Watson Auto Parts and Hardware, 2026
Watson’s story
132 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2026.
- 1894Watson is settled
WatsonLA
A town of 1,357, settled in 1894. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Photo: Robert Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,357
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$252K
Census ACS
Household income
$97K
median
Median age
38.9
years
Jobs based here
396
Balanced
Is Watson a good place to live?
The best of Watson’s subject grades are an A for schools and cost of living; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Watson. On the outdoors, just 9 of Louisiana’s 255 towns do worse. Watson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Watson stand out
Where Watson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Small town
1,357 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Watson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Watson is from typical.
Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listD−Open →SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $252K, 3.6 years of the Baton Rouge metro’s $70K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income$97K median household incomeBOpen →HealthOchsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge 9.6 miles awayB−Open →
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 →
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Tiger Stadium and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watson. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Stadium & arenaTiger Stadium
17 mi MuseumUSS Kidd
18 mi Stadium & arenaPete Maravich Assembly Center17 mi Theme parkBlue Bayou and Dixie Landin'
13 mi Zoo & aquariumBaton Rouge Zoo15 mi MuseumLSU Rural Life MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Tiger Stadium: Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Kidd: Cobatfor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pete Maravich Assembly Center: Spatms, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Baton Rouge Zoo: Kkmurray, CC BY 2.5
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Getting set up
Moving to Watson: who provides what
Watson is unincorporated, so Livingston Parish and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDixie Electric Membership13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWard II Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers92% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLivingston ParishLivingston 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 hereLivingston Parish Registrar of VotersLivingston Parish; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP codes70706, 7078670706 99% · 70786 1%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 Watson.
SchoolsA
Public schools in Watson beat 88% of Louisiana districts
Its public schools are run by the Livingston Parish school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
88%of LA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Oak Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 672 | B+ |
| South Live Oak Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 509 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Watson
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 93% of U.S. communities.
93risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Watson has mild winters and hot summers
Watson has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. At 92°F, Watson’s July high is near the Louisiana town median (92°F) and above the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
92°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter42–64°
Spring56–79°
Summer71–91°
Fall57–80°
Nov 26
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Most of Watson’s workers commute out: the town has 0.9 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Watson for work: only 2% work in town. At 30 minutes, Watson’s average trip to work is above both Louisiana’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Watson grew to 396 in 2023, 157 more than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Watson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Watson2%
Baton Rouge26%
Livingston7%
Denham Springs4%
Central3%
14 mi
median commute distance
396
jobs based in Watson
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
More children than Louisiana overall
Children under 18 are 29% of residents (24% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). 12% of Watson residents are 65 or older. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
38.9median age · LA 38
| Watson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 20% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.9 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
WatsonLouisianaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
29%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma11%
High school43%
Some college11%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s27%
Graduate1%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 15% and 63% women
The Census survey reached too few of Watson’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±24.1 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Watson | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 20.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.3% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.2% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 29% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 4.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 43.1% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.4% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.8% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.2% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 1.4% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
HealthB−
Health in Watson trails 55% of U.S. towns
Watson beats the Louisiana average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Watson. Among 162 Louisiana towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Watson.
45%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Watson | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 26% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Louisiana
14 better17 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Watson | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.1% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.9% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9% | 7.5% |
Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge
9.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
The median home in Watson sells for about $365K
$365Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Watson
16pages on Watson
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Watson
Remington College-Baton Rouge CampusCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Baton Rouge12.8 mi$15,837 tuitionBaton Rouge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Baton Rouge14.2 mi$4,321 in-state tuitionSouthern University and A & M CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Baton Rouge14.7 mi$9,922 in-state tuition
About 9 of every 100 Watson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
About Watson
Census-designated place in Louisiana, United States
Watson (also known locally as Live Oak) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, Watson had a population of 956. The community is in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 66 ft
- ZIP code
- 70786
Questions about Watson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watson, LA a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Is Watson, LA expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $252,000, 18% above 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 A.