Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,286, settled in 1890. A regional job hub with 948 jobs.
The best of Oberlin’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for schools; the weakest is a D− for health. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Among 128 Louisiana towns, just 4 have a lower typical home value than Oberlin. The median household income is $32K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 12 of Louisiana’s 152 towns score higher on civic life. Allen Parish Courthouse and St. Paul Baptist Church-Morehead School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Oberlin has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Oberlin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,770 counted in 2010 and 1,402 in 2020; an estimated 1,286 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Oberlin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1912.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oberlin, 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 Oberlin.
Oberlin beats the Louisiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 50% of adults have high blood pressure in Oberlin, above both Louisiana’s towns (44%) and U.S. towns (35%). 19% of Oberlin adults have diabetes.
| Oberlin | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 44% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Oberlin | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.7% | 4.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.6% | 22.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Allen Parish school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 262 | B+ |
| Oberlin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 180 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Oberlin for work: only 12% work in town. At $32,000, Oberlin’s median household income is below both the Louisiana town median ($56,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). The average trip to work in Oberlin is 19 minutes.
| Oberlin | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Oberlin home is worth about $93,000, down 11.1% in a year, 57% below the Louisiana typical home. 56% of households own their home in Oberlin.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oberlin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Oberlin has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Oberlin’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Oberlin; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Oberlin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in the United States
Oberlin is a town in and the parish seat of Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Oberlin had a population of 1,402. The town is named after Johann Friedrich Oberlin. Oberlin was the home of Ernest S. Clements, a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate and, later, the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He ran unsuccessfully in 1944 for governor of Louisiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 2 years of the area's median household income ($46,469 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 A.
2 notable people were born here, including Hoyle Granger and Preston Frank.