Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lafayette is a city of 123,311, and it grades C− overall, ranked 114th of 161 in Louisiana. Its public schools beat 84% of Louisiana towns on state tests and graduation and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 1,383 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. 53% of working residents work locally in Lafayette, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 9.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Alexandre Mouton House and Holy Rosary Institute. On cost of living, just 23 of Louisiana’s 253 towns do worse.
Where Lafayette beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Old Lafayette City Hall| College | Students |
|---|---|
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 13,378 |
| South Louisiana Community College | 5,210 |
| Remington College-Lafayette Campus | 247 |
Its 28 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Louisiana towns with a listing.
Census counts: 498 in 1860, 121,374 in 2020. The archive holds 19 old photos and papers going back to 1848 and 5 maps from 1946 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Lafayette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lafayette, 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 Lafayette.
Lafayette draws workers from Youngsville and beyond and has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Louisiana rate.
Violent crime runs at 11.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Louisiana rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−.
Lafayette’s violent crime rate is 11.3 per 1,000 residents. Lafayette reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. Lafayette’s property crime rate is 34.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 34.5 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Lafayette Parish school district. Three of its 38 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Wallace James Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 957 | A− |
| Lafayette Renaissance Charter AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 2,177 | C+ |
| Early College AcademyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 257 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
92,462 jobs are based in Lafayette, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The average trip to work in Lafayette is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Lafayette has lost 6,022 jobs, to 92,462 in 2023. 18% of Lafayette residents live below the poverty line.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 5.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
27 miles of trail in 37 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Moore Park, at 420 acres.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Park | 3.8 mi | 120 |
| 2. Girard Park | 1.7 mi | 35 |
| 3. Moncus Park | 1.3 mi | 91 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1,913 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 242 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 1,913 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lafayette.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Lafayette weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 279 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.2°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.4°.
Lafayette has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,379 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lafayette’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 83% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Lafayette beats the Louisiana average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 35% of adults have obesity in Lafayette.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 43% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 26% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 44% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lafayette | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 25.5% | 30.3% |
| Fewer adults with obesity | 34.5% | 40% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Lafayette home is worth about $225,000, up 1.9% in a year, close to the Louisiana typical home.
| Lafayette | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 59% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,100 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lafayette. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaCajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium
22 mi GardenJungle Gardens
13 mi MuseumLongfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site38 mi MuseumZigler Art MuseumCajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium: Jcarriere, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jungle Gardens: Skb8721, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site: Mike (msm62166), CC BY 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lafayette
About 7 of every 100 Lafayette residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
4 colleges in town.
28 places in Lafayette on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Lafayette.
Consolidated city-parish in Louisiana, United States
Lafayette ( LA(H)-fee-YET, French: [lafajɛt]) is a city in Louisiana and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish. It is located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth-most populous city with a 2020 census population of 121,374; the consolidated city-parish's population was 241,753 in 2020. The Lafayette metropolitan area was Louisiana's third largest metropolitan statistical area with a population of 478,384 at the 2020 census. The Acadiana region containing Lafayette is the largest population and economic corridor between Houston, Texas and New Orleans. Originally established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836, Lafayette developed as an agricultural community …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lafayette.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Carencro (C) is closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lafayette grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #114 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 22% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
45 notable people were born here, including Armand Duplantis and Addison Rae.
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