About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, are not working
In Catahoula Parish, 42.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Catahoula Parish's score
In Catahoula Parish, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.5. People with a credit card behind: 9.8%, August 2025, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 88.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Catahoula 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.
Catahoula Parish does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.8%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score57.9% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 88.8 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 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working42.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 88.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.0% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people273.4 · 202587th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.6% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line32.8% · 202494th percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$45,288 · 2024top 5%
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- 60.8 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 rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.6% · fiscal year 202775th 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 Catahoula 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 Catahoula Parish, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Catahoula Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Catahoula Parish rose most in two steps: 18.2% in 1984 to 24.5% in 1989; 36.9% in 2019 to 43.2% in 2024.
In Catahoula Parish, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 43.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Catahoula Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 20.7% in 2013 to 17.5% in 2014.
The share of households in Catahoula Parish getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 13.5% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
How Catahoula Parish has changed
Catahoula Parish's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 12,214 in 1984 to 11,290 in 1989.
Catahoula Parish's population fell 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 12,214 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Catahoula Parish rose most sharply from its first year (1,913 in 1990) to 2,600 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Catahoula Parish was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 2,600 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.2% | 2024 22.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,425 | 2024 $45,288 |
The table uses 5.4% 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 Catahoula Parish's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,351. The 2020 Census counted 8,906, 54% of the peak. Census Bureau
1950
A tornado in May 1950 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
A tornado in November 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in March 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
45 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Catahoula Parish, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Catahoula Parish beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Catahoula Parish, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Catahoula Parish ranks 2nd of the seven; Franklin Parish is highest, at 44.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Parish, LA | 99 | 27.7% | 40.9% |
| Tensas Parish, LA | 97 | 27.4% | 39.0% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 97 | 25.0% | 35.9% |
| Catahoula Parish, LA | 96 | 22.6% | 43.2% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 95 | 21.8% | 40.2% |
| Franklin Parish, LA | 92 | 25.8% | 44.3% |
| 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 Catahoula Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Catahoula Parish's poverty rate was 22.6% in 2024, 20th 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, Catahoula Parish ranks 13th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Catahoula 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 Catahoula 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 Catahoula Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.