About one in four people in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, lives below the poverty line
In West Feliciana Parish, 23.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives West Feliciana Parish's score
In West Feliciana Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 58.4. About three in ten renters (31.6%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 54.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in West Feliciana 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.
West Feliciana Parish does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (71.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 58.4 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 rent31.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.9% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 51.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector33.6% · August 202583rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people71.6 · 202520th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 44.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.3% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.6% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,572 · 202426th 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 West Feliciana 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 West Feliciana Parish, 15.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
West Feliciana Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in West Feliciana Parish had its largest drop, from 19.3% in 1994 to 12.5% in 1999.
In West Feliciana Parish, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in West Feliciana Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.7% in 2022 to 12.3% in 2023.
The share of households in West Feliciana Parish getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 12.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.
How West Feliciana Parish has changed
West Feliciana Parish's population had its largest rise, from 11,532 in 1979 to 13,409 in 1984.
West Feliciana Parish's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1974, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 9,807 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in West Feliciana Parish had its largest drop, from 6,553 in 2000 to 5,603 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in West Feliciana Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 6,553 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 37.2% | 2024 23.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,983 | 2024 $76,572 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in West Feliciana Parish's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,994. The 2020 Census counted 15,310, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
1954
A tornado in February 1954 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in August 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in August 2016 did $5.17 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
44 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered West Feliciana Parish, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
West Feliciana Parish beside its neighbors
All six counties that border West Feliciana Parish, in Louisiana and Mississippi, score higher than it does. Of the group, West Feliciana Parish gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Wilkinson County gets the largest, at 43.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Parish, LA | 99 | 27.7% | 40.9% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 99 | 31.6% | 43.4% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 97 | 25.0% | 35.9% |
| Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 84 | 17.2% | 26.0% |
| East Feliciana Parish, LA | 64 | 18.4% | 31.7% |
| West Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 60 | 12.1% | 21.0% |
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 52 | 23.3% | 20.9% |
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 West Feliciana Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, West Feliciana Parish's poverty rate was 23.3% in 2024, 18th 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, West Feliciana Parish ranks 60th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in West Feliciana 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 West Feliciana 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 West Feliciana Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.