Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,138, settled in 1883.
On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Overall it grades C−, 110th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. It is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $22K, and 55% of residents live below the poverty line. 55% of residents live below the poverty line in Bunkie, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On civic life, just 3 of Louisiana’s 152 towns do better. Bunkie has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Frithland and Oak Hall.
Where Bunkie beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Bunkie | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.6% | 12.4% |
4,171 counted in 2010 and 3,346 in 2020; an estimated 3,138 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 6.2% since 2020, after 19.8% 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 Bunkie is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 299 in 1890, a peak of 5,395 in 1970, 3,346 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1948 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bunkie, 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 Bunkie.
Bunkie carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly hurricanes) and trades workers with Marksville and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Louisiana rate.
45% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Bunkie. Of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Bunkie. 24% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bunkie.
| Bunkie | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Bunkie | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 16.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 78.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.6% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Avoyelles Parish school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bunkie Magnet High School, with 669 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunkie Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 368 | C+ |
| Bunkie Magnet High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 669 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
At about $112K, home values are down 22% in five years, against a rise of 1% across Louisiana. The median property tax bill is $199, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Bunkie home is worth about $112,000, up 2.4% in a year, 48% below the Louisiana typical home. 39% of Bunkie households own their home.
| Bunkie | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $828 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bunkie has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Bunkie’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bunkie has about as many jobs (1,057) as working residents, but only 241 people both live and work here.
Among 160 Louisiana towns, just 1 have a lower median household income than Bunkie. Jobs based in Bunkie fell to 1,057 in 2023, 184 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work in Bunkie is 27 minutes.
| Bunkie | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $22,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 79% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1984, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bunkie.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Bunkie; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Bunkie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
5 places in Bunkie on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Bunkie.
City in Louisiana, United States
Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bunkie had a population of 3,346.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bunkie grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #110 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($39,325 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Zutty Singleton and Bonnie Lee.
