Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lake Providence earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. The median household income is $28K, and 39% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. 39% of residents live below the poverty line in Lake Providence, above both Louisiana’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On cost of living, just 3 of Louisiana’s 253 towns do worse. Lake Providence has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Nelson House and Old Courthouse Square.
Where Lake Providence beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lake Providence Historic District| Widest gap | Lake Providence | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.9% | 12.4% |
Census counts: 582 in 1860, a low of 320 in 1870, 3,587 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1909 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Lake Providence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Providence, 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 Lake Providence.
Lake Providence carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly tornadoes), has homes that are cheap against local pay and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Louisiana.
At 1.6 years of the county’s $33K median household income, the typical home (about $53K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Values fell 9.5% in the past year while the Louisiana typical home rose 2.1%.
The typical Lake Providence home is worth about $53,000, 75% below the Louisiana typical home. 49% of Lake Providence households own their home. Among 159 Louisiana towns, just 5 have a lower median rent than Lake Providence.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $606 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the East Carroll Parish school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southside Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 359 | D− |
| General Trass High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 214 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
53% of adults have obesity in Lake Providence. Only 2 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Lake Providence. 57% of adults have high blood pressure in Lake Providence.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lake Providence | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.5% | 16.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 28.9% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 796 in 2013 to 531. The average commute for its 1,129 working residents takes 14.5 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
About one in 5 of Lake Providence’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Lake Providence is 15 minutes. Since 2013, Lake Providence has lost 265 jobs, to 531 in 2023.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $28,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
39.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 18.9% across Louisiana, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income. The median household earns $27,580, against $60,756 across Louisiana.
Adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (37% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (24% statewide). Lake Providence’s median age is 31.1 years. Lake Providence has lost 12% of its people since 2020, down to 3,147 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.1 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 17% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
55% women, 45% men
About 80 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.9 points). Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Lake Providence | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.4% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.1% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18.4% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.5% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.2% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.1% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
The Lake Providence weather station records that about 79 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 79% of Louisiana places with climate records. January nights average 36.2°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.3°.
Lake Providence has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 42°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 83% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Providence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of the 51 Louisiana towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Lake Providence. Lake Providence's reported crime rate is well below Louisiana's. Among 51 Louisiana towns, just 2 have a lower violent crime rate than Lake Providence.
| Lake Providence | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 31 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Lake Providence; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Lake Providence residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
3,991 counted in 2010 and 3,587 in 2020; an estimated 3,147 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 12.3% since 2020, after 10.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 places in Lake Providence on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Lake Providence.
Town in Louisiana, United States
Lake Providence is a town in, and the parish seat of, East Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, Lake Providence had a population of 3,587. The town's poverty rate is approximately 55 percent; the average median household income is $16,500, and the average age is 31. The town shares its name with the oxbow lake of the Mississippi River, also called Lake Providence. This area was historically developed as cotton plantations before and after the Civil War, and remains largely rural. The Union Army developed a supply depot near the lake during the Civil War, and its camp was crowded with refugee slaves seeking their freedom. The town grew larger at this site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Providence grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 1.6 years of the area's median household income ($33,341 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Vivien Thomas and Freddie Spruell.
