Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westwego earns a D, 132nd of 161 graded towns in Louisiana, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 80% of U.S. towns, with 27 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: its schools rank ahead of 57% of Louisiana towns. Westwego's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Westwego’s January low is 44°F, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 42°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Its National Register listings include Conrad A. Buchler House.
Where Westwego beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Westwego’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Westwego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,987 in 1930, a peak of 12,663 in 1980, 8,568 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 7 maps from 1891 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westwego. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaCaesars Superdome
Big draw20 mi LakeLake Pontchartrain
5 mi MuseumNational World War II Museum707K visitors a year
in town Zoo & aquariumAudubon Zoo
2 mi National Historical ParkJean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve227K visitors a year
6 mi MuseumThe CabildoCaesars 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 · Audubon Zoo: MeRyan, CC BY 2.0 · Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: No machine-readable author provided. Jan Kronsell assumed (based on copyright cl, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Cabildo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westwego, 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 Westwego.
Westwego has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, looks healthier within Louisiana than nationally and has home values still below their peak.
Within Louisiana it is less healthy than 64% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Westwego: 18% of adults have diabetes. Nearly two in five adults in Westwego feel lonely; 45% have high blood pressure.
| Westwego | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 44% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Westwego | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.5% | 18.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Jefferson Parish school district. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. 3 public schools serve Westwego, with 1,028 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac G Joseph Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 439 | C− |
| Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced StudiesTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 354 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
982 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 101 properties have flooded more than once.
FEMA puts three quarters of Westwego’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 13% to inland flooding. Compared with 95% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. The town has had 982 paid flood insurance claims since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.7 miles of trail. For Westwego, the trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 25 acres.
| Westwego | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bayou Segnette State Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Westwego Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Louis H Marrero Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 217 to 122 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Westwego’s violent crime rate stands at 3.3 per 1,000 residents. Within Louisiana, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Westwego | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.6 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 2,522 in 2013 to 1,672.
Half commute less than 6 miles. Westwego had 1,672 jobs in 2023, down 850 from 2013. Most working residents leave Westwego for work: only 5% work in town. The share of residents in Westwego who live below the poverty line: 20%.
| Westwego | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 44.3°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.3°.
Snow is almost unheard of. In Westwego, the peak summer temperature is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $177K, is 13% below its July 2022 peak. The median property tax bill is $590, against $1,180 across Louisiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Among households in Westwego, 51% are owner-occupiers. The town’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,049 a month.
| Westwego | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,049 a month | $989 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 within 15 miles of the center of Westwego
About 7 of every 100 Westwego residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Louisiana.
4 places in Westwego on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Louisiana, United States
Westwego is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located in Jefferson Parish. It is a suburban community of New Orleans in the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area and lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population of the city of Westwego was 8,568 at the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Westwego.
| Town | LA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwego | #132 | D | B− | C− | B | D− |
| Bridge City | #108 | C− | B | — | B | D− |
| Marrero | #123 | D | B− | — | B | D− |
| New Orleans | #159 | D− | D | — | D− | C+ |
Bridge City, Marrero and New Orleans report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Westwego with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Westwego grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #132 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 64% of towns.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($62,655 across the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
