Graugnard Farms Plantation House · National Register of Historic Places
St. James’s story
197 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1829St. James is settled
St. JamesLA
3 bordering townsMap →
Graugnard Farms Plantation House · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
431
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$153K
+8.7% in a year
Median age
55.3
years
Jobs based here
402
A job hub
Is St. James a good place to live?
31% of residents are 65 or older in St. James, against 17% in Louisiana’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare, none has a higher age of the median resident than St. James. Graugnard Farms Plantation House is on the National Register of Historic Places. St. James has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes St. James stand out
Where St. James beats most towns.
Small town
431 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
WelcomeConventRomevilleSt. James
Getting set up
Moving to St. James: who provides what
St. James is unincorporated, so St. James Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
WaterSt James Water District 1No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers90% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSt. James ParishSt. James 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 hereSt James Parish Registrar of VotersSt. James Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2021
ZIP code7008670086 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 St. James.
Work & commute
A smaller share of residents in St. James live below the poverty line than in the typical Louisiana or U.S. town
For half of commuters, work is under 27 miles away. St. James had 402 jobs in 2023, up 206 from 2013. 2.4% of working residents work locally in the town. The top destinations are New Orleans (8%), Metairie (6%) and Lutcher (5%).
2%work in town
| St. James | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In St. James2%
New Orleans8%
Metairie6%
Lutcher5%
Gonzales5%
27 mi
median commute distance
402
jobs based in St. James
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
St. James faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by hurricanes
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 88% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in St. James after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. FEMA puts 61% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 19% to drought.
88risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesDroughtTornadoes
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
St. James stands out in Louisiana and nationally, with more of its households who are owner-occupiers
A typical home in St. James is worth about $153,000, up 8.7% in a year, 28% below the Louisiana typical home.
$153KZillow home value
Typical home value
St. James$153K
Louisiana$214K
+8.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in St. James
The midsummer high for St. James comes to 92°F.
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter45–65°
Spring58–79°
Summer73–91°
Fall59–80°
Dec 5
typical first frost
Feb 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy St. James is
For adults in St. James, the share who smoke cigarettes is 22%. Of 32 CDC measures, St. James beats the Louisiana average on 4 and trails it on 20. Only 2 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than St. James. Among adults here, 53% have obesity and 24% have diabetes.
| St. James | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 27% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 34% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Louisiana
4 better8 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | St. James | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.2% | 16.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24% | 12.4% |
St. James Parish Hospital
9.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of St. James is conserved land
St. James’ density of trails comes in at 0.7 miles per square mile. 6.6 miles of trail.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 6,304 acres
6.6 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about St. James
16pages on St. James
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of St. James
About 14 of every 100 St. James residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
A job hub
Every workday, about 396 people come to St. James for work
Where St. James’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
402jobs based in St. James
2%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about St. James
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is St. James, LA a good place to live?
St. James has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.