Opelousas, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

15,495

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.1

8.16% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

37.4%

10% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$32,964

9.09% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$105,100

Population & Diversity

Opelousas, LA is home to a population of 15.5k people, from which 99.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.82% of Opelousas, LA residents were born outside of the country (127 people).

In 2024, there were 4.68 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.8k people) in Opelousas, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.53k White (Non-Hispanic) and 367 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Opelousas, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Opelousas, LA was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Opelousas, LA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11.8k ± 583
White (Non-Hispanic)
2.53k ± 480
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
367 ± 246

2.86%

Hispanic Population

443 people

2.86% of the people in Opelousas, LA are hispanic (443 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Opelousas, 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

0.82%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

127 people

0.638%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

100 people

As of 2024, 0.82% of Opelousas, LA residents (127 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 Opelousas, LA was 0.638%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
148 ± 80
Vietnam
100 ± 74
Korea
43 ± 46

Opelousas, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.48 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Opelousas, LA employs 5.17k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Opelousas, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,023 people), Retail Trade (968 people), and Manufacturing (495 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($88,259), Manufacturing ($62,666), and Public Administration ($52,784).

Employment

Occupations

5.17k

2024 Value

± 608

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 16.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Opelousas, LA grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 5.1k employees to 5.17k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Opelousas, LA, are Sales & Related Occupations (558 people), Production Occupations (545 people), and Material Moving Occupations (486 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Opelousas, 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

5.17k

2024 Value

± 608

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 16.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Opelousas, LA grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 5.1k employees to 5.17k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Opelousas, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,023 people), Retail Trade (968 people), and Manufacturing (495 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Opelousas, LA, though some of these residents may live in Opelousas, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,259

Median earning men ± $3,864

$33,833

Median earning women ± $4,669

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($112,778), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($88,259), and Manufacturing ($63,147).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($52,614), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,713), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,611).

Education

The student population of Opelousas, LA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1 male students and 36 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Opelousas, LA are White (10 and 55.6%) and Black or African American (8 and 44.4%).

The largest universities in Opelousas, LA by number of degrees awarded are Opelousas School of Cosmetology (18 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Opelousas, LA are General Cosmetology (17 and 94.4%) and Cosmetology, Barber, & Nail Instructor (1 and 5.56%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 37 students enrolled in Opelousas, LA, 2.7% men and 97.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 22 records, of which 95.5% were women and 4.55% men.

Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology

Most Common

17 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Opelousas, LA was General Cosmetology with 17 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Opelousas, LA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Opelousas School of Cosmetology

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

18 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Opelousas School of Cosmetology with 18 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 0 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Opelousas, LA, which is 0 times less than the 18 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 10 degrees mean that there were 1.25 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 8 degrees awarded.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Opelousas, LA was $105,100 in 2024, which is 0.316 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $113,000 to $105,100, a 6.99% decrease. The homeownership rate in Opelousas, LA is 52.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Opelousas, LA have an average commute time of 24.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Opelousas, LA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$105,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,100

$3,313

Median Property Taxes

±$391

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

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

Rent vs Own

52.8%

Homeownership

2024

71.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.8% of the housing units in Opelousas, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 50.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Opelousas, 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.

$32,964

Median Household Income

± $4,837

6.28k

Number of Households

± 599

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.28k households in Opelousas, LA declined from $32,964 from the previous year's value of $36,260.

The following chart displays the households in Opelousas, 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 $10k - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Opelousas, 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 (84%)
Carpooled (7.14%)
Worked At Home (4.95%)

In 2024, 84% of workers in Opelousas, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.14%) and those who worked at home (4.95%).

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

24.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Opelousas, LA have a shorter commute time (24.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.47% of the workforce in Opelousas, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Opelousas, LA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Opelousas, LA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

37.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Opelousas, LA (5.65k out of 15.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 35 - 44.

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

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