What is the poverty rate in Louisiana?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 18.1% of Louisiana’s population as of 2025. 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 2025, 812,700 people in Louisiana were considered in poverty.
18.1%
of the population (2025)
813K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 18.1% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.6 percentage points lower than the previous year. Louisiana's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 20.4%.
In 2025, 18.1% of Louisiana's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
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 2025, 812,700 people living in Louisiana were in poverty — down 11.5% from the 2016 peak of 918,200.
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In 2025, 812,700 people in Louisiana were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Louisiana?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Louisiana decreased from 28.4% to 25.2%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 17.7% to 16.1%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 12.8% to 15.5%.
In 2025, 25.2% of children in Louisiana were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Louisiana?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Louisiana during 2025, 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
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, 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 22.7% in 2015 to 13% in 2025.
In Louisiana, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population decreased from 22.7% in 2015 to 13.0% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Louisiana have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Louisiana counties ranged from 7.4% in Cameron Parish to 35.2% in East Carroll Parish. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — East Baton Rouge Parish — was 19.6%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Louisiana counties ranged from 7.4% to 35.2%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | East Carroll Parish | 35.2% |
| 2. | Madison Parish | 34.5% |
| 3. | Tensas Parish | 34.4% |
| 4. | St. Helena Parish | 32.4% |
| 5. | Claiborne Parish | 32.0% |
| 6. | Concordia Parish | 31.8% |
| 7. | Lincoln Parish | 31.2% |
| 8. | Caldwell Parish | 29.8% |
| 9. | Union Parish | 29.4% |
| 10. | Morehouse Parish | 29.3% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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.
