Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,608.
Avondale grades D overall, 140th of 161 graded towns in Louisiana, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $49K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $136K, 2.2 years of the New Orleans metro’s $63K median household income. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Avondale, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 16 of Louisiana’s 255 towns do better.
Where Avondale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Avondale | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 33.4% | 22.5% |
Where Avondale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Avondale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,699 in 1980, 4,582 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1965 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Avondale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaCaesars Superdome
Big draw21 mi LakeLake Pontchartrain
8 mi MuseumNational World War II Museum707K visitors a year
2 mi National Historical ParkJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve227K visitors a year
4 mi Zoo & aquariumAudubon Zoo
9 mi GardenCity ParkCaesars Superdome: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Pontchartrain: Mersh13, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National World War II Museum: Nolabob, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: No machine-readable author provided. Jan Kronsell assumed (based on copyright cl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Audubon Zoo: MeRyan, CC BY 2.0 · City Park: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 2.5
Avondale is unincorporated, so Jefferson Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Avondale.
Avondale has homes that are cheap against local pay, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally.
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 78% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Avondale beats the Louisiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 21% of adults have diabetes in Avondale.
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Avondale | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.2% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 33.4% | 22.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson Parish school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmett C.Gilbert School of Excellence at FordLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 769 | C |
| Strehle Community SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 145 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 123 Louisiana towns, just 9 have a higher share of conserved land than Avondale.
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.3% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pop Stroman Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here fell from 2,856 in 2013 to 984.
Most working residents leave Avondale for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Avondale has lost 1,872 jobs, to 984 in 2023. The top destinations are New Orleans (20%), Metairie (14%) and Elmwood (9%).
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 44.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.5°.
Avondale has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Avondale’s January low is 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 28% of residents (24% statewide). The median age in Avondale is 31.1 years. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.1 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.3 points). Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Avondale | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.2% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.8% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.1% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.9% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.4% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.3% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.6% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points
At 2.2 years of the New Orleans metro’s $63K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 82% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $270, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
85% of Avondale households own their home.
| Avondale | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,200 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 within 15 miles of the center of Avondale
About 5 of every 100 Avondale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
4 towns share a border with Avondale.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale | #140 | D | B | — | B | D− |
| Bridge City | #108 | C− | B | — | B | D− |
| Waggaman | #144 | D | C+ | — | B | D− |
| Harahan | #17 | B | C | B+ | B | B |
| Elmwood | #6 | B+ | B− | — | B | A− |
Avondale, Bridge City, Waggaman and Elmwood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Avondale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Avondale grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #140 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $136,000, 36% below the Louisiana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
