Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Eviction Risk: Low

Lafayette Parish carries an average eviction-risk score of 3.1/10 (Low) across its 8 cities, placing it 24th out of 64 Louisiana parishes where rank 1 is the highest-risk. That position puts 23 parishes at greater risk and 40 at less risk, landing Lafayette Parish in the middle third of the state. For landlords and investors, the county-level average signals manageable operating conditions in Louisiana eviction laws, with relatively stable tenant demographics and an average rent of $1,101 against a rent-burden rate of 31.9%.

The intra-county spread, 2.5 to 3.1, matters as much as the headline figure. The same parish that contains Louisiana's fourth-largest city at the low end of the risk scale also contains smaller suburban communities sitting a full point higher. Investors should treat the average as a starting point rather than a destination and drill down to the specific municipality before committing capital.

The cities inside Lafayette Parish

Carencro (3.1/10, population 11,619) and Duson (3.1/10, population 1,282) post the highest risk scores in the parish. Broussard (2.6/10, population 14,322), Scott (2.9/10), and Ossun (2.8/10) follow closely. These smaller, faster-growing communities tend to have higher poverty concentrations relative to the parish average, which correlates with elevated eviction pressure. Youngsville (2.5/10) and Milton (2.5/10) sit in a moderate band.

By contrast, Lafayette itself, the parish seat with a population of 121,715, scores a notably lower 2.7/10. Its scale, diverse renter base, and economic anchors keep risk below what the outlying communities experience. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a property a few miles outside Lafayette city limits can carry a score half a point higher than one inside it.

State-level laws that apply here

Under Louisiana state law, specifically La. R.S. § 9:3251 et seq. (Louisiana Lease Law), landlords must give tenants a 5-day written notice for non-payment of rent or a lease violation before filing. End-of-term, no-cause terminations require 30 days notice. Understanding the full Louisiana eviction process is essential before acting, because missteps on notice delivery reset the clock entirely.

On the cost side, 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. Uncontested matters typically resolve in 14 to 30 days; a contested proceeding can stretch to 30 to 90 days. Louisiana eviction costs are moderate by national standards but can escalate quickly once an attorney becomes necessary. Louisiana imposes no rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent caps, giving landlords statewide consistency on those points.

With a poverty rate of 17.7% and a renter share of 38.3% across the parish, the city-level breakdown in the grid above is the sharpest tool available for targeting assets in Lafayette Parish's lower-risk corridors.