Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ponchatoula earns a D, 121st among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. Its police reported 19 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Its National Register listings include Nichols House and Ponchatoula Commercial Historic District. Among 161 Louisiana towns, just 10 have a higher mean commuting time than Ponchatoula.
Where Ponchatoula beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
6,559 counted in 2010 and 7,822 in 2020; an estimated 7,755 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 19.3% in the decade before.
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 Ponchatoula is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 320 in 1870, 7,822 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ponchatoula, 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 Ponchatoula.
Ponchatoula trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, trades workers with Hammond and other neighbors and looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally.
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 52% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Ponchatoula: nearly a third of adults get no exercise outside work, below Louisiana’s towns (34%) but above U.S. towns (25%). In Ponchatoula, 38% of adults feel lonely. Two figures for adults locally: 16% have diabetes, 44% have obesity.
| Ponchatoula | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 43% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 26% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Tangipahoa Parish school district. The 4 public schools in Ponchatoula teach 2,382 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponchatoula Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 723 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ponchatoula after 9 declared disasters, most recently in 2021. Expected losses in Ponchatoula break down as 57% from hurricanes and 29% from inland flooding. Also worth knowing: the national flood insurance program has paid 70 claims locally since 1980.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 334 to 134 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 58% of towns. Ponchatoula’s property offense rate is 14.9 per 1,000 residents, below the Louisiana town median (24.2) but above the median of U.S. towns (9.9). The violent offense rate for Ponchatoula comes to 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Ponchatoula | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
For Ponchatoula, the peak summer temperature is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (37% statewide). The midpoint age in Ponchatoula is 44 years. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 24%, against 27% across Louisiana.
| Ponchatoula | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.6 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Ponchatoula | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.9% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.3% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.9% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.1% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Ponchatoula has about as many jobs (3,242) as working residents, but only 202 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 33.3 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
Since 2013, Ponchatoula has added 850 jobs, to 3,242 in 2023. Only 6% of working residents stay in Ponchatoula for work; the rest commute out. Among residents locally, 14% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Hammond (22%), Amite City (6%) and Baton Rouge (5%).
| Ponchatoula | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $247K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Typical home values rose 1.9% in the year to September 2026. A home in Ponchatoula typically sold within 148 days of listing. Homes in Ponchatoula sold for 97.6% of their list price on average.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 29 of its 3,021 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Ponchatoula itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Jaycee Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ponchatoula
About 3 of every 100 Ponchatoula residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
3 places in Ponchatoula on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Ponchatoula.
City in Louisiana
Ponchatoula is the second-largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The population was 6,559 at the 2010 census and 7,545 at the time of the 2020 population estimates program.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ponchatoula.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponchatoula | #121 | D | B+ | C− | B− | D |
| Hammond | #157 | D− | C | D− | B− | D |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ponchatoula grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #121 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 58% of towns.
Not for the area. That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($56,760 across the Hammond, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
9 notable people were born here, including Trevante Rhodes and Irma Thomas.
