Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,793, settled in 1896.
Ball grades B− overall, 34th of 161 graded towns in Louisiana, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 75% of Louisiana towns on state tests and graduation and it is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. On the other side, CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. 10% of the land in Ball is conserved, against 1.2% in Louisiana’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Ball has 1 place on the National Register. Only 7 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower median age than Ball.
Where Ball beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Ball is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,405 in 1980, 3,961 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1941 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ball, 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 Ball.
Ball looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
Within Louisiana it is healthier than 64% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Ball, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 27% and U.S. towns at 23%. 38% of adults feel lonely in Ball. Ball beats the Louisiana average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Ball | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 26% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ball | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.2% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 14.1% | 16.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.4% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Rapides Parish school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 387 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
3.0 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (37% statewide). Ball has lost 4.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,793 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.8 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Ball | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.9% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.6% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
Ball has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Ball is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Ball home is worth about $173,000, up 1.9% in a year, 19% below the Louisiana typical home. 85% of Ball households own their home.
| Ball | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,337 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here grew from 803 in 2013 to 1,063.
Most working residents leave Ball for work: only 3% work in town. Ball’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Ball has added 260 jobs, to 1,063 in 2023.
| Ball | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 2017, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ball.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ball. Close and well known come first.
16 mi National forestKisatchie National Forest
33 mi National Historical ParkCane River Creole National Historical Park11K visitors a year10 mi Zoo & aquariumAlexandria Zoological Park
8 mi MuseumAlexandria Museum of Art
8 mi MuseumLouisiana History MuseumKisatchie National Forest: US Forest Service, Public domain · Cane River Creole National Historical Park: James W. Rosenthal, Public domain · Alexandria Museum of Art: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Louisiana History Museum: Freeneth at en.wikipedia, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ball
About 9 of every 100 Ball residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Town in Louisiana, United States
Ball is a town in Rapides Parish, just north of Pineville, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1972, it is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Ball had a population of 3,961.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ball.
Ball and Pineville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ball with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ball grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #34 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C− for health and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($56,353 across the Alexandria, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
