Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,861, settled in 1850. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Trash & recyclingAbbeville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $135K, 2.2 years of the Lafayette metro’s $61K median household income. It grades B− overall, 28th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its schools outperform 90% of the state's. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Abbeville, above both Louisiana’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 7 of Louisiana’s 252 towns score higher on walkability. Abbeville has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them St. Mary Congregational Church and Abbeville Commercial Historic District.
Where Abbeville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Eaton Park Elementary School | PK–2 | 376 |
| James A. Herod Elementary School | 3–5 | 285 |
| J.H. Williams Middle School | 6–8 | 374 |
| Widest gap | Abbeville | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 35.5% | 22.5% |
Census counts: 545 in 1870, a low of 255 in 1880, 11,186 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1932 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Abbeville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Abbeville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Abbeville.
Abbeville pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Abbeville beats the Louisiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 34% of Abbeville adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 26% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Abbeville | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.5% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 35.5% | 22.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $135K. Its A ranks #6 of the 162 Louisiana towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Vermilion Parish school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Abbeville High School, with 569 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Park Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 376 | – |
| Abbeville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 569 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
358 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 25 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 358 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Abbeville. Only 4 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Abbeville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.2 years of the Lafayette metro’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $135K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The typical value, about $135K, is 15% below its July 2022 peak.
50% of households own their home in Abbeville. The typical Abbeville home is worth about $135,000, about the same as a year ago, 37% below the Louisiana typical home. Abbeville’s median rent is $829 a month.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $829 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 42.8°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.1°.
Abbeville has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Abbeville is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Abbeville’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Lafayette (20%), Baton Rouge (3%) and Youngsville (3%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $33,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Abbeville's reported crime rate is below Louisiana's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 85 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 21.3 per 1,000 residents | 28.3 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
1.0 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lafitte Drive-In Park, at 40 acres.
| Abbeville | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lafitte Drive-In Park | — | 40 |
| 2. Comeaux Park | — | 40 |
| 3. Herbert Williams Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Abbeville. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Stadium & arenaCajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium30 mi Park & preserveSpaceX Starbase, Louisiana
14 mi GardenJungle Gardens
21 mi MuseumLongfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site36 mi MuseumZigler Art MuseumCajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium: Jcarriere, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jungle Gardens: Skb8721, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site: Mike (msm62166), CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Abbeville
About 3 of every 100 Abbeville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
12 places in Abbeville on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Abbeville.
City in Louisiana, United States
Abbeville is a city in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,186 at the 2020 census. At the 2020 population estimates program, the population of the city was 11,927. It is located 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Lafayette.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Abbeville.
Perry has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Abbeville and Perry report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Abbeville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Abbeville grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #28 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
14 notable people were born here, including Bobby Charles and Anthony Levine.
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