Scores by category

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

Safety6#14,656/15,637
Economy0#15,618/15,631
Housing34#9,929/14,977
Health1#15,420/15,609
Healthcare8#14,449/15,650
Environment32#10,506/15,453
Education0#15,622/15,649
Infrastructure0#15,578/15,650
Community3#15,216/15,651
Leisure & amenities26#11,515/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Simmesport, 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

Effective property tax rate · low0.14%
100/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
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
Public libraries · high2.3 /10k
93/100Louisiana 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAvoyelles Parish value
Home price to income ratio · low2.1×
86/100Louisiana 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
77/100Louisiana 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAvoyelles Parish value

Weaknesses

Bachelor's degree or higher · low3.4%
1/100Louisiana 27.0%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003High uncertainty
Mental health care shortage · high20.0
1/100Louisiana 15.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAvoyelles Parish value
Frequent mental distress · high24.2%
1/100Louisiana 21.3%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
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

Trends

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

Poverty rateImproving
59.9% (2015-2019) → 37.6% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.3% (2015-2019) → 77.0% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
75.2% (2015-2019) → 59.7% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$17,120 (2015-2019) → $29,712 (2020-2024)
+74%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
62.5% (2015-2019) → 74.2% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Average commute timeWorsening
22.9 min (2015-2019) → 35.5 min (2020-2024)
+55%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Simmesport, Louisiana improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved3

Poverty−22 points59.9% → 37.6%
High school++12 points62.5% → 74.2%
Broadband+18 points59.3% → 77.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Simmesport, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	35.5 min2020-2024	+12.6 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Broadband subscriptions	59.3%2015-2019	77.0%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	86%
Child poverty rate	75.2%2015-2019	59.7%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Effective property tax rate	0.15%2015-2019	0.14%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	62.5%2015-2019	74.2%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	97%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	−1.0×	Within the margin of error	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.6062015-2019	0.5332020-2024	−0.074	Within the margin of error	91%
Median household income	$17,1202015-2019	$29,7122020-2024	+74%	Within the margin of error	95%
Poverty rate	59.9%2015-2019	37.6%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	99%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	47.4%2015-2019	38.2%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Rent-burdened households	64.1%2015-2019	69.4%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.6%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Within the margin of error	91%

“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 Simmesport, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Simmesport, 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, Simmesport, Louisiana itself moved +1.1 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

1,625 residents (±390)

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: 10–19 women (−5.0 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,625 residents (±390)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

White43%†706
Black42%†690
Hispanic or Latino7.3%†

Education

1,036 residents (±230)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

No high school diploma26%†267
High school or GED49%†512
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

651 households (±140)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k45%†293
$25k–50k25%†162
$50k–75k12%†79
$75k–100k3.8%†25
$100k–150k8.6%†56
$150k–200k2.2%†14
$200k or more3.4%†22

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 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

651 households (±140)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own62%403
Rent38%†248

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+16.5 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

228 households (±95)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $75070%†159
$750–1,00023%†53
$1,000–1,5003.9%†

Home values

403 homes (±102)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $150k80%†321
$150k–250k12%†49
$250k–400k8.2%†33

Age of homes

803 homes (±142)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

2010 or later1.4%†11
2000–20091.1%†9
1980–199933%†261

Size of homes

803 homes (±142)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Studio1.1%†9
1 bedroom5.2%†42
2 bedrooms24%†194

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

535 workers (±133)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone77%414
Carpool10%†55
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.3%†7
Other11%†59

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

528 workers (±131)

Simmesport, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under 15 min44%†232
15–29 min13%†68
30–44 min20%†104

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 Simmesport'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 $5,845 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Simmesport, Louisiana: $3.60 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5,845; −66% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.60; US $1,994
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

Department of Veterans Affairs$5,845100%

Top recipients

BAYOU CHATEAU NURSING CENTER, INC.$5,845100%

Spending by fiscal year

12.5KFY2017
5.6KFY2018
5.3KFY2019
8KFY2020
22KFY2021
21.4KFY2022
6.4KFY2023
12.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$5,845100%

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

Simmesport, Louisiana's figures are part of those of Avoyelles Parish, LA ($5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Simmesport 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.

Simmesport, 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.

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/2270525

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends