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Hester
Louisiana›St. James Parish

HesterLA

A town of 654, settled in 1885.

1 bordering townMap →
Oak Alley Plantation · Photo: RonPaul86 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Hester

Hester, LA · Oak Alley Plantation · Photo: RonPaul86 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Is Hester a good place to live?

Hester’s income of the median household is $139,000, where Louisiana’s towns sit at $56,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Only 3 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Hester. Hester’s trail network density is 1.0 miles per square mile, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 0.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Hester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Hester stand out

Where Hester beats most towns.

Small town

654 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Grand PointGrand PointHester
Getting set up

Moving to Hester: who provides what

Hester is unincorporated, so St. James Parish and regional agencies provide most services.

WaterSt James Water District 21 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSt. James ParishSt. James Parish provides services here
SchoolsSt. James Parish School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereSt James Parish Registrar of VotersSt. James Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2021
ZIP codes70743, 7076370743 82% · 70763 18%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 Hester.

Work & commute

A job hub: Hester has 2.6 jobs for every working resident and draws in 535 commuters

Half the trips to work are shorter than 17 miles. Jobs in Hester grew by 308 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 541. Most working residents leave Hester for work: only 3% work in town. For Hester, the typical journey to work is 29 minutes.

3%work in town
HesterLouisiana townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work29 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town2.9%9.8%8%

Where working residents work

In Hester3%
Convent9%
Lutcher6%
Gonzales6%
New Orleans6%
17 mi
median commute distance
541
jobs based in Hester
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Natural hazards: very high risk in Hester, mostly hurricanes

FEMA puts 61% of Hester’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 13% to drought. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 90% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hester after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.

90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
90Very high riskLowerHigher
HurricanesDroughtInland flooding
5
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

In Hester, expect mild winters and hot summers

Its typical July afternoon high stands at 92°F.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter45–65°
Spring58–79°
Summer73–91°
Fall59–80°
Dec 14
typical first frost
Feb 9
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

A larger share of adults binge drink in Hester than in most of Louisiana or the rest of the country

Among adults in Hester, 21% say their health is fair or poor. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Hester is ahead of Louisiana on 7 and behind on 2. Two figures for adults in the town: 29% have been diagnosed with depression, 14% worry about having enough food.

HesterLouisiana townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)21%17%16%
Depression (CDC PLACES)29%27%23%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)14%26%14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)39%44%35%
32 measures vs. Louisiana
7 better23 too close to call2 worse
What stands outHesterLA
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth11.4%18.1%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity14.2%22.5%
More binge drinkers20.7%16.9%
St. James Parish Hospital
4.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0% of Hester is conserved land

4.0 miles of trail.

0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 2,579 acres
4.0 mi
of trails · 1 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Nearby attractions

Tiger Stadium and 22 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hester. Close and well known come first.

All 54 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Tiger Stadium: Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Whitney Plantation Historic District: Bill Leiser, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Kidd: Cobatfor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pete Maravich Assembly Center: Spatms, 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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Hester

16pages on Hester
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Hester

A job hub

Every workday, about 535 people come to Hester for work

Where Hester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → Convent Convent 9% 6% → Lutcher Lutcher 6% 6% → Gonzales Gonzales 6% 6% → New Orleans New Orleans 6% 4% → Garyville Garyville 4% 3% → Norco Norco 3% Hester · 3% stay
541jobs based in Hester
3%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Questions about Hester

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Hester, LA a good place to live?

Hester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.