Central, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

29,783

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.4

0.248% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.39%

5.86% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$89,554

0.596% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$288,700

Population & Diversity

Central, LA is home to a population of 29.8k people, from which 99.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.29% of Central, LA residents were born outside of the country (383 people).

In 2024, there were 8.08 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (23.6k people) in Central, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.92k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.29k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Central, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Central, LA was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Central, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Central, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
23.6k ± 1.15k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.92k ± 1.03k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.29k ± 435

5.57%

Hispanic Population

1.66k people

5.57% of the people in Central, LA are hispanic (1.66k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Central, LA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Louisiana.

Most Common Origin

Honduras
48,818 ± 5,396 people
Mexico
27,788 ± 4,080 people
Vietnam
17,351 ± 3,228 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Louisiana was Honduras, the natal country of 48,818 Louisiana residents, followed by Mexico with 27,788 and Vietnam with 17,351.

Foreign-Born Population

1.29%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

383 people

2.07%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

613 people

As of 2024, 1.29% of Central, LA residents (383 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Central, LA was 2.07%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Central, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
588 ± 191
Gulf War (2001-)
418 ± 214
Gulf War (1990s)
183 ± 159

Central, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.41 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Central, LA.

Economy

The economy of Central, LA employs 14.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Central, LA were Public Administration (1,562 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,556 people), and Educational Services (1,510 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($117,411), Manufacturing ($107,750), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($80,492).

Employment

Occupations

14.2k

2024 Value

± 1,310

0.996%

1 Year growth

± 13.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Central, LA grew at a rate of 0.996%, from 14.1k employees to 14.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Central, LA, are Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,766 people), Management Occupations (1,712 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,596 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Central, LA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

14.2k

2024 Value

± 1,310

0.996%

1 Year growth

± 13.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Central, LA grew at a rate of 0.996%, from 14.1k employees to 14.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Central, LA, are Public Administration (1,562 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,556 people), and Educational Services (1,510 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Central, LA, though some of these residents may live in Central, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$72,484

Median earning men ± $6,174

$50,677

Median earning women ± $4,952

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($117,761), Information ($95,329), and Public Administration ($88,261).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($120,375), Manufacturing ($78,162), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($63,929).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Central, LA was $288,700 in 2024, which is 0.868 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $270,700 to $288,700, a 6.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Central, LA is 88.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Central, LA have an average commute time of 29 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Central, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$288,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,351

$10,212

Median Property Taxes

±$1,080

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Central, LA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Central, LA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

88.8%

Homeownership

2024

69.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 88.8% of the housing units in Central, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 89.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Central, LA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$89,554

Median Household Income

± $13,282

11.5k

Number of Households

± 1,127

In 2024, the median household income of the 11.5k households in Central, LA declined from $89,554 from the previous year's value of $90,091.

The following chart displays the households in Central, LA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Central, LA is from Louisiana.

0.464

2024 Wage GINI in Louisiana

0.465

2023 Wage GINI in Louisiana

In 2024, the income inequality in Louisiana was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.265% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Louisiana was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Louisiana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Louisiana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (82.4%)
Worked At Home (10.1%)
Carpooled (6.12%)

In 2024, 82.4% of workers in Central, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.1%) and those who carpooled to work (6.12%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

29 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Central, LA have a longer commute time (29 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.75% of the workforce in Central, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Central, LA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Central, LA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Central, LA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.39% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Central, LA (1.6k out of 29.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 45 - 54, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Central, LA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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