Scores by category

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

Safety41#9,163/15,637
Economy1#15,425/15,631
Housing27#10,991/14,977
Health7#14,592/15,609
Healthcare8#14,379/15,650
Environment24#11,816/15,453
Education11#13,870/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,340/15,650
Community15#13,246/15,651
Leisure & amenities3#15,199/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Oakdale, Louisiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Allen 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 · low0.28%
98/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Students per teacher · low10.7×
95/100Louisiana 13.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsAllen Parish value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Louisiana 11.8 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAllen Parish value
Time spent in the emergency room · low110 min
92/100Louisiana 135 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAllen Parish value
Public libraries · high1.8 /10k
89/100Louisiana 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAllen Parish value
Pharmacies · high2.2 /10k
82/100Louisiana 2.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAllen Parish value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high53.3%
1/100Louisiana 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.4 /10k
1/100Louisiana 5.0 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAllen Parish value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,926 /100k
2/100Louisiana 3,516 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllen Parish value
Flu vaccinations · low23.0%
2/100Louisiana 38.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllen Parish value
Distance to an airport · high153 mi
2/100Louisiana 80 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAllen Parish value
Poverty rate · high32.8%
3/100Louisiana 18.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
7,607 (2015-2019) → 6,546 (2020-2024)
−14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
18.6% (2015-2019) → 53.3% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
41.2% (2015-2019) → 66.4% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.1 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
62.5% (2015-2019) → 79.4% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.9% (2015-2019) → 42.7% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Oakdale, Louisiana improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+17 points62.5% → 79.4%

Declined3

Child poverty+35 points18.6% → 53.3%
Poverty+15 points17.9% → 32.8%
Rent burden+25 points41.2% → 66.4%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Oakdale, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.2 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	−4.2 min	Within the margin of error	86%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	62.5%2015-2019	79.4%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	85%
Child poverty rate	18.6%2015-2019	53.3%2020-2024	+35 points	Declined	1%
High school diploma or higher	79.7%2015-2019	75.8%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	69%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.4572020-2024	−0.045	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$32,5382015-2019	$42,5402020-2024	+31%	Within the margin of error	57%
Poverty rate	17.9%2015-2019	32.8%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	2%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	42.7%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Rent-burdened households	41.2%2015-2019	66.4%2020-2024	+25 points	Declined	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.9%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	23%

“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 Oakdale, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oakdale, 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, Oakdale, Louisiana itself moved −8.9 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

6,546 residents (±21)

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: 60–69 women (−5.3 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

6,546 residents (±21)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

White53%3,445
Black27%1,798
Hispanic or Latino15%957

Education

5,143 residents (±232)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

No high school diploma24%1,247
High school or GED45%2,330
Some college17%873

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

1,964 households (±225)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k35%†681
$25k–50k32%†629
$50k–75k15%†302
$75k–100k5.7%†111
$100k–150k9.4%†185
$150k–200k2.4%†48
$200k or more0.4%†8

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (+12.9 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 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

1,964 households (±225)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own67%1,319
Rent33%†645

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

602 households (±232)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $75038%†227
$750–1,00017%†102
$1,000–1,50043%†257

Home values

1,319 homes (±285)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $150k71%943
$150k–250k23%†309
$250k–400k1.7%†22

Age of homes

2,613 homes (±238)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

2010 or later4.2%†111
2000–20094.3%†112
1980–199921%†545

Size of homes

2,613 homes (±238)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom7.8%†205
2 bedrooms27%†708

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

1,730 workers (±319)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone77%1,337
Carpool5.8%†101
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.3%†57
Bike0.0%0
Work from home14%†235
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+10.2 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,495 workers (±333)

Oakdale, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under 15 min55%†824
15–29 min16%†237
30–44 min5.3%†79

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 Allen Parish, the county holding most of Oakdale's residents.

Allen Parish has 310 employer establishments, 138 for every 10,000 residents (0.55× the US rate of 248; 0.58× Louisiana's), with 3,450 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,061. The Census Bureau also counts 1,272 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 310; 1,272 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 138; US 248 · Louisiana 236
Paid employees: 3,450
Average annual pay: $47,061; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	25	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	307	$42,107	55
Religious organizations	25	11.1	2.00×More than typical	120	$17,258	—
Restaurants and other eating places	22	9.8	0.53×Fewer than typical	343	$17,292	15
Gasoline stations	15	6.7	2.05×More than typical	127	$26,339	—
Limited-service restaurants	13	5.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	276	$16,399	6
General merchandise stores	11	4.9	2.76×More than typical	245	$31,649	9
Traveler accommodation	10	4.4	2.46×More than typical	21	$18,476	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	4	0.79×Too few to compare	36	$26,861	30
Legal services	9	4	0.74×Too few to compare	24	$76,792	14
Specialty trade contractors	9	4	0.26×Too few to compare	35	$75,829	134
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	8	3.6	2.03×Too few to compare	44	$27,682	—
Banks and credit unions	7	3.1	0.96×Too few to compare	42	$43,667	—

Rank places for an industry Open Allen Parish

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 22,522 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 $295.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Oakdale, Louisiana: $45.09 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $295.2K; +403% vs FY2025
Per resident: $45.09; US $1,995
Sole-source: 9.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.2%; 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

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$292K99%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$2,6860.9%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$5230.2%

Top recipients

INTEGRATED MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC$235.1K80%
SENECA FEDERAL SOLUTIONS, LLC$22.9K7.8%
THE SMOOTH SAILING GROUP LLC$6,7342.3%
BIG DADDY FOODS, INC$6,4342.2%
THE B2G GROUP CORP.$5,8592.0%

Spending by fiscal year

96.5KFY2017
55.9KFY2018
27.5KFY2019
48.1KFY2020
139.4KFY2021
55.8KFY2022
87.3KFY2023
54.5K

Top industries (NAICS)

General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$235.1K80%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$26.1K8.8%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$25.6K8.7%
Bakeries and tortilla manufacturing · 3118$2,7780.9%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2,6860.9%
Spring and wire product manufacturing · 3326$1,783

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

Oakdale, Louisiana's figures are part of those of Allen Parish, LA ($20.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Allen 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.

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

House

Mike JohnsonR-LA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.0%

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.

Allen Parish3100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Allen 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/2256540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends