people · 6th most distressed in Louisiana
American Default Research

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Catahoula Parish, LA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.4 — 191st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Louisiana, it ranks 6th of 64 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Catahoula Parish's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 90.9
Debt in Collections 88
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 88
Auto Loan Delinquency 92
Credit Card Delinquency 94
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 88
Community Vulnerability 57.0
Uninsured Rate 46
Disability Rate 68
Employment & Wages 56.0
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 56
Business Formation Rate 34
Housing Cost Burden 53.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 71
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 69
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 41
Rent-to-Income Ratio 79

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Catahoula Parish compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Catahoula Parish
Catahoula Parish, LA 70.4 Serious —
Avoyelles Parish, LA 73.3 Serious +2.9
Concordia Parish, LA 72.8 Serious +2.4
Tensas Parish, LA 68.8 Serious -1.6
Franklin Parish, LA 65.2 Serious -5.3
Caldwell Parish, LA 63.4 Elevated -7.0
LaSalle Parish, LA 49.1 Normal -21.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Catahoula Parish
Swisher County, TX 70.4 Serious +0.0
Oscoda County, MI 70.5 Serious +0.1
Webster County, WV 70.3 Serious -0.1
Montgomery County, AR 70.5 Serious +0.1
Liberty County, FL 70.2 Serious -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Catahoula Parish as a CSV file.

Find Help in Catahoula Parish

Find an Attorney

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-421-5722

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Catahoula Parish residents at no cost.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services 504-529-1000
Acadiana Legal Service Corporation 1-800-256-1175
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation (504) 529-1000

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Catahoula Parish, Louisiana?

    Catahoula Parish has a County Distress Index score of 70.4 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 191st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 6th in Louisiana out of 64 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Catahoula Parish?

    The primary driver of distress in Catahoula Parish is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Catahoula Parish compare to neighboring counties?

    Catahoula Parish (70.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Avoyelles Parish, LA (73.3); Concordia Parish, LA (72.8); Tensas Parish, LA (68.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Catahoula Parish?

    Catahoula Parish, Louisiana has a population of approximately 8,414 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.