Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,984, settled in 1904.
On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Overall it grades C−, 113th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $28K, and 55% of residents live below the poverty line. 55% of residents live below the poverty line in Ferriday, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Ferriday has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Piazza Cotton Gin and Frogmore. Ferriday's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Ferriday beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Ferriday | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 29.5% | 12.4% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Ferriday is from typical.
Its grades run from A for hazard risk (better than 90% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 577 in 1910, a peak of 5,239 in 1970, 3,189 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1922 and 4 maps from 1939 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ferriday, 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 Ferriday.
Ferriday carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding) and sends many workers across the state line to Natchez, but it has poverty well above the Louisiana rate.
53% of Ferriday adults have obesity. Only 4 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Ferriday. 56% of Ferriday adults have high blood pressure.
| Ferriday | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Ferriday | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11% | 16.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 29.5% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Concordia Parish school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferriday Lower Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 313 | – |
| Ferriday High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 289 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Ferriday’s FEMA risk score is 14 of 100. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ferriday.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ferriday has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Ferriday is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
25% of working residents cross a state line to work, Natchez among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Ferriday for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Vidalia (12%), Natchez (10%) and Minorca (4%).
| Ferriday | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $28,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
55% of residents live below the poverty line, against 18.9% across Louisiana, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income. The median household earns $28,467, against $60,756 across Louisiana.
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (24% statewide). Ferriday has lost 6.4% of its people since 2020, down to 2,984 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 14% of residents are 65 or older in Ferriday.
| Ferriday | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 17% | 18% |
62% women, 38% men
About 62 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±6.7 points). Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 83% are women (LA 51%).
| Ferriday | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.3% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.2% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.7% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.8% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.8% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.9% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.6% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.1% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.9% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Ferriday's reported crime rate is close to Louisiana's. Only 5 of the 54 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Ferriday.
| Ferriday | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 16.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 13.5 per 1,000 residents | 28.3 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Just 3 of its 1,038 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Ferriday itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Learned Park | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ferriday. Close and well known come first.
12 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
10 mi MuseumStanton Hall
37 mi National Military ParkVicksburg National Military Park410K visitors a year
10 mi MuseumRosalie Mansion
10 mi National Historical ParkNatchez National Historical Park41K visitors a yearNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Stanton Hall: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vicksburg National Military Park: Eoghanacht at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Rosalie Mansion: Elisa Rolle, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Natchez National Historical Park: Calstanhope, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Ferriday; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ferriday residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
3 places in Ferriday on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Ferriday.
Town in Concordia Parish
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish, which borders the Mississippi River and is located on the central eastern border of Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ferriday had a population of 3,189. It is an African-American majority town. The town claims to have produced more famous people per square mile than any other in America. Elaine Dundy explored both celebrities and townsfolk in her book, Ferriday, Louisiana, published by E. P. Dutton in 1991. Churches of several major denominations are located here, including a large Pentecostal congregation south of town on Louisiana Highway 15, as well as Baptist, Assembly of God, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Catholic.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ferriday grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #113 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
8 notable people were born here, including Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.
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