City profile
Lafayette, LA
Heart of Cajun & Creole country — zydeco, food and festivals in a friendly mid-size city.
Climate
Climate type
Humid subtropical
Winter avg
53°F
Summer avg
83°F
Sunny days / yr
218
Home prices & cost of living
Median home price
$230,000
Typical monthly housing
$1,685
Cost of living (100 = U.S.)
89
Taxes
- Property tax
- 0.55%
- State income tax (top)
- 3%
- Social Security
- Not taxed
- Pensions
- Partly exempt
- Sales tax (state + avg. local)
- 10.11%
FEMA natural hazard risk
Relatively High · county score 95/100
Top hazards: Lightning, Hurricane, Cold wave
Nearest major airport
106 mi to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Political lean (2024 county vote)
Leans Republican · 36% Democratic / 62% Republican
Demographics (Census ACS)
Population (2024)
121,715
Growth since 2019
-3.9%
Median age
36.9
Residents 65+
17.2%
Median household income
$61,915
Income growth since 2019
+20.8%
Black household income
$37,662
Home ownership
53.1%
Poverty rate
18.3%
Poverty rate, 65+
15.0%
Race & ethnicity: Black 29.0% · White 56.1% · Hispanic 8.1% · Asian 2.2% · Other 4.6%
Crime (per 100,000 residents, 2025)
Violent crime
1,131 · 243% above the national average
Property crime
3,471 · 124% above the national average
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, Lafayette Police Department. State average: violent 466, property 1,860.
2025–2026 trends
2026 market trends
- ▸More retirees are leaving LA than arriving, mostly over cost
- ▸Home insurance is very expensive or hard to get here — get quotes before you buy
- ▸Home prices are softening in 2026 — more room to negotiate
- ▸Part of the New Great Migration — a growing Black community in the South
Highlights
- Zydeco & Creole culture
- Festival International
- Affordable
Trade-offs
- Hurricane & insurance risk
- Flooding
Figures are estimates from public sources (see How we match). Verify before making decisions.