State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Louisiana: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Louisiana county, FY 2026.

22.6%
State avg 2BR burden
2
Counties over 30% (of 64)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Louisiana

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in Louisiana. Across the 64 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 22.6%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Louisiana sits 0.9 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Louisiana, 2 of 64 counties (3%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is East Carroll Parish at 35.3%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $834 eats that share of the local median income of $28,321. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Louisiana counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Louisiana and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
22.6%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
2
of 64
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 East Carroll Parish $647 $834 27.4% 35.3%
2 Claiborne Parish $706 $834 26.7% 31.5%
3 De Soto Parish $982 $1,111 25.6% 28.9%
4 Orleans Parish $1,113 $1,331 24.1% 28.9%
5 St. Helena Parish $1,064 $1,204 25.4% 28.8%
6 Bienville Parish $707 $834 24.2% 28.6%
7 Lincoln Parish $695 $881 21.9% 27.8%
8 St. Bernard Parish $1,113 $1,331 23.2% 27.7%
9 Tensas Parish $761 $834 25.3% 27.7%
10 Webster Parish $651 $854 20.9% 27.4%
11 Morehouse Parish $636 $834 20.6% 27.1%
12 Madison Parish $638 $834 20.5% 26.9%
13 Union Parish $793 $1,026 20.8% 26.9%
14 Concordia Parish $647 $834 20.8% 26.8%
15 Caddo Parish $982 $1,111 23.5% 26.6%
16 Avoyelles Parish $653 $857 19.9% 26.1%
17 Jefferson Parish $1,113 $1,331 20.5% 24.5%
18 Pointe Coupee Parish $1,064 $1,204 21.5% 24.3%
19 Ouachita Parish $793 $1,026 18.6% 24%
20 Evangeline Parish $667 $834 18.9% 23.7%
21 Natchitoches Parish $705 $925 18.1% 23.7%
22 St. John the Baptist Parish $1,113 $1,331 19.8% 23.7%
23 Washington Parish $761 $834 21.3% 23.4%
24 Acadia Parish $671 $880 17.8% 23.3%
25 Jackson Parish $761 $834 21.1% 23.1%
26 Tangipahoa Parish $848 $1,099 17.8% 23%
27 East Baton Rouge Parish $1,064 $1,204 20.2% 22.9%
28 St. Martin Parish $898 $1,019 20.2% 22.9%
29 Franklin Parish $698 $834 19% 22.7%
30 Red River Parish $647 $834 17.4% 22.5%
31 Caldwell Parish $647 $834 17.3% 22.3%
32 Assumption Parish $806 $967 18.4% 22.1%
33 St. Mary Parish $722 $947 16.7% 22%
34 St. Landry Parish $636 $834 16.7% 21.9%
35 Winn Parish $761 $834 19.7% 21.6%
36 Calcasieu Parish $928 $1,217 16.4% 21.5%
37 Richland Parish $759 $944 17.2% 21.4%
38 Vernon Parish $793 $1,041 16.3% 21.4%
39 Rapides Parish $780 $994 16.7% 21.3%
40 Catahoula Parish $647 $834 16.3% 21%
41 Lafourche Parish $904 $1,102 17.1% 20.8%
42 West Carroll Parish $636 $834 15.7% 20.6%
43 Sabine Parish $686 $884 15.8% 20.4%
44 Terrebonne Parish $904 $1,102 16.7% 20.4%
45 Bossier Parish $982 $1,111 17.8% 20.1%
46 Cameron Parish $928 $1,217 15.4% 20.1%
47 St. Tammany Parish $1,130 $1,331 17.1% 20.1%
48 East Feliciana Parish $1,064 $1,204 17.5% 19.8%
49 Allen Parish $754 $834 17.7% 19.6%
50 Grant Parish $780 $994 15.3% 19.5%
51 West Feliciana Parish $1,064 $1,204 17.2% 19.5%
52 St. Charles Parish $1,113 $1,331 16.3% 19.4%
53 Plaquemines Parish $1,113 $1,331 16.1% 19.3%
54 Iberia Parish $764 $905 15.9% 18.8%
55 Jefferson Davis Parish $664 $871 14.1% 18.5%
56 Livingston Parish $1,064 $1,204 16.2% 18.4%
57 Iberville Parish $790 $866 16.5% 18.1%
58 Lafayette Parish $898 $1,019 15.9% 18.1%
59 Vermilion Parish $761 $834 15.9% 17.4%
60 Beauregard Parish $713 $935 13.2% 17.3%
61 St. James Parish $702 $921 13.1% 17.1%
62 West Baton Rouge Parish $1,064 $1,204 14.6% 16.5%
63 Ascension Parish $1,064 $1,204 13.8% 15.7%
64 La Salle Parish $660 $851 11.8% 15.2%
National burden rankings → All Louisiana rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Louisiana? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Louisiana is 22.6% of household income. 2 of 64 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Louisiana are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is East Carroll Parish at 35.3% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average? ▼
Louisiana's average rent burden is 22.6% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 0.9 percentage points higher than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.