Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Eviction Risk: Low

Jefferson Parish averages 2.5/10 across its 21 cities, placing it in the Low risk band by overall score, but that headline figure obscures a meaningful spread. Within Louisiana's 64 parishes, Jefferson ranks 8th highest for eviction risk, meaning only 7 parishes are riskier and 56 are easier markets to operate in. Landlords entering this market are not walking into a disaster zone, but they are not stepping into the most forgiving corner of Louisiana either, and the intra-county range of 2.1 to 3.3 makes neighborhood selection consequential.

Conditions here reflect the parish's mix of working-class and moderate-income renters. Average rent runs $1,190 per month against an average rent burden of 35.4% of income, and a renter share of 37.3% of households. That combination, paired with a 16.5% average poverty rate, tells you that a portion of the tenant pool is financially stretched, which is where eviction exposure concentrates. Investors underwriting deals in Jefferson Parish should build that reality into vacancy and loss assumptions rather than relying on the Low label alone.

The cities inside Jefferson Parish

The highest-risk corner of the parish sits on the West Bank. Terrytown tops the list at 3.1/10 with a population of 24,726, followed immediately by Harvey at 3.1/10 (population 20,915) and Gretna at the same 3.1/10. Marrero scores 3.1/10 (population 32,540), and Timberlane, Westwego, and Elmwood each land at 3.3/10. These communities share elevated poverty rates and rent-burden pressures that push eviction frequency above the parish average.

Risk drops sharply once you move to the East Bank. Metairie, the parish's largest city at 139,729 residents, scores 3.2/10, as does Kenner at 3.1/10 with a population of 64,904. River Ridge and Estelle each sit at 2.5/10. The gap between Metairie's 3.2 and Terrytown's 4.3 is wide enough that these are effectively different operating environments, even though they share the same parish government and court system. Investors should underwrite each submarket on its own score rather than relying on the parish average.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Jefferson Parish operates under Louisiana state law, specifically La. R.S. § 9:3251 et seq. (Louisiana Lease Law). For non-payment of rent or a lease violation requiring cure, the notice period is 5 days. Ending a tenancy without cause requires a 30-day notice. Once a notice expires and a landlord files in court, an uncontested eviction typically resolves in 14 to 30 days; a contested case can run 30 to 90 days. Understanding the full Louisiana eviction process before a problem tenant arises is essential, because the cost exposure is real: court filing fees run $170 to $300, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $175, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000 depending on whether the case is contested.

Louisiana state law does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state preempts any local rent control, so no rent cap applies anywhere in Jefferson Parish. Louisiana security deposit limits are governed at the state level as well. Louisiana tenant protections do not currently extend to source-of-income categories, which simplifies tenant screening relative to higher-regulation states. There is no entry-notice requirement codified in the state statute data reviewed, so landlords should document their practices carefully regardless.

With an average poverty rate of 16.5% and 37.3% of households renting, Jefferson Parish carries enough financial stress in its renter base that risk varies block by block; the city grid above gives a sharper read than the parish average alone.