In Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Plaquemines Parish, 23.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 73% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Plaquemines Parish's score
In Plaquemines Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 77.3. About one in four renters (23.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 81% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 64.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Plaquemines 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.
Plaquemines Parish does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (15.4%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($76,385, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.3 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 rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 64.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.2% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 57.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.8% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.5 · 202555th percentile
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- 44.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,385 · 202426th percentile
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- 34.2 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 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.4% · 2020 to 202418th 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 Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines Parish, 14.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Plaquemines Parish had its largest drop, from 21.1% in 2004 to 14.5% in 2009.
In Plaquemines Parish, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Plaquemines Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.4% in 2010 to 8.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Plaquemines Parish getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.8%, with its low point on the chart in 2011
Low on the chart: 8.9% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
How Plaquemines Parish has changed
Plaquemines Parish's population had its largest drop, from 29,390 in 2004 to 22,730 in 2009.
Plaquemines Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 29,390 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in Plaquemines Parish had its largest drop, from 14,378 in 2015 to 11,223 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Plaquemines Parish fell 16% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 11,223 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.5% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,334 | 2024 $76,385 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Plaquemines Parish's history
1699
French built fort at La Balize by 1699 at mouth of Mississippi River. Wikipedia
1822
Fort Jackson built in 1822 as recommended by General Andrew Jackson. Wikipedia
1860
La Balize abandoned after being destroyed by hurricane in September 1860. Wikipedia
1915
Great Hurricane of 1915 devastated Plaquemines Parish with multiple levee breaches, 12-foot storm surge, hundreds of deaths. Wikipedia
1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 caused widespread destruction in Plaquemines Parish after deliberate levee breach to save New Orleans. Wikipedia
1965
Hurricane Betsy flooded Plaquemines Parish in 1965, including courthouse, nine deaths. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 26,757. The 2020 Census counted 23,515, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
45 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Plaquemines Parish, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Plaquemines Parish beside its neighbors
All three counties that border Plaquemines Parish score higher than it does. Of the group, Plaquemines Parish gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; St. Bernard Parish gets the largest, 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% |
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 Plaquemines Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, Plaquemines Parish's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 57th 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, Plaquemines Parish ranks 58th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Plaquemines 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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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 Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.