About two in five people with a credit file in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In St. John the Baptist Parish, 41.6% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. John the Baptist Parish's score
In St. John the Baptist Parish, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 96.3. People with a credit card behind: 11.3%, August 2025, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 94.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. John the Baptist 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. John the Baptist Parish does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (6.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.3% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.5% · August 202597th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score58.0% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 94.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.6% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people343.5 · 202593rd percentile
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- 89.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.3% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 84.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 66.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.4% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,610 · 202468th 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. John the Baptist 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. John the Baptist Parish, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. John the Baptist Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in St. John the Baptist Parish had its largest rise, from 19.8% in 2014 to 26.1% in 2019.
In St. John the Baptist Parish, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 29.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. John the Baptist Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.4% in 2021 to 18.4% in 2022.
The share of households in St. John the Baptist Parish getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 14.7% 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, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana.
How St. John the Baptist Parish has changed
St. John the Baptist Parish's population had its largest rise, from 31,085 in 1979 to 39,274 in 1984.
St. John the Baptist Parish's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 46,336 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in St. John the Baptist Parish had its largest rise, from 13,008 in 2005 to 15,214 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in St. John the Baptist Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 15,214 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,813 | 2024 $60,610 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in St. John the Baptist Parish's history
1720
German immigrants settled along Mississippi River in the 1720s. Wikipedia
1763
Acadians expelled by British from Nova Scotia and eastern Canada arrived in south Louisiana. Wikipedia
1807
Established 1807 as one of original 19 parishes of Territory of Orleans. Wikipedia
1821
First St. John the Baptist Church swept away by floodwaters in 1821. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in December 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in August 1992 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in June 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 45,924. The 2020 Census counted 42,477, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2024
A flash flood in September 2024 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
46 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. John the Baptist Parish, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. John the Baptist Parish beside its neighbors
St. John the Baptist Parish scores higher than all eight counties that border it. Of the group, St. John the Baptist Parish gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John the Baptist Parish, LA | 98 | 19.0% | 29.9% |
| Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 93 | 19.4% | 29.8% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 87 | 17.1% | 21.6% |
| 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% |
| Livingston Parish, LA | 58 | 12.2% | 21.5% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 50 | 10.2% | 17.2% |
| Ascension Parish, LA | 34 | 9.5% | 16.6% |
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. John the Baptist Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, St. John the Baptist Parish's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 39th 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. John the Baptist Parish ranks 5th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. John the Baptist 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. John the Baptist 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. John the Baptist Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.