In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Jefferson Parish, 27.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson Parish's score
In Jefferson Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 94.0. About three in ten renters (28.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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 Parish does better than most counties on one measure: adults 25 to 54 not working (20.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.7% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.9% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.3 · 202568th percentile
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- 69.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.4% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,692 · 202458th percentile
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- 49.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th 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 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 Parish, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson Parish, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 21.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 21.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 15.6% in 2010 to 11.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Jefferson Parish getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.1%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 11.5% 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 Parish, Louisiana.
How Jefferson Parish has changed
Jefferson Parish's population rose most sharply from its first year (325,992 in 1969) to 394,855 in 1974.
Jefferson Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 468,706 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson Parish fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 194,624 in 2015 to 176,581 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 215,326 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,086 | 2024 $63,692 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jefferson Parish's history
1993
A tornado in April 1993 did $50 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 455,466. The 2020 Census counted 440,781, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2000
Hail in January 2000 did $65 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A tornado in December 2022 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $39.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
50 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson Parish, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson Parish beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson Parish, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson Parish ranks 2nd of the seven; St. John the Baptist Parish is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John the Baptist Parish, LA | 98 | 19.0% | 29.9% |
| Orleans Parish, LA | 96 | 21.3% | 19.8% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 87 | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Lafourche Parish, LA | 62 | 14.8% | 21.3% |
| St. Charles Parish, LA | 61 | 12.3% | 19.8% |
| Plaquemines Parish, LA | 58 | 15.0% | 19.4% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 50 | 10.2% | 17.2% |
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 Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Jefferson Parish's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 48th 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 Parish ranks 32nd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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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Jefferson Community Action Programs
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
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 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 Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.