St. Helena Parish, Louisiana

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.3 | 10,774 people · 7th most distressed in Louisiana
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St. Helena Parish, LA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.3 — 199th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Louisiana, it ranks 7th of 64 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. St. Helena Parish's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.4 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.4
Poverty Rate 92
Income vs. State Median 78
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 85.8
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 95
Student Loan Delinquency 88
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47
Community Vulnerability 76.6
Uninsured Rate 58
Disability Rate 95
Employment & Wages 61.4
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 75
Business Formation Rate 14
Housing Cost Burden 39.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 7
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 32
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 13
Homeownership Rate 50
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How St. Helena Parish compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. St. Helena Parish
St. Helena Parish, LA 70.3 Serious —
Tangipahoa Parish, LA 68.5 Serious -1.8
Amite County, MS 64.7 Elevated -5.6
East Baton Rouge Parish, LA 59.5 Elevated -10.8
Livingston Parish, LA 48.8 Normal -21.5
East Feliciana Parish, LA 48.4 Normal -21.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. St. Helena Parish
Emanuel County, GA 70.3 Serious +0.0
McDuffie County, GA 70.3 Serious +0.0
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious -0.0
Morris County, TX 70.3 Serious +0.0
Val Verde County, TX 70.3 Serious -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for St. Helena Parish as a CSV file.

Find Help in St. Helena Parish

Find an Attorney

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-421-5722

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving St. Helena Parish residents at no cost.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services 504-529-1000
Acadiana Legal Service Corporation 1-800-256-1175
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation (504) 529-1000

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for St. Helena Parish, Louisiana?

    St. Helena Parish has a County Distress Index score of 70.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 199th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in Louisiana out of 64 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in St. Helena Parish?

    The primary driver of distress in St. Helena Parish is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does St. Helena Parish compare to neighboring counties?

    St. Helena Parish (70.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Tangipahoa Parish, LA (68.5); Amite County, MS (64.7); East Baton Rouge Parish, LA (59.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of St. Helena Parish?

    St. Helena Parish, Louisiana has a population of approximately 10,774 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.