Don's Country Corner Louisiana, 2007
Duson’s story
139 years in pictures
Census counts: 120 in 1910, 1,326 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1934 on.
- 1887Duson is settled
DusonLA
A town of 1,357, settled in 1887.
Photo: Falkonry at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
1,357
2025 Census estimate · +0.8% since 2020
Typical home
$214K
+3.6% in a year
Household income
$25K
median
Median age
42.0
years
Jobs based here
337
A commuter town
Is Duson a good place to live?
The best of Duson’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. 39% of residents live below the poverty line in Duson, 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 93% of U.S. towns. Only 24 of Louisiana’s 253 towns score higher on cost of living. Duson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns. Duson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Duson stand out
Where Duson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Duson$214K
Louisiana$214K
Cost of livingA+
3.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 95% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Lafayette Parish schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Duson Elementary School | PK–5 | 229 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Hurricanes and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A shrinking town
Duson has shrunk 22% since 2010
1,716 counted in 2010 and 1,326 in 2020; an estimated 1,357 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Duson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Duson is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 15.4% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthOchsner University Hospital and Clinics 8.9 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →SchoolsA−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksDOpen →History1 notable person born hereDOpen →Civic life2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.0; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Duson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Duson, and how to reach them.
PowerSouthwest Louisiana E M C11.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Duson Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Duson’s trash rules yet
SchoolsLafayette Parish School DistrictAcadia Parish School District2 districts serve Duson; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Louisiana you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLafayette Parish Registrar of VotersLafayette Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code7052970529 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Duson.
HealthD
Residents of Duson are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns
Duson beats the Louisiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Duson, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 14%. 29% of Duson adults worry about having enough food.
7%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Duson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Louisiana
0 better21 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Duson | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.1% | 22.5% |
| More smokers | 22.2% | 17.3% |
Ochsner University Hospital and Clinics
8.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
Duson’s public schools outperform 82% of Louisiana districts
Its public schools are run by the Lafayette Parish school district. Its one school is below.
82%of LA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 229 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Duson
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Duson.
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingCold waves
26
paid flood claims since 1979
10
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Fewer of Duson’s working residents work locally than in the typical Louisiana or U.S. town
0.4% of working residents work locally in Duson. Since 2013, Duson has added 34 jobs, to 337 in 2023. The median household income in Duson is $25,000.
0%work in town
| Duson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $25,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Duson0%
Lafayette43%
Scott5%
Broussard3%
Crowley3%
11 mi
median commute distance
337
jobs based in Duson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Duson
Duson has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Duson’s July high is 92°F.
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–64°
Spring58–79°
Summer73–91°
Fall59–80°
Dec 4
typical first frost
Feb 20
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A+
A typical Duson home is worth about $214K
The typical Duson home is worth about $214,000, up 3.6% in a year, close to the Louisiana typical home.
$214KZillow home value
| Duson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $743 a month | $990 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Duson$214K
Louisiana$214K
+3.6%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Duson
18pages on Duson
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Duson
South Louisiana Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lafayette8.3 mi$4,210 in-state tuitionAcademy of Interactive EntertainmentCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Lafayette8.8 mi$24,600 tuitionUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity or college · Public · Lafayette10.2 mi$10,418 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Duson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Small town
1,357 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Duson
Town in Louisiana, United States
Duson is a town in Acadia and Lafayette parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The town was named after Curley Duson, a sheriff of St. Landry Parish. At the 2010 U.S. census, the town had a population of 1,716; in 2020, at the population estimates program, its population was 1,761. The Lafayette Parish portion of Duson is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, while the Acadia Parish portion is part of the Crowley micropolitan statistical area. Duson also has a ghost town affiliated with it, a tiny neighborhood that was made but never finished. It is currently blocked off by the town's police.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1909
- Area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 36 ft
- ZIP code
- 70529
- Area code
- 337
Questions about Duson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Duson, LA expensive?
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+.