Lafayette, LA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population
410,883
14.4% 1-year decline
US Senator
Bill Cassidy
Republican Party
US Senator
John Kennedy
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
37.2
0.813% 1-year increase
2023 Poverty Rate
18.5%
2.18% 1-year decrease
2023 Median Household Income
$60,910
4.75% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$206,900
10.2% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
187,193
12.8% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Lafayette, LA had a population of 411k people with a median age of 37.2 and a median household income of $60,910. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lafayette, LA declined from 479,865 to 410,883, a −14.4% decrease and its median household income grew from $58,150 to $60,910, a 4.75% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lafayette, LA are White (Non-Hispanic) (66.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (22.7%), Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) (2.83%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (2.58%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.53%).

None of the households in Lafayette, LA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.7% of the residents in Lafayette, LA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lafayette, LA are University of Louisiana at Lafayette (3,197 degrees awarded in 2023), South Louisiana Community College (1,961 degrees), and Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette (474 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Lafayette, LA was $206,900, and the homeownership rate was 69%.

Most people in Lafayette, LA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Lafayette, LA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Photo taken at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.
Photo by Abbie Judice
United StatesLouisiana

Population & Diversity

Lafayette, LA is home to a population of 411k people, from which 97.7% are citizens. As of 2023, 3.79% of Lafayette, LA residents were born outside of the country (15.6k people).

In 2023, there were 2.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (274k people) in Lafayette, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 93.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11.6k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.7%
2023 Citizenship
98%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 97.7% of Lafayette, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lafayette, LA was 98%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lafayette, LA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    274k ± 855
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    93.1k ± 1.4k
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    11.6k ± 1.4k
5.3%
Hispanic Population
21.8k people

In 2023, there were 2.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (274k people) in Lafayette, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 93.1k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 11.6k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.3% of the people in Lafayette, LA are hispanic (21.8k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Louisiana.
Most Common Origin
  1. Honduras
    46,145 ± 5,248 people
  2. Mexico
    26,336 ± 3,973 people
  3. Vietnam
    16,621 ± 3,160 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Louisiana was Honduras, the natal country of 46,145 Louisiana residents, followed by Mexico with 26,336 and Vietnam with 16,621.

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Foreign-Born Population

3.79%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
15.6k people
3.34%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
16k people

As of 2023, 3.79% of Lafayette, LA residents (15.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lafayette, LA was 3.34%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    5,677 ± 680
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    4,654 ± 585
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    3,636 ± 458

Lafayette, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.22 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Lafayette, LA employs 187k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Lafayette, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (29,971 people), Retail Trade (22,574 people), and Educational Services (17,639 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($159,071), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($93,275), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($87,313).

Employment

Occupations

187k
2023 Value
± 4,072
−12.8%
1 Year decline
± 3.44%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lafayette, LA declined at a rate of −12.8%, from 215k employees to 187k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lafayette, LA, are Sales & Related Occupations (21,242 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (20,942 people), and Management Occupations (18,822 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lafayette, LA.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

187k
2023 Value
± 4,072
−12.8%
1 Year decline
± 3.44%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lafayette, LA declined at a rate of −12.8%, from 215k employees to 187k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lafayette, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (29,971 people), Retail Trade (22,574 people), and Educational Services (17,639 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lafayette, LA, though some of these residents may live in Lafayette, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$56,791
Median earning men ± $2,225
$34,565
Median earning women ± $1,146

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($90,827), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,122), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($71,240).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($58,251), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($52,880), and Public Administration ($47,018).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.
Y-Axis
1.78%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.94M people employed in Louisiana. This represents a 1.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Louisiana.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 1,237
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  2. 799
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. 605
    Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $1.83M
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $755k
    Retail Trade
  3. $735k
    Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing the state of Louisiana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Louisiana is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Lafayette, LA. Showing the available data for Louisiana.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (60.2%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (38.2%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Other (0.547%)
    Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Louisiana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Louisiana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.
Bill Cassidy
Senator from Louisiana2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015
John Kennedy
Senator from Louisiana3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing Louisiana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Louisiana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Louisiana

Louisiana is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Louisiana have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Lafayette, LA awarded 6,880 degrees. The student population of Lafayette, LA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 9,702 male students and 16,511 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lafayette, LA are White (4,025 and 59.8%), followed by Black or African American (1,992 and 29.6%), Hispanic or Latino (271 and 4.02%), and Asian (160 and 2.38%).

The largest universities in Lafayette, LA by number of degrees awarded are University of Louisiana at Lafayette (3,197 and 46.5%), South Louisiana Community College (1,961 and 28.5%), and Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette (474 and 6.89%).

The most popular majors in Lafayette, LA are General Studies (1,030 and 15%), General Business Administration & Management (493 and 7.17%), and Registered Nursing (469 and 6.82%).

The median tuition cost in Lafayette, LA for a public four year colleges is $5,407 for in-state students and $19,135 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Lafayette, LA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 88.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 32.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 26,213 (37% men and 63% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 26,213 students enrolled in Lafayette, LA, 37% men and 63% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 14,362 records, of which 60.6% were women and 39.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Psychology
    136 degrees awarded
  2. General Studies
    335 degrees awarded
  3. Registered Nursing
    326 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lafayette, LA was General Psychology with 136 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Lafayette, LA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. University of Louisiana at Lafayette
    3,197 degrees awarded
  2. South Louisiana Community College
    1,961 degrees awarded
  3. Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette
    474 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Louisiana at Lafayette with 3,197 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 2,534 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lafayette, LA, which is 0.583 times less than the 4,346 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 4,025 degrees mean that there were 2.02 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,992 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($23,928) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($5,011) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,300) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

In 2023, 1.13% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.891% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

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

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (798k), and Secondary Education (592k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Lafayette, LA was $206,900 in 2023, which is 0.682 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $187,800 to $206,900, a 10.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Lafayette, LA is 69%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Lafayette, LA have an average commute time of 25.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lafayette, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$206,900
Median Property Value 2023
±$3,876
$112,323
Median Property Taxes
±$2,936

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

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

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Rent vs Own

69%
Homeownership
2023
67.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 69% of the housing units in Lafayette, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 69.3%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$60,910
Median Household Income
± $1,679
163k
Number of Households
± 3,639

In 2023, the median household income of the 163k households in Lafayette, LA grew to $60,910 from the previous year's value of $58,150.

The following chart displays the households in Lafayette, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lafayette, LA is from Louisiana.
0.465
2023 Wage GINI in Louisiana
0.466
2022 Wage GINI in Louisiana

In 2023, the income inequality in Louisiana was 0.465 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.123% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Louisiana was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (82.4%)
  2. Worked At Home (7.7%)
  3. Carpooled (6.3%)

In 2023, 82.4% of workers in Lafayette, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.7%) and those who carpooled to work (6.3%).

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.

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Commute Time

25.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lafayette, LA have a shorter commute time (25.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.21% of the workforce in Lafayette, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lafayette, LA (75k out of 405k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lafayette, 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.

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Health

92.3% of the population of Lafayette, LA has health coverage, with 42.6% on employee plans, 25% on Medicaid, 11.3% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 1.69% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Louisiana see 1,441 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.981% increase from the previous year (1,427 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1692 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 295 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.
1,441 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Louisiana

Primary care physicians in Louisiana see an average of 1,441 patients per year. This represents a 0.981% increase from the previous year (1,427 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Louisiana in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.8% under 18 years, 21.2% between 18 and 34 years, 38.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

7.69%
Uninsured
42.6%
Employer Coverage
25%
Medicaid
11.3%
Medicare
11.7%
Non-Group
1.69%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lafayette, LA grew by 2.39% from 7.51% to 7.69%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Lafayette, LA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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