About one in six people in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, lives below the poverty line
In Jefferson Davis Parish, 17.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson Davis Parish's score
In Jefferson Davis Parish, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.6. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (25.1%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 74% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 69.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson Davis 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.
Jefferson Davis Parish does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.1% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 69.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.4% · second quarter of 202682nd percentile
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- 67.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.8% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.4% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,114 · 202480th percentile
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- 66.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.9% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people149 · 202559th percentile
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- 38.2 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th 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 Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis Parish, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson Davis Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson Davis Parish, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson Davis Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.7% in 2022 to 19.6% in 2023.
The share of households in Jefferson Davis Parish getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20.3%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 14.5% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana.
How Jefferson Davis Parish has changed
Jefferson Davis Parish's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 33,032 in 1984 to 31,062 in 1989.
Jefferson Davis Parish's population rose 7% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 33,032 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson Davis Parish had its largest rise, from 7,173 in 2000 to 8,349 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson Davis Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 8,627 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.0% | 2024 17.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,227 | 2024 $56,114 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Jefferson Davis Parish's history
1901
First oil well in Louisiana drilled in 1901, known as Jennings Oil Field. Wikipedia
1901
Large fire destroyed wooden structures in Jennings in 1901. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in October 1974 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in January 2013 did $16.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in August 2016 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 32,250, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
41 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson Davis Parish, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson Davis Parish beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Jefferson Davis Parish, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson Davis Parish ranks 4th of the eight; Evangeline Parish is highest, at 37.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Parish, LA | 94 | 23.6% | 31.7% |
| Evangeline Parish, LA | 92 | 25.9% | 37.6% |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 86 | 15.5% | 23.8% |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 85 | 20.9% | 32.0% |
| Vermilion Parish, LA | 73 | 22.4% | 28.2% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 71 | 17.8% | 30.2% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 70 | 15.1% | 28.5% |
| Cameron Parish, LA | 38 | 12.9% | 16.0% |
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 Jefferson Davis Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Jefferson Davis Parish's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, 45th 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, Jefferson Davis Parish ranks 51st of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis 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 Jefferson Davis Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.