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Swartz, Louisiana Post Office
Louisiana›Ouachita Parish

SwartzLA

Photo: Timothy Holdiness · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Swartz

Swartz, LA · Photo: Timothy Holdiness · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Swartz a good place to live?

Swartz grades C overall, 57th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 80% of Louisiana towns and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $200K, 3.9 years of the Monroe metro’s $52K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns.

What makes Swartz stand out

Where Swartz beats most towns.

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Swartz for work

Where Swartz’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

45% → Monroe Monroe 45% 9% → West Monroe West Monroe 9% 2% → Bastrop Bastrop 2% 2% → Ruston Ruston 2% 2% → Shreveport Shreveport 2% 2% → Brownsville Brownsville 2% Swartz · 2% stay
198jobs based in Swartz
2%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Swartz grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Swartz is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Swartz Baptist Church in Swartz, LA IMG 1307
Swartz Baptist Church in Swartz, LA IMG 1307, 2008
Swartz’s story

134 years in pictures

Census counts: 3,698 in 1990, 4,354 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1935 on.

  • 1892Swartz is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Swartz: who provides what

Swartz is unincorporated, so Ouachita Parish and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerClaiborne Electric Coop13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGowc East Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesOuachita ParishOuachita Parish provides services here
SchoolsOuachita Parish School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereOuachita Parish Registrar of VotersOuachita Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code7120371203 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 Swartz.

Swartz carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Louisiana (mostly inland flooding), looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Louisiana.

SchoolsA−

Swartz earns an A− for schools

Its public schools are run by the Ouachita Parish school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.

80%of LA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Swartz Upper Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5Grades 3–5350B

NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

Low risk in Swartz, with inland flooding at the top

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of Louisiana towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.

Swartz’s FEMA risk score is 20 of 100, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 88 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100.

20risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
20Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
3
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−

About half of Swartz’s working residents commute to Monroe

Swartz has 198 jobs for its 1,643 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.

Most working residents leave Swartz for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Swartz has added 46 jobs, to 198 in 2023. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Swartz, below Louisiana’s towns (20%) but above U.S. towns (9.6%).

2%work in town
SwartzLouisiana townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town1.6%9.8%8%
Below the poverty line15%20%9.6%
Median household income$67,000$56,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Swartz2%
Monroe45%
West Monroe9%
Bastrop2%
Ruston2%
10 mi
median commute distance
198
jobs based in Swartz
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 5% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Swartz, expect mild winters and hot summers

January nights average 35.8°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 88% of Louisiana places with climate records; July afternoons average 92.8°.

Swartz has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Swartz’s July high is 93°F. Snow is almost unheard of.

93°summer high
SwartzLouisiana townsU.S. towns
July high93°F92°F85°F
January low36°F42°F22°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter38–59°
Spring53–76°
Summer71–92°
Fall54–78°
Nov 15
typical first frost
Mar 8
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthC+

Health in Swartz trails 65% of U.S. towns

Within Louisiana it is healthier than 81% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.

Swartz beats the Louisiana average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 17% of Swartz adults worry about having enough food.

35%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
SwartzLouisiana townsU.S. towns
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)17%26%14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)40%44%35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)13%16%12%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)28%34%25%
32 measures vs. Louisiana
11 better21 too close to call0 worse
What stands outSwartzLA
Fewer uninsured adults6.8%8.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity17.4%22.5%
FMOL Health St. Francis
9.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
81st
percentile among LA towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Who lives here

More young adults than Louisiana overall

Adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Swartz is 35.5 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.

35.5median age · LA 38
SwartzLouisiana townsU.S. towns
Median age35.5 years37.9 years40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+27%20%29%
Aged 65 or older16%17%18%
Under 1822%24%22%
SwartzLouisianaUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma11%
High school22%
Some college33%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s23%
Graduate4%

Women and men · all residents

52% women, 48% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.7 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 86% are men (LA 51%).

Ages and education in Swartz
SwartzLAU.S.
Under 1011.5%12.6%11.6%
10 to 1710.5%10.9%10.3%
18 to 249.7%9.1%9.1%
25 to 3417.3%13.3%13.7%
35 to 4415.4%13.3%13.2%
45 to 5410.5%11.5%12.2%
55 to 649.1%12.6%12.7%
65 to 749.7%10.2%10.2%
75 and older6.2%6.5%7%
No diploma10.9%12.7%10.4%
High school22.1%32.5%26%
Some college32.8%20.4%19.1%
Associate’s7.1%7.3%8.8%
Bachelor’s22.8%17%21.6%
Graduate4.4%10.1%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points

$270Kmedian sale price
4
homes sold in May

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Nearby attractions

Poverty Point National Monument and 7 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swartz. Close and well known come first.

All 11 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Poverty Point National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Watson Brake: Herb Roe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chennault Aviation and Military Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Biedenharn Museum and Gardens: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dixie Center for the Arts: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Swartz

16pages on Swartz
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Swartz

About Swartz

Census-designated place in Louisiana, United States

Swartz is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,354 at the 2020 United States census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
8.1 sq mi
Elevation
9,501 ft
ZIP code
71281

Questions about Swartz

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Swartz, LA a good place to live?

Swartz grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #57 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.

Is Swartz, LA expensive?

The typical home is worth about $200,000, 7% below 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 C.