Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Reserve earns a D−, 148th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $55K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $169K, 2.7 years of the New Orleans metro’s $63K median household income. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Its National Register listings include Godchaux-Reserve Plantation House and Our Lady of Grace Church. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Reserve beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
9,766 counted in 2010 and 8,541 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Reserve is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,465 in 1950, 8,541 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Reserve is unincorporated, so St. John the Baptist Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Reserve.
Reserve has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally and has home values still below their peak.
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 61% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
49% of adults have high blood pressure in Reserve, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 35%. 31% of Reserve adults worry about having enough food. Reserve beats the Louisiana average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Reserve | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 44% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 42% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Reserve | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 31.4% | 22.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the St. John the Baptist Parish school district. The largest public high school is East St. John High School, with 1,293 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East St. John Preparatory AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 318 | D |
| East St. John High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,293 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Since 1980, 918 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Reserve.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $169K, is 15% below its May 2022 peak. The median property tax bill is $570, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Reserve’s median rent is $1,381 a month, against $989 a month in Louisiana’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Reserve home is worth about $169,000, about the same as a year ago, 21% below the Louisiana typical home.
| Reserve | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,381 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Reserve weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 308 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.7°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.7°.
Reserve has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Reserve is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Reserve | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Reserve for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Reserve has added 279 jobs, to 4,143 in 2023. Reserve’s average trip to work is 23 minutes.
| Reserve | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Reserve | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Regala Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Reserve. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaCaesars Superdome
Big draw28 mi LakeLake Pontchartrain
6 mi MuseumWhitney Plantation Historic District
30 mi MuseumNational World War II Museum707K visitors a year
28 mi GardenCity Park
30 mi Stadium & arenaLakefront ArenaCaesars Superdome: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Pontchartrain: Mersh13, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whitney Plantation Historic District: Bill Leiser, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National World War II Museum: Nolabob, CC BY-SA 3.0 · City Park: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 2.5 · Lakefront Arena: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Reserve; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Reserve residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
3 places in Reserve on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Reserve.
Place in Louisiana, United States
Reserve is an unincorporated community in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, Reserve had a population of 8,541. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Reserve as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Reserve.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve | #148 | D− | B | — | C+ | D− |
| Laplace | #143 | D | C+ | — | C+ | D |
| Garyville | — | — | A− | — | C+ | D |
| Edgard | — | — | A | — | C+ | C+ |
Garyville and Edgard have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Reserve, Laplace, Garyville and Edgard report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Reserve with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Reserve grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #148 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
4 notable people were born here, including Jared Butler and Patrick Lewis.
