Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Minden earns a D, 136th of 161 graded towns in Louisiana, mostly because of health. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. It also has a long history, with 14 places on the National Register. 34% of working residents work locally in Minden, above both Louisiana’s towns (9.8%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Germantown and Bank of Webster. Among 162 Louisiana towns, just 8 have a lower January low than Minden.
Where Minden beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Webster Parish Library Building| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College | 1,031 |
| Widest gap | Minden | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.1% | 12.4% |
Census counts: 533 in 1850, 11,928 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Minden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Minden, 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 Minden.
Minden carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), has home values falling while Louisiana’s rise and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Louisiana.
Minden beats the Louisiana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 38% of Minden adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Minden | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Minden | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.8% | 16.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 78.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.1% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Webster Parish school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Minden High School, with 689 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 461 | C− |
| Minden High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 689 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Values fell 4.7% in the past year while the Louisiana typical home rose 2.1%. The typical value, about $131K, is 28% below its October 2020 peak.
The typical Minden home is worth about $131,000, 39% below the Louisiana typical home. 49% of households own their home in Minden.
| Minden | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $895 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Minden weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 241 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 86% of Louisiana places with climate records. January nights average 35.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 92% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 93°.
Minden has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Minden’s July high is 93°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Minden’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Minden is $34,000. The top destinations are Shreveport (19%), Bossier City (9%) and Arcadia (2%).
| Minden | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Minden's reported crime rate is above Louisiana's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 84 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Minden | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.3 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Babb Park | — | 10 |
| 2. Ewell Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Hinton Memorial Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 75% of Louisiana towns, with expected losses of about $320 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Minden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Minden
About 4 of every 100 Minden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
11 places in Minden on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Minden.
City in Louisiana, United States
Minden is a small city in and the parish seat of Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 11,928. The Main Street district of Minden is recognized as a Louisiana Main Street Community, a Louisiana Cultural Products District, and is sited on the National Register of Historic Places. Minden is the core and principal city of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Webster Parish, which is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City–Minden CSA.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Minden.
Minden reports no FBI crime data of its own. Dixie Inn isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Minden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Minden grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #136 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($41,182 across the Minden, LA 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.
25 notable people were born here, including Glynn Saulters and Percy Mayfield.
