Ponchatoula, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,808

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.228% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.3%

23.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,161

6.98% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$200,300

Population & Diversity

Ponchatoula, LA is home to a population of 7.81k people, from which 99.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.87% of Ponchatoula, LA residents were born outside of the country (146 people).

In 2024, there were 1.89 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.71k people) in Ponchatoula, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.49k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 126 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Ponchatoula, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ponchatoula, LA was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ponchatoula, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.71k ± 637
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.49k ± 607
White (Hispanic)
126 ± 138

3.65%

Hispanic Population

285 people

3.65% of the people in Ponchatoula, LA are hispanic (285 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ponchatoula, 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

1.87%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

146 people

2.72%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

213 people

As of 2024, 1.87% of Ponchatoula, LA residents (146 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 Ponchatoula, LA was 2.72%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
160 ± 98
Vietnam
83 ± 75
Gulf War (1990s)
54 ± 51

Ponchatoula, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.93 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Ponchatoula, LA employs 3.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ponchatoula, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (568 people), Educational Services (291 people), and Construction (274 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($108,750), Manufacturing ($80,583), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($70,044).

Employment

Occupations

3.1k

2024 Value

± 560

10.8%

1 Year growth

± 23.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ponchatoula, LA grew at a rate of 10.8%, from 2.8k employees to 3.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ponchatoula, LA, are Sales & Related Occupations (358 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (293 people), and Management Occupations (286 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ponchatoula, 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

3.1k

2024 Value

± 560

10.8%

1 Year growth

± 23.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ponchatoula, LA grew at a rate of 10.8%, from 2.8k employees to 3.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ponchatoula, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (568 people), Educational Services (291 people), and Construction (274 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ponchatoula, LA, though some of these residents may live in Ponchatoula, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$67,443

Median earning men ± $11,657

$42,827

Median earning women ± $7,614

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($117,188), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($85,878), and Manufacturing ($81,500).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($145,088), Construction ($60,742), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($45,917).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ponchatoula, LA was $200,300 in 2024, which is 0.602 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $194,300 to $200,300, a 3.09% increase. The homeownership rate in Ponchatoula, LA is 76%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ponchatoula, LA have an average commute time of 33.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ponchatoula, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$200,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,441

$2,621

Median Property Taxes

±$561

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

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

Rent vs Own

76%

Homeownership

2024

67%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76% of the housing units in Ponchatoula, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 77.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ponchatoula, 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.

$51,161

Median Household Income

± $15,758

3.45k

Number of Households

± 636

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.45k households in Ponchatoula, LA grew to $51,161 from the previous year's value of $47,821.

The following chart displays the households in Ponchatoula, 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 Ponchatoula, 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 (78.4%)
Worked At Home (9.44%)
Other (6.31%)

In 2024, 78.4% of workers in Ponchatoula, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.44%) and those who used some unspecified means to get work (6.31%).

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

33.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ponchatoula, LA have a longer commute time (33.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.21% of the workforce in Ponchatoula, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ponchatoula, LA (1.1k out of 7.7k 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 Males 65 - 74, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males < 5.

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

Keep Exploring