LAMap-doton-Prien, 2004
Prien’s story
Prien in pictures
Census counts: 6,224 in 1980, 7,745 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1947 on.
Explore the history →PrienLA
Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana. The town, home to 7,119 people, lies in Louisiana.
Population
7,119
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$278K
Census ACS
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
36.3
years
Jobs based here
855
A commuter town
TownGrade
B+
#10 of 161 in LA
Is Prien a good place to live?
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Where it does best is schools (A−): its schools outperform 81% of the state's. What counts against it is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. At about $278K, a typical home costs 4.2 years of the Lake Charles metro’s $67K median household income. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall and a rank of 10th of 161 in Louisiana. Set against the rest, it does better than 68% of U.S. towns. On health, just 3 of Louisiana’s 254 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than nearly three quarters of U.S. towns.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
What makes Prien stand out
Where Prien beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Calcasieu Parish schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| St. John Elementary School | PK–5 | 670 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
32 measures vs. Louisiana
21 better10 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Prien | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 18.1% |
HealthB+
Healthier than 74% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Hurricanes and inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Prien for work
Where Prien’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
855jobs based in Prien
2%of working residents work in town
5 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Prien grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Prien is from typical.
Hazard riskHurricanes top the listDOpen →SchoolsNear the top of the towns comparedA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 2.1% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthChristus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital 2.6 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & income$87K median household incomeBOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsLittle open land or trail by comparisonD−Open →HistoryNear the bottom of the towns comparedC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 92° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.3; 42% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Prien: who provides what
Prien is unincorporated, so Calcasieu Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJefferson Davis Elec Coop14.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Lake Charles Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCalcasieu ParishCalcasieu Parish provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Louisiana you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCalcasieu Parish Registrar of VotersCalcasieu Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2023
ZIP code7060570605 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Prien.
Prien has less tooth loss than most of Louisiana and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has little public open land.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Prien faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
One declared disaster, in 2020, has brought federal aid to Prien households. 44% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 38%. This Louisiana town has had 390 paid flood insurance claims since 1979.
87risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
390
paid flood claims since 1979
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsA−
Prien’s grade for schools is an A−
Its one school is below. The Calcasieu Parish school district runs its public schools. Prien’s only public school teaches 670 students.
81%of LA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 670 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
More than half of Prien’s working residents commute to Lake Charles
The average commute for its 2,769 working residents takes 17 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
Jobs in Prien grew by 178 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 855. Only 2% of working residents stay in Prien for work; the rest commute out. The town’s average commute is 17 minutes, below both Louisiana’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Also worth knowing: in Prien, 6.4% of residents live below the poverty line.
2%work in town
| Prien | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Prien2%
Lake Charles54%
Sulphur5%
Baton Rouge2%
Lafayette2%
5 mi
median commute distance
855
jobs based in Prien
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Prien stands out in Louisiana and nationally: a smaller share of its adults report frequent physical distress
Its widest gap with Louisiana is tooth loss: 6.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.1% statewide. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 98% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
In Prien, 37% of adults have obesity, below the Louisiana town median (43%) but above the median of U.S. towns (35%). Among 161 Louisiana towns, just one has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Prien. Prien: a third of adults feel lonely. Of 32 CDC measures, Prien beats the Louisiana average on 21 and trails it on 1.
74%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Prien | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 19% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 27% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 26% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Louisiana
21 better10 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Prien | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 18.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.4% | 22.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 7.5% |
Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital
2.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
98th
percentile among LA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Prien: mild winters and hot summers
January nights average 42.9°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.4°.
Prien’s January low comes in at 43°F. Snow almost never falls.
92°summer high
| Prien | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter45–64°
Spring59–78°
Summer74–91°
Fall60–80°
Dec 7
typical first frost
Feb 14
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B−
A home in Prien sells for about $370K at the median
In Prien, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,292 a month. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 85%.
$370Kmedian sale price
| Prien | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,292 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsD−
0% of Prien is conserved land
Just 0 of its 3,805 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Prien itself; its outdoors grade is D−.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 3,805 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prien Lake Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Prien
17pages on Prien
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Prien
McNeese State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Lake Charles3.9 mi$8,489 in-state tuitionSOWELA Technical Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lake Charles8.1 mi$4,305 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Prien residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
About Prien
Census-designated place in Louisiana, United States
Prien is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Prien had a population of 7,745. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area. Some of the area has been annexed into the city of Lake Charles.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,299 ft
Prien’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Prien.
Lake CharlesPrien
How the neighbors grade
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prien | #10 | B+ | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Lake Charles | #122 | D | B− | D | A− | D |
Prien reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Prien with a neighbor →
Questions about Prien
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Prien, LA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Prien grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #10 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Prien, LA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $278,000, 30% above the Louisiana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.