Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hammond earns a D−, 157th of 161 graded towns in Louisiana, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 139 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 98% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. In its favor, it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Hammond’s property crime rate is 52.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the Louisiana town median (23.7) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). On cost of living, just 20 of Louisiana’s 253 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Grace Memorial Episcopal Church and Oaks Hotel.
Where Hammond beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Grace Memorial Episcopal Church
Census counts: 277 in 1880, 19,584 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1974 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Hammond is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hammond, 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 Hammond.
Hammond is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Ponchatoula and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Property crime runs at 52.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Louisiana rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 1,414 to 1,433 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Hammond is 5.7 per 1,000 residents. Hammond reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. Within Louisiana, it does better than 22% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Tangipahoa Parish school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond Westside MontessoriLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,022 | C− |
| Southeastern LA University Lab SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 257 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
21,480 jobs are based in Hammond, 2.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Hammond’s working residents works in town. 29% of Hammond residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Hammond grew to 21,480 in 2023, 2,285 more than in 2013.
| Hammond | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 5,069 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hammond’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 55% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
42% of adults feel lonely in Hammond. Hammond beats the Louisiana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 23% of adults report frequent mental distress in Hammond.
| Hammond | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hammond | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.8% | 38.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 16.3% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
414 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 59 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 414 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hammond.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6.1 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Chappapeela Park, at 80 acres.
| Hammond | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Zemurray Park | 1 mi | 32 |
| 2. Cate Square Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 3. Chappapeela Park | — | 80 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
20.6% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.8% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 46% of households own their home, against 67.4% across Louisiana.
Hammond’s median age is 27.7 years. Hammond has grown 23% since 2020, to 24,032 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are 38% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (37% statewide).
| Hammond | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27.7 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 20% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.6 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Hammond | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 24.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.8% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.7% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Hammond has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 40° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $221K, is 8% below its July 2022 peak. 69.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 54.8% across Louisiana.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hammond
College town 21 of every 100 Hammond residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
16 places in Hammond on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Hammond.
City in Louisiana, US
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, located 45 miles (72 km) east of Baton Rouge and 45 miles (72 km) northwest of New Orleans. Its population was 20,019 in the 2010 U.S. census, and 21,359 at the 2020 population estimates program. Hammond is home to Southeastern Louisiana University. It is the principal city of the Hammond metropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Tangipahoa Parish and is a part of the Baton Rouge–Hammond combined statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hammond.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond | #157 | D− | C | D− | B− | D |
| Ponchatoula | #121 | D | B+ | C− | B− | D |
| Natalbany | — | — | C+ | — | B− | D− |
Natalbany has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Natalbany reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hammond with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hammond grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #157 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 22% of towns.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($56,760 across the Hammond, 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 C.
19 notable people were born here, including Alyssa Carson and Michael Galasso.
