Scores by category

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

Safety5#14,882/15,637
Economy8#14,437/15,631
Housing27#11,002/14,977
Health3#15,173/15,609
Healthcare15#13,275/15,650
Environment16#12,963/15,453
Education9#14,294/15,649
Infrastructure1#15,524/15,650
Community10#14,100/15,651
Leisure & amenities24#11,862/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Jennings, Louisiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jefferson Davis 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

Pharmacies · high3.2 /10k
97/100Louisiana 2.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJefferson Davis Parish value
Time spent in the emergency room · low104 min
95/100Louisiana 135 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson Davis Parish value
Effective property tax rate · low0.44%
92/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100Louisiana 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesJefferson Davis Parish value
Comfortable days · high30.9%
82/100Louisiana 29.3%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationJefferson Davis Parish value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Louisiana 0 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyJefferson Davis Parish value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high146 mi
3/100Louisiana 80 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauJefferson Davis Parish value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
3/100Louisiana 15.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationJefferson Davis Parish value
Average weekly wage · low$876
4/100Louisiana $1,213United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJefferson Davis Parish value
Loneliness · high39.7%
4/100Louisiana 37.4%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Broadband subscriptions · low81.2%
4/100Louisiana 86.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Frequent mental distress · high22.4%
4/100Louisiana 21.3%United States 18.6%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.

New homes permittedWorsening
0.5 /1k (2021) → 0.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−79%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.9% (2015-2019) → 81.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$29,819 (2015-2019) → $48,558 (2020-2024)
+63%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
31.1% (2015-2019) → 20.8% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
65.5% (2015-2019) → 58.6% (2020-2024)
−6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
25.7% (2015-2019) → 19.1% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Jennings, Louisiana improved on 6 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved6

Price / income−1.0×3.8× → 2.8×
Unemployment−4.3 points8.3% → 4.0%
Inequality−0.0960.548 → 0.453
Household income+63%$29,819 → $48,558
Child poverty−10 points31.1% → 20.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Jennings, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.5 min2015-2019	31.0 min2020-2024	+3.4 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.3%2015-2019	16.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Broadband subscriptions	67.9%2015-2019	81.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Child poverty rate	31.1%2015-2019	20.8%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	0.28%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	77.4%2015-2019	78.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	−1.0×	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5482015-2019	0.4532020-2024	−0.096	Improved	95%
Median household income	$29,8192015-2019	$48,5582020-2024	+63%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	25.7%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	34.4%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	65.5%2015-2019	58.6%2020-2024	−6.9 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Unemployment rate	8.3%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Improved	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%

“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 Jennings, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Jennings, 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, Jennings, Louisiana itself moved +7 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

9,553 residents (±18)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−4.7 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

9,553 residents (±18)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

White63%6,053
Black24%2,328
Hispanic or Latino5.2%496
Asian0.5%†49
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†18
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.4%†609

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (+4.9 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

6,592 residents (±254)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

No high school diploma22%1,447
High school or GED42%2,762
Some college17%1,106
Associate degree3.4%†223
Bachelor's degree7.6%†498
Graduate degree8.4%†556

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

3,830 households (±204)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k28%1,074
$25k–50k23%886
$50k–75k15%†592
$75k–100k9.5%†365
$100k–150k13%503
$150k–200k6.8%†262
$200k or more3.9%†148

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−16.4 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

3,830 households (±204)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own64%2,456
Rent36%1,374

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,204 households (±252)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $75030%†361
$750–1,00031%†373
$1,000–1,50039%†470

Home values

2,456 homes (±287)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $150k56%1,371
$150k–250k29%717
$250k–400k11%†259

Age of homes

4,689 homes (±201)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

2010 or later2.1%†97
2000–20093.6%†170
1980–199920%941

Size of homes

4,689 homes (±201)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom5.2%†246
2 bedrooms26%1,235

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

3,648 workers (±351)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone85%3,099
Carpool8.1%†294
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.9%†68
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.6%†96
Other2.5%†91

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

3,552 workers (±369)

Jennings, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under 15 min54%1,927
15–29 min14%†490
30–44 min5.9%†209

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

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 Lake Charles, 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 Jefferson Davis Parish, the county holding most of Jennings's residents.

Jefferson Davis Parish has 633 employer establishments, 200 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.85× Louisiana's), with 6,660 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,718. The Census Bureau also counts 2,378 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 633; 2,378 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 200; US 248 · Louisiana 236
Paid employees: 6,660
Average annual pay: $42,718; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	46	14.5	0.70×Fewer than typical	413	$48,923	124
Specialty trade contractors	44	13.9	0.90×About typical	332	$51,322	202
Restaurants and other eating places	43	13.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	737	$16,453	10
Building equipment contractors	27	8.5	1.42×More than typical	137	$46,409	37
Religious organizations	25	7.9	1.42×More than typical	141	$15,816	—
Limited-service restaurants	23	7.3	0.91×About typical	470	$16,257	5
Lessors of real estate	20	6.3	0.51×Fewer than typical	37	$32,189	166
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	19	6	1.47×More than typical	65	$26,615	25
Banks and credit unions	19	6	1.86×More than typical	216	$63,954	—
Gasoline stations	19	6	1.85×More than typical	245	$22,241	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	17	5.4	0.80×About typical	33	$39,727	58
Offices of other health practitioners	17	5.4	0.88×About typical	180	$41,222	31

Rank places for an industry Open Jefferson Davis Parish

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 31,670 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 $8,701 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Jennings, Louisiana: $0.91 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $8,701; −78% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.91; US $1,995
Sole-source: 82%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$7,16382%
Forest Service$1,53818%

Top recipients

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA VETERANS HOME$7,16382%
THIBS OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT & TRAILERS LLC$1,53818%

Spending by fiscal year

17.8KFY2017
21.8KFY2018
27KFY2019
35.9KFY2020
91KFY2021
61.1KFY2022
23.5KFY2023
25.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$7,16382%
Other motor vehicle dealers · 4412$1,53818%

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 Jennings, Louisiana, so they do not add up across cities.

Jennings, Louisiana's figures are part of those of Jefferson Davis Parish, LA ($113.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 7.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Jennings is mostly in Jefferson Davis Parish.

See federal money in Jefferson Davis 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.

Jennings, Louisiana is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Clay HigginsR-LA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.7%

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.

Jefferson Davis Parish4100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Lake Charles, LA26

Other cities and towns in Jefferson Davis 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/2238355

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends