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Moving to
Destrehan.
Destrehan is an unincorporated community in St. Charles Parish, LA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Destrehan
Destrehan is an unincorporated community in Louisiana with rent below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Destrehan deals with a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, very rainy, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 63" of rain per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Destrehan compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Destrehan
Based on Destrehan's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,514
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $50,280 a year
- 65% of Destrehan renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$64,140
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,070
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 11% below US
$1,257/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,257 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $320,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $320,700 · 65% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in St. Charles Parish is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
St. Charles Parish (county-wide)
Safety
225 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Destrehan doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 816/100k · Policed by St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 48°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 12% above US
40% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 40% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (17 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Destrehan's strongest points are rent below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,257/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Destrehan
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