Westwego, LA

Census Place

2024 Population

8,335

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.6

8.02% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

20.2%

6.23% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$46,261

6.15% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$177,400

Population & Diversity

Westwego, LA is home to a population of 8.34k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.2% of Westwego, LA residents were born outside of the country (350 people).

In 2024, there were 2.66 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.26k people) in Westwego, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.97k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 224 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Westwego, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Westwego, LA was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Westwego, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.26k ± 548
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.97k ± 492
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
224 ± 141

4.86%

Hispanic Population

405 people

4.86% of the people in Westwego, LA are hispanic (405 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Westwego, 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

4.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

350 people

3.23%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

271 people

As of 2024, 4.2% of Westwego, LA residents (350 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 Westwego, LA was 3.23%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
119 ± 90
Gulf War (2001-)
91 ± 72

Westwego, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.31 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Westwego, LA employs 3.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Westwego, LA were Retail Trade (683 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (350 people), and Public Administration (314 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($73,250), Transportation & Warehousing ($70,260), and Finance & Insurance ($61,053).

Employment

Occupations

3.5k

2024 Value

± 530

−3.77%

1 Year decline

± 22.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Westwego, LA declined at a rate of −3.77%, from 3.63k employees to 3.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Westwego, LA, are Sales & Related Occupations (571 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (464 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (274 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Westwego, 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

3.5k

2024 Value

± 530

−3.77%

1 Year decline

± 22.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Westwego, LA declined at a rate of −3.77%, from 3.63k employees to 3.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Westwego, LA, are Retail Trade (683 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (350 people), and Public Administration (314 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Westwego, LA, though some of these residents may live in Westwego, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,268

Median earning men ± $11,650

$36,250

Median earning women ± $5,190

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($110,972), Wholesale Trade ($73,411), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($52,028).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,778), Retail Trade ($42,500), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,635).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Westwego, LA was $177,400 in 2024, which is 0.533 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $168,600 to $177,400, a 5.22% increase. The homeownership rate in Westwego, LA is 51.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Westwego, LA have an average commute time of 24.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Westwego, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$177,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,322

$1,883

Median Property Taxes

±$331

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

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

Rent vs Own

51.4%

Homeownership

2024

69.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 51.4% of the housing units in Westwego, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 48.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Westwego, 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.

$46,261

Median Household Income

± $9,559

3.66k

Number of Households

± 563

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.66k households in Westwego, LA declined from $46,261 from the previous year's value of $49,291.

The following chart displays the households in Westwego, 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 Westwego, 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 (80.1%)
Carpooled (11.9%)
Worked At Home (4.31%)

In 2024, 80.1% of workers in Westwego, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.9%) and those who worked at home (4.31%).

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

24.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Westwego, LA have a shorter commute time (24.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.53% of the workforce in Westwego, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Westwego, LA (1.68k out of 8.34k 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 45 - 54, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 35 - 44.

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

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