City · St. Landry Parish, Louisiana

Eunice, Louisiana

Eunice is a city in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, part of the Opelousas, LA metro area. It has 9,239 residents. Eunice, Louisiana has a quality-of-life score of 1 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,544 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Louisiana it ranks #235 of 262 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), pharmacies (high) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), poverty rate (high) and frequent mental distress (high).

1Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,544 of 15,651 cities and towns
Louisiana: #235 of 262 in LA
Population: 9,239 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,798.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2224565

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety3#15,196/15,637
Economy1#15,487/15,631
Housing27#11,005/14,977
Health1#15,475/15,609
Healthcare30#10,972/15,650
Environment17#12,796/15,453
Education8#14,475/15,649
Infrastructure1#15,450/15,650
Community3#15,225/15,651
Leisure & amenities40#9,437/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Eunice, Louisiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “St. Landry Parish value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Effective property tax rate · low0.26%
98/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Pharmacies · high3.2 /10k
97/100Louisiana 2.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Landry Parish value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Louisiana 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSt. Landry Parish value
Time spent in the emergency room · low122 min
86/100Louisiana 135 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSt. Landry Parish value
Students per teacher · low12.1×
82/100Louisiana 13.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSt. Landry Parish value
Mammography screening · high51.0%
76/100Louisiana 48.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSt. Landry Parish value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low76.2%
1/100Louisiana 86.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Poverty rate · high33.2%
1/100Louisiana 18.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Frequent mental distress · high23.5%
2/100Louisiana 21.3%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.536
2/100Louisiana 0.495United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Child poverty rate · high33.1%
2/100Louisiana 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Adult smoking · high24.6%
2/100Louisiana 20.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
10,140 (2015-2019) → 9,239 (2020-2024)
−8.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
40.4% (2015-2019) → 59.5% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
50.6% (2015-2019) → 33.1% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.8% (2015-2019) → 35.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
73.7% (2015-2019) → 80.2% (2020-2024)
+6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
New homes permittedImproving
1.3 /1k (2021) → 1.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+30%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Eunice, Louisiana improved on 1 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Child poverty−18 points50.6% → 33.1%

Declined2

Rent / income+10 points24.8% → 35.2%
Rent burden+19 points40.4% → 59.5%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Eunice, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	24.1 min2020-2024	−0.4 min	Within the margin of error	52%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.1%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Broadband subscriptions	71.7%2015-2019	76.2%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Child poverty rate	50.6%2015-2019	33.1%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	92%
Effective property tax rate	0.19%2015-2019	0.26%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
High school diploma or higher	73.7%2015-2019	80.2%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5062015-2019	0.5362020-2024	+0.030	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$34,5732015-2019	$35,4362020-2024	+2.5%	Within the margin of error	9%
Poverty rate	29.8%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.8%2015-2019	35.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Declined	9%
Rent-burdened households	40.4%2015-2019	59.5%2020-2024	+19 points	Declined	9%
Unemployment rate	11.4%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.8%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Eunice, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Eunice, Louisiana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Eunice, Louisiana itself moved −11.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

9,239 residents (±212)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,129 households (±334)

Eunice, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k40%1,667
$25k–50k25%1,018
$50k–75k14%579

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,129 households (±334)

Eunice, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own50%2,082
Rent50%2,047

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,449 workers (±346)

Eunice, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone77%2,645
Carpool11%†390
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Opelousas, LA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of St. Landry Parish, the county holding most of Eunice's residents.

St. Landry Parish has 1,559 employer establishments, 191 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248; 0.81× Louisiana's), with 21,089 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,554. The Census Bureau also counts 7,026 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,559; 7,026 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 191; US 248 · Louisiana 236
Paid employees: 21,089
Average annual pay: $44,554; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of St. Landry Parish by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	197	24.2	1.16×About typical	2,218	$45,908	492
Specialty trade contractors	96	11.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	588	$53,352	536
Restaurants and other eating places	83	10.2	0.56×Fewer than typical	1,449	$17,669	44
Offices of physicians	69	8.5	1.31×More than typical	766	$61,385	56
Religious organizations	51	6.3	1.13×About typical	382	$21,152	—
Offices of other health practitioners	50	6.1	1.01×About typical	316	$40,541	102
Building equipment contractors	48	5.9	0.98×About typical	276	$53,141	92
Limited-service restaurants	48	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	983	$17,254	13
Legal services	46	5.6	1.05×About typical	217	$59,493	51
Gasoline stations	43	5.3	1.63×More than typical	420	$23,600	7
Lessors of real estate	43	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	96	$38,792	397
General merchandise stores	40	4.9	2.78×More than typical	899	$28,581	50

Rank places for an industry Open St. Landry Parish

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 81,423 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $7,961 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Eunice, Louisiana: $0.86 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7,961
Per resident: $0.86; US $1,994
Sole-source: 38%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Park Service$7,961100%

Top recipients

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS LLC$4,94262%
LOGISTICAL SERVICE AND REPAIR, INC$3,02038%

Spending by fiscal year

289.3FY2017
0FY2018
2.4KFY2019
45KFY2021
10.2KFY2022
9.4KFY2023
85.4KFY2024
-1.1KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$4,94262%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$3,02038%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Eunice, Louisiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Eunice, Louisiana's figures are part of those of St. Landry Parish, LA and Acadia Parish, LA ($21.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Eunice is mostly in St. Landry Parish.

See federal money in St. Landry Parish

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Eunice, Louisiana is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Opelousas, LA2

Other cities and towns in St. Landry Parish

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2224565

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends