Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jackson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $207K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Baton Rouge metro’s $70K median household income. It grades C overall, 74th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $38K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Jackson, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On history, just 10 of Louisiana’s 254 towns do better.
Where Jackson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Centenary CollegeCensus counts: 934 in 1870, a low of 880 in 1880, 3,990 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1945 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Jackson is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 6%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson, 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 Jackson.
Jackson trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
Against the 1,834 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jackson’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 54% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
22% of adults binge drink in Jackson. Jackson beats the Louisiana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Jackson.
| Jackson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 42% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Jackson | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 25.6% | 29.7% |
| More smokers | 22.5% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the East Feliciana Parish school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 244 | C− |
| East Feliciana High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 231 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 495 in 2013 to 710.
Most working residents leave Jackson for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Jackson grew to 710 in 2023, 215 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Jackson is 21 minutes.
| Jackson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Jackson has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Jackson’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jackson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $207K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. The typical value, about $207K, is 14% below its May 2022 peak.
61% of Jackson households own their home. The typical Jackson home is worth about $207,000, up 1% in a year, close to the Louisiana typical home.
| Jackson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $785 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Jackson; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Jackson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Where Jackson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Jackson on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Jackson.
Town in Louisiana, United States
Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,842 at the 2010 U.S. census, down from 4,130 in 2000; the 2020 population estimates program determined Jackson had a population of 3,707. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jackson grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #74 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Eddie Robinson and Danny Johnson.
