Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bastrop earns a D, 145th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. It reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, including 123 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Bastrop, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The median household income is $33K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line. Bastrop has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Christ Episcopal Church and Rose Theatre.
Where Bastrop beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Rose Theatre| Widest gap | Bastrop | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 27.8% | 12.4% |
11,365 counted in 2010 and 9,691 in 2020; an estimated 8,908 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 8% since 2020, after 14.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Bastrop is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 481 in 1860, a peak of 15,527 in 1980, 9,691 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1978 and 2 maps from 1935 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bastrop, 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 Bastrop.
Bastrop carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding) and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Louisiana rate.
49% of Bastrop adults sleep under 7 hours. Bastrop beats the Louisiana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 27% of Bastrop adults smoke cigarettes.
| Bastrop | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bastrop | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.2% | 16.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 27.8% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Morehouse Parish school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bastrop High School, with 794 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehouse Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 509 | D− |
| Bastrop High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 794 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 14 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Louisiana rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes rose from 447 to 608 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Bastrop is 55.4 per 1,000 residents. Among 53 Louisiana towns, just 5 have a higher violent crime rate than Bastrop. Bastrop reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Bastrop | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 55.4 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $94K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 1.8 years of the Monroe metro’s $52K median household income, the typical home (about $94K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Bastrop home is worth about $94,000, up 7.7% in a year, 56% below the Louisiana typical home. 52% of households own their home in Bastrop.
| Bastrop | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $839 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Bastrop weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 241 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 86% of Louisiana places with climate records. January nights average 35.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 92% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.5°.
Bastrop has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Bastrop’s July high is 93°F. Only 8 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower January low than Bastrop.
| Bastrop | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 42°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 85% of Louisiana towns, with expected losses of about $389 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on. 50 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bastrop.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bastrop has about as many jobs (3,626) as working residents, but only 913 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Bastrop’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Bastrop has lost 397 jobs, to 3,626 in 2023. The top destinations are Monroe (16%), West Monroe (3%) and Ruston (2%).
| Bastrop | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $33,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A P Carter Park | — | 24 |
| 2. Forrest Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Emilea Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Bastrop; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Bastrop residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
5 places in Bastrop on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Bastrop.
City in Louisiana, United States
Bastrop is a city in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish. Its population was 9,691 at the 2020 census, down from 11,365 in 2010. The population of Bastrop is 76% African American. It is included in the Monroe metropolitan statistical area and is part of the Monroe–Ruston combined statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bastrop grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #145 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.8 years of the area's median household income ($51,660 across the Monroe, 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.
22 notable people were born here, including Bob Love and Bill Dickey.
