210 years in pictures
Census counts: 6,347 in 1970, 22,236 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
- 1816Harvey is founded
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

Harvey earns a D, ranked 129th of 161 in Louisiana, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. The median household income is $49K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Harvey, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. The biggest park or preserve is Woodland Oaks Park, at 32 acres.
Where Harvey beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Harvey is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 3%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,347 in 1970, 22,236 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harvey. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaCaesars Superdome
Big draw21 mi LakeLake Pontchartrain
4 mi MuseumNational World War II Museum707K visitors a year
5 mi MuseumThe Cabildo
3 mi National Historical ParkJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve227K visitors a year
5 mi Zoo & aquariumAudubon ZooCaesars Superdome: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Pontchartrain: Mersh13, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National World War II Museum: Nolabob, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Cabildo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: No machine-readable author provided. Jan Kronsell assumed (based on copyright cl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Audubon Zoo: MeRyan, CC BY 2.0
Harvey is unincorporated, so Jefferson Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Harvey.
Harvey has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally.
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 63% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
19% of Harvey adults have diabetes.
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 42% | 36% |
| What stands out | Harvey | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 18.8% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson Parish school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is West Jefferson High School, with 1,438 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland West SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 631 | C− |
| West Jefferson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,438 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Since 1978, 3,472 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harvey.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 44.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91°.
Harvey has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Harvey’s January low is 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Harvey for work: only 9% work in town. The average trip to work in Harvey is 29 minutes. The top destinations are New Orleans (30%), Metairie (9%) and Gretna (5%).
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.1% | 5.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Louisiana average. 19% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.6 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 20% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 24% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Harvey | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.4% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.7% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.2% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.1% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.2% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.5% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.8% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Harvey home is worth about $228,000, up 6.3% in a year, 7% above the Louisiana typical home. 53% of households own their home in Harvey.
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,190 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Harvey | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodland Oaks Park | 0.5 mi | 32 |
| 2. Harvey Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Martin Luther King Jr Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
14 within 15 miles of the center of Harvey
About 3 of every 100 Harvey residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
3 notable people were born in Harvey.
Census-designated place in Louisiana, United States
Harvey is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Harvey is on the south side (referred to as the "West Bank") of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner metropolitan statistical area. The 2020 census determined that 22,236 people live in Harvey.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Harvey.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey | #129 | D | C+ | — | B | D− |
| Gretna | #151 | D− | C | D | B | D |
| Marrero | #123 | D | B− | — | B | D− |
| New Orleans | #159 | D− | D | — | D− | C+ |
| Woodmere | #130 | D | C+ | — | B | D |
Harvey, Marrero, New Orleans and Woodmere report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Harvey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harvey grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #129 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($62,655 across the New Orleans-Metairie, 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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Clay.