Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ville Platte gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $105K, 2.5 years of the county’s $42K median household income. It grades C− overall, 91st of 161 graded towns in Louisiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally, and the median household income is $28K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Ville Platte, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Ville Platte's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Ville Platte has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Alexis LaTour House and Bank of Ville Platte.
Where Ville Platte beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Alexis LaTour House| Widest gap | Ville Platte | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 42.6% | 18.1% |
Census counts: 135 in 1870, a peak of 9,692 in 1970, 6,303 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Ville Platte is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ville Platte, 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 Ville Platte.
Ville Platte trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Ville Platte beats the Louisiana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 40% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Ville Platte. Among 161 Louisiana towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Ville Platte.
| Ville Platte | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Ville Platte | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.4% | 16.9% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82% | 78.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 42.6% | 18.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Evangeline Parish school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ville Platte High School, with 419 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Stephens Montessori SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 421 | B |
| Ville Platte High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 419 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $105K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.5 years of the county’s $42K median household income, the typical home (about $105K) costs less against local pay than in 76% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
44% of Ville Platte households own their home. Only 8 of the 159 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower median rent than Ville Platte. The typical Ville Platte home is worth about $105,000, about the same as a year ago, 51% below the Louisiana typical home.
| Ville Platte | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $656 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
72 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 72 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ville Platte.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Eunice weather station, 17 miles away, records that about 111 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 40.7°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.8°.
Ville Platte has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Ville Platte is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Ville Platte | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,214 working residents takes 18 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
Most working residents leave Ville Platte for work: only 19% work in town. Ville Platte’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Ville Platte has lost 472 jobs, to 2,790 in 2023.
| Ville Platte | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $28,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Ville Platte; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ville Platte residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
7,430 counted in 2010 and 6,303 in 2020; an estimated 6,172 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Ville Platte on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Ville Platte.
City in Louisiana, United States
Ville Platte is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,303 at the 2020 census, down from 8,145 in 2000. The city's name is of French origin, roughly translating to "flat town", in reference to its relatively flat topography in contrast to the more hilly terrain north of the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ville Platte grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #91 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and B+ for schools. Health 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Ladislas Lazaro and T. Ashton Thompson.
