Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 20,492, settled in 1895. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Trash & recyclingSulphur gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $203K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Lake Charles metro’s $67K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 54th of 161 in Louisiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top, and it reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 63 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 81% of Louisiana towns. Sulphur’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both the Louisiana town median (0.2) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). On the outdoors, just 24 of Louisiana’s 255 towns do better. McMurry Park, at 68 acres with 2.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Sulphur beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Maplewood Elementary | PK–5 | 640 |
| E. K. Key Elementary School | PK–5 | 546 |
| Frasch Elementary School | PK–5 | 522 |
1.9% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Sulphur is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,714 in 1920, 21,809 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1955 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sulphur, 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 Sulphur.
Sulphur pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Lake Charles and other neighbors.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McMurry Park | 2.1 mi | 68 |
| 2. Pattison Park | 1 mi | 28 |
| 3. The Grove at Heritage Square | 0.7 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $203K.
Its public schools are run by the Calcasieu Parish school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. W. Lewis Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 757 | B+ |
| Sulphur High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,911 | B+ |
| Frasch Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 522 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Sulphur’s property crime rate is 27 per 1,000 residents, above both Louisiana’s towns (23.7) and U.S. towns (9.9). Sulphur’s violent crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents. Sulphur reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.
| Sulphur | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27 per 1,000 residents | 23.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Louisiana it is healthier than 61% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Sulphur beats the Louisiana average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Sulphur | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 26% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Sulphur | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 18.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 10.2% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
597 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 91 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 597 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sulphur.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 42.4°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.5°.
Sulphur has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Sulphur is 42°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sulphur | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sulphur has about as many jobs (8,334) as working residents, but only 1,452 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17.6 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
Most working residents leave Sulphur for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Sulphur grew to 8,334 in 2023, 1,313 more than in 2013. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Sulphur.
| Sulphur | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 3.5% | 5.6% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 20% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $203K, is 7% below its November 2020 peak.
The typical Sulphur home is worth about $203,000, up 2.9% in a year, 5% below the Louisiana typical home.
| Sulphur | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 75% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $994 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sulphur
About 4 of every 100 Sulphur residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
10 notable people were born in Sulphur.
City in Louisiana, United States
Sulphur is a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 21,809 in 2020. Sulphur is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Sulphur.
Carlyss reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Sulphur with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sulphur grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #54 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 53% of towns.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
10 notable people were born here, including Dak Prescott and Johnny Grunge.