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Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?
Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in Louisiana where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,
The results? Happiness comes in small packages.
The result is this list of the best cities for :
- Prien, LA
- Youngsville, LA
- Destrehan, LA
- Prairieville, LA
- Broussard, LA
- Inniswold, LA
- Belle Chasse, LA
- Luling, LA
- Zachary, LA
- Oak Hills Place, LA
These are the happiest places in Louisiana. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Louisiana?
We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:
- Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
- Percent of households earning above $75,000
- Median home prices
- A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
- Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)
We examined over 107 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.
While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.
Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.
All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.
Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.
1. Prien
Population: 7,976
Earners Over $75k: 54.0%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 44.0%
Prien is the happiest city in all of Louisiana. What makes Prien residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Prien resident only drives 20.5 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Prien residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Youngsville
Population: 12,753
Earners Over $75k: 60.2%
Average Commute: 30
Marriage Rate: 46.0%
In 2nd place we have Youngsville. Residents of Youngsville are highly educated, with an impressive 42.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Youngsville have plenty of them.
3. Destrehan
Population: 10,933
Earners Over $75k: 60.1%
Average Commute: 26
Marriage Rate: 46.0%
Destrehan is the third happiest city in Louisiana. Why so happy? 46.0% of Destrehan residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.
4. Prairieville
Population: 31,721
Earners Over $75k: 62.4%
Average Commute: 31
Marriage Rate: 41.0%
Folks in Prairieville have a lot to smile about. An impressive 62.4% of Prairieville households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Prairieville can afford peace of mind.
5. Broussard
Population: 11,412
Earners Over $75k: 47.9%
Average Commute: 24
Marriage Rate: 40.0%
Broussard is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Broussard residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Louisiana city is only $199,300), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. Inniswold
Population: 6,777
Earners Over $75k: 55.9%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 35.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Inniswold a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 55.9% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Inniswold home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Belle Chasse
Population: 13,490
Earners Over $75k: 41.7%
Average Commute: 23
Marriage Rate: 32.0%
Belle Chasse is the 7th happiest city. Belle Chasse residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 23.4 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.
8. Luling
Population: 13,614
Earners Over $75k: 52.7%
Average Commute: 27
Marriage Rate: 41.0%
Luling residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Zachary
Population: 17,056
Earners Over $75k: 51.7%
Average Commute: 29
Marriage Rate: 39.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Louisiana is Zachary. The average commute in Zachary is only 29.1 minutes. That means they are only 29.1 minutes away from the loving spouse 39.0% of them have.
10. Oak Hills Place
Population: 9,015
Earners Over $75k: 53.1%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 35.0%
In 10th place is Oak Hills Place, Louisiana. What makes Oak Hills Place so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.
And that’s our list of the happiest cities in Louisiana
There you have it, happiness is a place.
While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.
If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.
If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.
Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In
| Rank | City | High Earners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prien | 54.0% |
| 2 | Youngsville | 60.2% |
| 3 | Destrehan | 60.1% |
| 4 | Prairieville | 62.4% |
| 5 | Broussard | 47.9% |
| 6 | Inniswold | 55.9% |
| 7 | Belle Chasse | 41.7% |
| 8 | Luling | 52.7% |
| 9 | Zachary | 51.7% |
| 10 | Oak Hills Place | 53.1% |
| 11 | Old Jefferson | 50.3% |
| 12 | Shenandoah | 57.6% |
| 13 | River Ridge | 45.8% |
| 14 | Harahan | 41.2% |
| 15 | Claiborne | 37.9% |
| 16 | Village St. George | 53.6% |
| 17 | Meraux | 44.4% |
| 18 | Bayou Cane | 35.4% |
| 19 | Covington | 40.5% |
| 20 | Metairie | 39.2% |
| 21 | Moss Bluff | 37.8% |
| 22 | Mandeville | 47.3% |
| 23 | Pineville | 30.9% |
| 24 | Sulphur | 34.0% |
| 25 | Central | 47.9% |
| 26 | Houma | 31.2% |
| 27 | Estelle | 39.9% |
| 28 | Scott | 38.2% |
| 29 | Chackbay | 35.5% |
| 30 | Timberlane | 35.2% |
| 31 | Bossier City | 31.0% |
| 32 | Lafayette | 33.0% |
| 33 | Eden Isle | 48.7% |
| 34 | Breaux Bridge | 26.4% |
| 35 | Walker | 39.9% |
| 36 | Elmwood | 38.0% |
| 37 | Laplace | 39.6% |
| 38 | Bayou Blue | 39.8% |
| 39 | Gonzales | 35.1% |
| 40 | Kenner | 34.8% |
| 41 | Slidell | 35.7% |
| 42 | Plaquemine | 22.3% |
| 43 | Ruston | 17.9% |
| 44 | Larose | 33.5% |
| 45 | Alexandria | 26.9% |
| 46 | Lake Charles | 26.3% |
| 47 | Cut Off | 33.6% |
| 48 | Baton Rouge | 28.0% |
| 49 | Gardere | 27.5% |
| 50 | Deridder | 27.8% |
| 51 | Monroe | 20.4% |
| 52 | Gray | 30.6% |
| 53 | Terrytown | 29.1% |
| 54 | New Orleans | 28.1% |
| 55 | Jefferson | 30.7% |
| 56 | St. Rose | 31.9% |
| 57 | Red Chute | 39.2% |
| 58 | Denham Springs | 28.3% |
| 59 | Reserve | 25.8% |
| 60 | Raceland | 27.3% |
| 61 | Carencro | 23.6% |
| 62 | Merrydale | 18.8% |
| 63 | Shreveport | 24.5% |
| 64 | Thibodaux | 26.0% |
| 65 | Ponchatoula | 30.3% |
| 66 | Gretna | 25.7% |
| 67 | Hammond | 29.0% |
| 68 | Lacombe | 28.0% |
| 69 | Port Allen | 25.7% |
| 70 | New Iberia | 23.3% |
| 71 | Minden | 14.6% |
| 72 | Crowley | 17.8% |
| 73 | Chalmette | 26.8% |
| 74 | Woodmere | 31.7% |
| 75 | Donaldsonville | 19.7% |
| 76 | Galliano | 36.6% |
| 77 | Marksville | 16.1% |
| 78 | Patterson | 29.8% |
| 79 | Baker | 29.0% |
| 80 | West Monroe | 17.7% |
| 81 | Jennings | 21.4% |
| 82 | Rayne | 20.8% |
| 83 | Waggaman | 27.6% |
| 84 | Brownfields | 26.5% |
| 85 | Natchitoches | 15.1% |
| 86 | Violet | 22.1% |
| 87 | Eunice | 18.6% |
| 88 | Jeanerette | 14.4% |
| 89 | Morgan City | 18.5% |
| 90 | Harvey | 26.2% |
| 91 | Schriever | 25.1% |
| 92 | Marrero | 23.7% |
| 93 | Opelousas | 13.1% |
| 94 | Tallulah | 13.8% |
| 95 | Grambling | 12.9% |
| 96 | Westwego | 18.6% |
| 97 | St. Gabriel | 35.2% |
| 98 | Richwood | 4.9% |
| 99 | Leesville | 16.3% |
| 100 | St. Martinville | 15.5% |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
