About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, is not working
In Lafourche Parish, 23.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 64% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lafourche Parish's score
In Lafourche Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 65.0. About three in ten renters (28.9%, 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 61.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lafourche 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.
Lafourche Parish does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.7%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.1 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 rent28.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
-
- 61.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
-
- 58.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.1 · 202557th percentile
-
- 55.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
-
- 48.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,348 · 202444th percentile
-
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 Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish, 16.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lafourche Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lafourche Parish made its largest gain on the way to its 2019 high, from 15.6% in 2014 to 21.7% in 2019.
In Lafourche Parish, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lafourche Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.8% in 2010 to 15.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Lafourche Parish getting SNAP food aid fell by about a fifth from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17.0%, with its low point on the chart in 2018
Low on the chart: 12.7% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.
How Lafourche Parish has changed
Lafourche Parish's population had its largest rise, from 72,834 in 1974 to 80,841 in 1979.
Lafourche Parish's population rose 40% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 97,808 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Lafourche Parish had its largest rise, from 24,940 in 1995 to 30,088 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Lafourche Parish rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 35,052
High on the chart: 37,263 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.5% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,720 | 2024 $68,348 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Lafourche Parish's history
1887
Thibodaux Massacre on November 22, 1887, up to 50 African Americans killed after Knights of Labor strike. Wikipedia
1964
A tornado in October 1964 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 22 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in September 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A thunderstorm in August 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A rip current in September 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 97,557, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
Hurricane Ida made landfall in Lafourche Parish on August 29, 2021, as category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds. Wikipedia
-
Since 1965
54 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lafourche Parish, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lafourche Parish beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lafourche Parish, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lafourche Parish ranks 6th 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% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 87 | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| Assumption Parish, LA | 82 | 20.1% | 23.3% |
| Terrebonne Parish, LA | 79 | 18.0% | 27.3% |
| St. James Parish, LA | 77 | 15.7% | 22.2% |
| Lafourche Parish, LA | 62 | 14.8% | 21.3% |
| St. Charles Parish, LA | 61 | 12.3% | 19.8% |
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 Lafourche Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Lafourche Parish's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 58th 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, Lafourche Parish ranks 55th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lafourche 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.
-
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Lafourche 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 Lafourche Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.