Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety9#843/924
Economy37#587/925
Housing47#493/925
Health24#704/925
Healthcare75#235/923
Environment32#622/917
Education43#531/925
Infrastructure26#683/925
Community18#756/925
Leisure & amenities89#100/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lafayette, LA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Pharmacies · high3.2 /10k
98/100Louisiana 2.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
New business applications · high17.2 /1k
88/100Louisiana 16.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.2 /10k
87/100Louisiana 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high31.2%
86/100Louisiana 29.3%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · low0.50%
85/100Louisiana 0.55%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Gyms and fitness centers · high1.5 /10k
83/100Louisiana 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.497
6/100Louisiana 0.495United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Property crime rate · high2,156 /100k
8/100Louisiana 1,966 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high545 /100k
8/100Louisiana 515 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.9 µg/m³
11/100Louisiana 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Social associations · low7.0 /10k
12/100Louisiana 9.4 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high110 mi
12/100Louisiana 80 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
1% (2021) → 33% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+31 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−82%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Homicide rateImproving
14.4 /100k (2021) → 7.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$50,738 (2019) → $71,798 (2024)
+42%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 88.8% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
7.2 /1k (2021) → 4.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−35%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, Lafayette, LA metro area improved on 12 of 28 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 5 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Real income+42%$50,738 → $71,798
Uninsured−2.1 points11.3% → 9.2%
High school++3.2 points84.1% → 87.3%
Bachelor's++4.3 points23.4% → 27.6%
Firearm deaths−12%20.8 /100k → 18.3 /100k

Declined4

Libraries−7%0.7 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Inequality+0.0150.482 → 0.497
Traffic deaths+17%14.0 /100k → 16.4 /100k
Price / income+0.5×3.0× → 3.5×

All 28 measures

Change of every measure of Lafayette, LA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.6 /10k2020	5.0 /10k2025	+9.1%	Improved	51%
Average commute time	25.7 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.4%2015-2019	27.6%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Improved	82%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Improved	33%
Child poverty rate	26.4%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Improved	51%
Distance to an airport	110 mi2020	110 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	92%
Effective property tax rate	0.45%2015-2019	0.50%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Little change	2%
Firearm deaths	20.8 /100k2020	18.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−12%	Improved	70%
Grocery stores	2.3 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	−2.6%	Little change	39%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+1%	Little change	46%
High school diploma or higher	84.1%2015-2019	87.3%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	84%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	44%
Homicide rate	10.7 /100k2020	7.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−27%	Improved	51%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,7382019	$71,7982024	+42%	Improved	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4822015-2019	0.4972020-2024	+0.015	Declined	20%
Median household income	$51,9552015-2019	$60,8922020-2024	+17%	Improved	8%
New business applications	16.5 /1k2020	17.2 /1k2025	+4.4%	Little change	7%
Pharmacies	3.3 /10k2020	3.2 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	67%
Poverty rate	19.1%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−7%	Declined	17%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent as share of income	29.6%2015-2019	31.3%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Rent-burdened households	49.2%2015-2019	51.9%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Restaurants and bars	9.8 /10k2020	10.3 /10k2025	+5.2%	Improved	67%
Suicide rate	16.9 /100k2020	16.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−3.1%	Little change	67%
Traffic deaths	14.0 /100k2015-2019	16.4 /100k2020-2024	+17%	Declined	32%
Unemployment rate	7.3%2020	3.7%2025	−3.6 points	Improved	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.3%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Improved	87%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Lafayette, LA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lafayette, LA metro area 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, Lafayette, LA metro area itself moved −0.2 points in standing on average over the same 27 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

413,428 residents

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

164,378 households (±1,323)

Lafayette, LA metro area
United States share

Under $25k22%36,645
$25k–50k20%33,523
$50k–75k15%24,630

Homes

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

Owners and renters

164,378 households (±1,323)

Lafayette, LA metro area
United States share

Own68%112,095
Rent32%52,283

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

186,893 workers (±2,837)

Lafayette, LA metro area
United States share

Drive alone81%151,322
Carpool6.4%12,032
Public transit0.4%†823

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Lafayette, LA employ 44,100 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Lafayette, LA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,200 jobs	5,200	$21,400US $35,800	−40%	1.05×
Retail Salespersons5,010 jobs	5,010	$28,600US $35,410	−19%	1.11×
Registered Nurses4,930 jobs	4,930	$81,960US $97,550	−16%	1.26×
General and Operations Managers4,590 jobs	4,590	$99,510US $105,770	−6%	1.13×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand4,500 jobs	4,500	$32,600US $40,240	−19%	1.32×
Fast Food and Counter Workers4,480 jobs	4,480	$22,320US $31,200	−28%	1.01×
Cashiers4,480 jobs	4,480	$24,920US $32,880	−24%	1.26×
Office Clerks, General4,240 jobs	4,240	$34,510US $45,010	−23%	1.49×
Waiters and Waitresses3,410 jobs	3,410	$15,080US $35,230	−57%	1.3×
Food Preparation Workers3,260 jobs	3,260	$22,920US $35,320	−35%	3.16×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Lafayette, LA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Lafayette, LA has 11,874 employer establishments, 285 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248), with 164,940 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,107. The Census Bureau also counts 44,668 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 11,874; 44,668 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 285; US 248
Paid employees: 164,940
Average annual pay: $55,107; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,234	29.7	1.42×More than typical	14,765	$61,034	2,782
Restaurants and other eating places	746	17.9	0.98×About typical	16,063	$18,746	261
Specialty trade contractors	638	15.3	0.99×About typical	5,939	$59,019	3,145
Legal services	487	11.7	2.18×More than typical	1,888	$80,220	449
Lessors of real estate	467	11.2	0.91×About typical	1,413	$44,335	3,977
Offices of physicians	454	10.9	1.69×More than typical	3,303	$90,711	480
Offices of other health practitioners	374	9	1.48×More than typical	1,800	$42,578	908
Management, scientific and technical consulting	358	8.6	1.28×More than typical	1,051	$78,346	1,279
Limited-service restaurants	348	8.4	1.04×About typical	6,649	$17,365	114
Building equipment contractors	293	7	1.17×About typical	2,488	$62,116	537
Full-service restaurants	292	7	0.91×About typical	8,298	$20,035	63
Construction of buildings	261	6.3	0.83×About typical	1,737	$70,762	1,112

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 415,934 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $46M on contracts performed in Lafayette, LA metro area: $109 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $46M; −34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $109; US $1,994
Sole-source: 16%; 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

Agricultural Marketing Service$18.7M41%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$7.7M

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Lafayette, LA metro area: $5,775 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.4B; −1.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,775; US $12,955
Loan face value: $305.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.4B55%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$236.7M9.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$230.9M9.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$209.6M8.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$102.4M4.2%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$52.8M2.2%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$45.4M1.9%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$18.7M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION & DEVELOPMENT LOUISIANA D$106.8M4.4%
BATON ROUGE, LA
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE$19.3M0.8%
LAFAYETTE, LA
SOUTH LOUISIANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$19.1M0.8%
LAFAYETTE, LA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE$17.4M0.7%
LAFAYETTE, LA
PRIME TIME FAMILY READING

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.9B78%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$261.9M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$107.1M4.4%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$48.3M2.0%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$29.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

2.1BFY2021
2.1BFY2022
2.1BFY2023
2.3BFY2024
2.5BFY2025
2.4BFY2026

County aggregates

89%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Lafayette, LA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

LafayettePrincipal city121,715

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Louisiana

Areas based in Louisiana, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M29180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Lafayette, LA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Lafayette, LA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Louisiana

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards