In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Orleans Parish, 30.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orleans Parish's score
In Orleans Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 98.0. About one in three renters (32.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 98% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 89.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Orleans 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.
Orleans Parish does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (14.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 98.0 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 rent32.1% · 2020 to 202498th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.7% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 89.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.3% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.8% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 81.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector37.5% · August 202590th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.3 · 202571st percentile
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- 72.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.0% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 69.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.9% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,897 · 202475th 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 Orleans 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 Orleans Parish, 17.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orleans Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Orleans Parish made its largest gain on the way to its 1994 high, from 16.2% in 1989 to 21.3% in 1994.
In Orleans Parish, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Orleans Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 18.7% in 2011 to 20.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Orleans Parish getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 18.5%
Low on the chart: 17.4% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
How Orleans Parish has changed
Orleans Parish's population had its largest drop, from 493,765 in 2004 to 327,803 in 2009.
Orleans Parish's population fell 40% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 2009
Low on the chart: 327,803 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Orleans Parish had its largest drop, from 262,957 in 2000 to 212,453 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Orleans Parish fell by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 187,364, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 170,343 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.6% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,667 | 2024 $57,897 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Orleans Parish's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 627,525. The 2020 Census counted 383,997, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
Lightning in April 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in June 2000 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A tornado in February 2007 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A tornado in December 2022 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1998
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orleans Parish. FEMA
Orleans Parish beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Orleans Parish, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Orleans Parish ranks 3rd of the five; St. Bernard Parish is highest, at 28.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Bernard Parish, LA | 97 | 18.0% | 28.9% |
| Orleans Parish, LA | 96 | 21.3% | 19.8% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 87 | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| 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 Orleans Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Orleans Parish's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 28th 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, Orleans Parish ranks 14th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orleans 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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Desire Community Housing Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Family Resources of New Orleans
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, Inc.
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 Orleans 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 Orleans Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.