Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,122, settled in 1890. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Violet gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $172K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the New Orleans metro’s $63K median household income. It grades C− overall, 97th of 161 graded towns in Louisiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On the plus side, its schools outperform 79% of the state's. Violet’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Among 162 Louisiana towns, just 1 have a lower July high than Violet.
Where Violet beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| W. Smith Jr. Elementary School | PK–5 | 333 |
| Widest gap | Violet | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.9% | 12.4% |
4,973 counted in 2010 and 5,758 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Violet is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 11,678 in 1980, 5,758 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 8 maps from 1892 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Violet. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaCaesars Superdome
Big draw24 mi LakeLake Pontchartrain
11 mi MuseumNational World War II Museum707K visitors a year
13 mi LandmarkFort Macomb
6 mi National Historical ParkJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve227K visitors a year
13 mi Stadium & arenaLakefront ArenaCaesars Superdome: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Pontchartrain: Mersh13, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National World War II Museum: Nolabob, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Macomb: Infrogmation, CC BY 2.5 · Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: No machine-readable author provided. Jan Kronsell assumed (based on copyright cl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lakefront Arena: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0
Violet is unincorporated, so St. Bernard 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 Violet.
Violet pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has little public open land.
Violet beats the Louisiana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Violet.
| Violet | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 26% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 42% | 36% |
| What stands out | Violet | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 7.5% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.9% | 16.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.9% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $172K.
Its public schools are run by the St. Bernard Parish school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Smith Jr. Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 333 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violet has 142 jobs for its 2,058 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 34.8 minutes, against 25.7 across Louisiana.
Most working residents leave Violet for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Violet has lost 111 jobs, to 142 in 2023. 18% of Violet residents live below the poverty line.
| Violet | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just 5 of its 2,919 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Violet itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Violet | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Violet Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 44.5°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90°.
Violet has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Violet’s January low is 45°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $172K, is 14% below its March 2022 peak.
Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Violet | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $942 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
12 within 15 miles of the center of Violet
About 7 of every 100 Violet residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
Where Violet’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Louisiana, US
Violet is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,758 at the 2020 census. Violet is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) southeast of New Orleans and is part of the Greater New Orleans area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Violet.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violet | #97 | C− | B | — | A− | D− |
| Meraux | #37 | B− | B | — | A− | C− |
| New Orleans | #159 | D− | D | — | D− | C+ |
| Poydras | — | — | A− | — | A− | D |
Poydras has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Violet, Meraux, New Orleans and Poydras report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Violet with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Violet grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #97 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and A− 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.
