What it's like to live in Opelousas
Opelousas is a small city in Louisiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, 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. Opelousas deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
How Opelousas compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Opelousas
Based on Opelousas's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,434
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $28,680 a year
- 43% of Opelousas renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$21,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $10,510
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 49% below US
$717/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $717 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $105,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $105,100 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in St. Landry Parish is 5.0%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
St. Landry Parish (county-wide)
Safety▲ 324% above US
1397 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 4644/100k · Opelousas Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.3 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; 5% 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 43°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 70% below US
11% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
10 public schools inside the boundary
There are 10 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Natchez National Historical Park (82 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Opelousas's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($717/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Opelousas
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