What it's like to live in Slidell
Slidell is a small city in Louisiana with home prices that remain within reach, air quality that stays clean most of the year, 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. Slidell deals with commute times longer than most cities, hospital ratings below the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and very rainy.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Clean air
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High rent burden for renters
- Very rainy — 66" of rain per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Slidell compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Slidell
Based on Slidell's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,750
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $55,000 a year
- 55% of Slidell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$43,540
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,770
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,375/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,375 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $217,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $217,700 · 55% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 12% above US
4.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.8%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 17% below US
275 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2370/100k · Slidell Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 12% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.1 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; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
3 hospitals
There are 3 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 13% below US
31% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 31% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (28 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Slidell's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and hospital ratings below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,375/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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