In St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In St. Bernard 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 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Bernard Parish's score
In St. Bernard Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 96.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Bernard 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.
St. Bernard Parish does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (7.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.3 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 rent28.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.7% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 91.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.1% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score52.0% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 83.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.1% · August 202592nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people197.9 · 202574th percentile
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- 74.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 70.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,796 · 202476th 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 St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Bernard Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Bernard Parish, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, reaching 28.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Bernard Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2011 to 13.5% in 2012.
The share of households in St. Bernard Parish getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 9.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
How St. Bernard Parish has changed
St. Bernard Parish's population fell most sharply on the way to its 2009 low, from 70,547 in 2004 to 32,878 in 2009.
St. Bernard Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 37% since
High on the chart: 70,547 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in St. Bernard Parish had its largest drop, from 13,985 in 2005 to 10,721 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in St. Bernard Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 30% since
High on the chart: 16,050 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,413 | 2024 $57,796 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 St. Bernard Parish's history
1983
Major Kaiser Aluminum plant. Wikipedia
1985
A thunderstorm in May 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A thunderstorm in May 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 67,229. The 2020 Census counted 43,764, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
2022
A tornado in March 2022 did $30 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 1965
48 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Bernard Parish, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Bernard Parish beside its neighbors
St. Bernard Parish scores higher than all two counties that border it. Of the group, St. Bernard Parish gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Bernard Parish, LA | 97 | 18.0% | 28.9% |
| Orleans Parish, LA | 96 | 21.3% | 19.8% |
| 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 St. Bernard Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, St. Bernard Parish's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 42nd 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, St. Bernard Parish ranks 11th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.