What is the poverty rate in Louisiana?
Updated monthly
About 18.7% of Louisiana’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 835,267 people in Louisiana were considered in poverty.
18.7%
of the population (2024)
835K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Louisiana's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 20.4%. Its lowest point was in 2022 at 18.6%. The state's poverty rate was 18.7% in 2024, 0.2 percentage point higher than the previous year.
In 2024, 18.7% of Louisiana population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 835,267 people living in Louisiana were in poverty — down 9% from the 2016 peak of 918,187.
In 2024, 835,300 people in Louisiana were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Louisiana decreased from 27.9% to 25.2%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 18.2% to 17.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 12.8% to 14.9%.
In 2024, 25.2% of children in Louisiana were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Louisiana during 2024, four had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Four had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population shifted the most, decreasing from 26.4% in 2014 to 14.8% in 2024.
In Louisiana, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population decreased from 26.4% in 2014 to 14.8% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Louisiana counties ranged from 6.3% in Cameron Parish to 36.7% in Madison Parish. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — East Baton Rouge Parish — was 18.6%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Louisiana counties ranged from 6.3% to 36.7%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
