Jena, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

4,160

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

34.7

12.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

11.3%

73.6% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$71,730

16.5% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$139,700

Population & Diversity

Jena, LA is home to a population of 4.16k people, from which 98.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.61% of Jena, LA residents were born outside of the country (67 people).

In 2024, there were 6.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.29k people) in Jena, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 496 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 159 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.8% of Jena, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Jena, LA was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Jena, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.29k ± 298
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
496 ± 315
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
159 ± 122

1.66%

Hispanic Population

69 people

1.66% of the people in Jena, LA are hispanic (69 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Jena, 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

1.61%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

67 people

7.34%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

304 people

As of 2024, 1.61% of Jena, LA residents (67 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 Jena, LA was 7.34%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
14 ± 24
Vietnam
7 ± 23

Jena, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 2 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Jena, LA employs 2.06k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Jena, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (512 people), Retail Trade (288 people), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (225 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($118,849), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($103,051), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($102,422).

Employment

Occupations

2.06k

2024 Value

± 425

3.25%

1 Year growth

± 29.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jena, LA grew at a rate of 3.25%, from 2k employees to 2.06k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Jena, LA, are Health Diagnosing & Treating Practitioners & Other Technical Occupations (295 people), Sales & Related Occupations (275 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (252 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Jena, 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

2.06k

2024 Value

± 425

3.25%

1 Year growth

± 29.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jena, LA grew at a rate of 3.25%, from 2k employees to 2.06k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Jena, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (512 people), Retail Trade (288 people), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (225 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Jena, LA, though some of these residents may live in Jena, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$71,463

Median earning men ± $31,391

$33,629

Median earning women ± $7,671

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($119,408), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($102,422), and Manufacturing ($91,261).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($48,063), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,563), and Retail Trade ($35,054).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Jena, LA was $139,700 in 2024, which is 0.42 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $157,900 to $139,700, a 11.5% decrease. The homeownership rate in Jena, LA is 81.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Jena, LA have an average commute time of 36.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Jena, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$139,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$31,281

$1,190

Median Property Taxes

±$290

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 Jena, LA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

81.3%

Homeownership

2024

67.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 81.3% of the housing units in Jena, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 89%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Jena, 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.

$71,730

Median Household Income

± $24,533

1.46k

Number of Households

± 333

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.46k households in Jena, LA declined from $71,730 from the previous year's value of $85,955.

The following chart displays the households in Jena, 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 $150k - $200k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Jena, 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 (74.7%)
Carpooled (11.7%)
Worked At Home (5.95%)

In 2024, 74.7% of workers in Jena, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.7%) and those who worked at home (5.95%).

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

36.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Jena, LA have a longer commute time (36.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 11.7% of the workforce in Jena, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Jena, LA (439 out of 3.89k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Jena, LA is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

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.

Keep Exploring