Census-designated place · Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana

Fifth Ward, Louisiana

Fifth Ward is a census-designated place in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It has 1,277 residents. Fifth Ward, Louisiana has a quality-of-life score of 4 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,039 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Louisiana it ranks #166 of 262 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), pharmacies (high) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), hospital quality rating (low) and dental care shortage (high).

4Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,039 of 15,651 cities and towns
Louisiana: #166 of 262 in LA
Population: 1,277 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 245.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 2225545

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety6#14,656/15,637
Economy21#12,363/15,631
Housing76#3,534/14,977
Health6#14,690/15,609
Healthcare9#14,205/15,650
Environment32#10,506/15,453
Education2#15,313/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,275/15,650
Community4#15,057/15,651
Leisure & amenities26#11,515/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fifth Ward, Louisiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Avoyelles 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

Time spent in the emergency room · low80 min
99/100Louisiana 135 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAvoyelles Parish value
Pharmacies · high3.7 /10k
99/100Louisiana 2.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAvoyelles Parish value
Effective property tax rate · low0.27%
98/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Public libraries · high2.3 /10k
93/100Louisiana 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAvoyelles Parish value
Rent as share of income · low22.2%
85/100Louisiana 32.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.310
80/100Louisiana 0.495United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high20.0
1/100Louisiana 15.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAvoyelles Parish value
Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100Louisiana 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAvoyelles Parish value
Dental care shortage · high20.0
1/100Louisiana 13.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAvoyelles Parish value
Average weekly wage · low$825
1/100Louisiana $1,213United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAvoyelles Parish value
Reading scores · low2.48
2/100Louisiana 2.74United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAvoyelles Parish value
Food environment index · low5.7
3/100Louisiana 4.8United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAvoyelles Parish value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
809 (2015-2019) → 1,277 (2020-2024)
+58%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
73.4% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−73 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.0% (2015-2019) → 7.3% (2020-2024)
−34 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
37.2% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−31 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.5× (2015-2019) → 2.8× (2018-2022)
+85%3 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 3.8×
High school diploma or higherWorsening
76.2% (2015-2019) → 62.8% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Fifth Ward, Louisiana improved on 2 of 5 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 3 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.

Improved2

Child poverty−73 points73.4% → 0.0%
Inequality−0.2210.531 → 0.310

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 5 measures

Change of every measure of Fifth Ward, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Broadband subscriptions	59.5%2015-2019	62.4%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Child poverty rate	73.4%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−73 points	Improved	100%
High school diploma or higher	76.2%2015-2019	62.8%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5312015-2019	0.3102020-2024	−0.221	Improved	100%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 6681 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 Fifth Ward, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fifth Ward, 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.

No place that looked like Fifth Ward, Louisiana five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Fifth Ward, Louisiana itself moved +27.1 points in standing on average over the same 3 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

1,277 residents (±512)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,277 residents (±512)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

White81%†1,033
Black0.9%†11
Hispanic or Latino16%†

Education

890 residents (±359)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

No high school diploma37%†331
High school or GED31%†277
Some college13%

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

495 households (±190)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k8.9%†44
$25k–50k32%†159
$50k–75k27%†132
$75k–100k13%†62
$100k–150k17%†83
$150k–200k3.0%†15
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−29.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

495 households (±190)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own70%†345
Rent30%†150

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

150 households (±125)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $75010%†15
$750–1,00090%†135
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

345 homes (±152)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $150k49%†168
$150k–250k21%†72
$250k–400k28%†95

Age of homes

518 homes (±193)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

2010 or later9.1%†47
2000–200925%†132
1980–199913%†68

Size of homes

518 homes (±193)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.9%†20
2 bedrooms31%†162

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

574 workers (±287)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone76%†436
Carpool19%†107
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.5%†20
Other1.9%†11

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

554 workers (±284)

Fifth Ward, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under 15 min4.3%†24
15–29 min29%†162
30–44 min22%†123

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Avoyelles Parish, the county holding most of Fifth Ward's residents.

Avoyelles Parish has 692 employer establishments, 180 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.76× Louisiana's), with 7,754 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,785. The Census Bureau also counts 2,911 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 692; 2,911 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 180; US 248 · Louisiana 236
Paid employees: 7,754
Average annual pay: $37,785; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	54	14	0.90×About typical	270	$49,667	270
Ambulatory health care services	51	13.2	0.63×Fewer than typical	400	$43,835	218
Restaurants and other eating places	35	9.1	0.49×Fewer than typical	482	$15,305	20
Gasoline stations	30	7.8	2.40×More than typical	340	$22,482	—
Religious organizations	30	7.8	1.40×More than typical	153	$16,529	—
Building equipment contractors	24	6.2	1.03×About typical	116	$45,621	50
Legal services	24	6.2	1.16×About typical	132	$54,523	27
General merchandise stores	23	6	3.38×More than typical	409	$28,306	16
Child day care services	22	5.7	2.34×More than typical	295	$15,434	96
Limited-service restaurants	22	5.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	375	$13,624	8
Offices of other health practitioners	20	5.2	0.85×About typical	167	$36,707	41
Automotive repair and maintenance	19	4.9	0.98×About typical	85	$30,882	65

Rank places for an industry Open Avoyelles Parish

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 38,551 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 $1,129 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fifth Ward, Louisiana: $0.88 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1,129
Per resident: $0.88; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$1,129100%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.6KFY2017
11.7KFY2018
20.7KFY2019
21.5KFY2020
29.9KFY2021
99KFY2022
427.1KFY2023
434KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$84575%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$14713%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$13812%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 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 Fifth Ward, Louisiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Fifth Ward, Louisiana's figures are part of those of Avoyelles Parish, LA ($5M 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: Fifth Ward is mostly in Avoyelles Parish.

See federal money in Avoyelles 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.

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

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Avoyelles Parish0100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Avoyelles 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
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/2225545

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends