St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Eviction Risk: Low

St. Landry Parish carries a 2.8/10 eviction-risk score, placing it in the Low tier, but that average sits near the top of the Low range rather than at its floor. Louisiana ranks this parish 13th of 64 statewide, meaning only 12 parishes are riskier and 51 are more landlord-friendly, putting St. Landry firmly in the higher-risk third of the state despite the Low label. Across its 15 cities, an average rent of $748 and a rent-burden rate of 29.1% suggest tenants are stretched, which historically correlates with payment stress and a higher likelihood of late rents reaching the court stage.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.9 to 3, a narrower band than many Louisiana parishes, but still enough to matter when choosing between submarkets. Investors considering single-family or small multifamily acquisitions here should weigh that compressed spread carefully: even the lowest-risk corners of St. Landry Parish do not reach the more insulated scores found in the state's most landlord-favorable markets.

The cities inside St. Landry Parish

Opelousas, the parish seat and by far the largest city at a population of 15,495, posts the highest score in the county at 3.4/10. As the dominant rental market, it draws the most tenant volume and, correspondingly, the most eviction filings. Port Barre, Arnaudville, Grand Coteau, and Washington each score 2.6/10, forming a cluster of moderately elevated risk that accounts for a meaningful share of the parish's rental stock.

Eunice, with a population of 9,239, sits a step lower at 3.2/10, and Sunset comes in at 2.4/10. The lowest scores belong to Lawtell at 2.5/10 and Leonville at 1.9/10, both small communities where thinner rental markets keep eviction activity subdued. The gap between Opelousas at 3.4 and Lawtell at 2.7 illustrates how hyper-local conditions shift the risk calculus even within a single parish boundary.

State-level laws that apply here

Under La. R.S. § 9:3251 et seq. (Louisiana Lease Law), landlords in St. Landry Parish must issue a 5-day notice for non-payment of rent or a lease violation, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term, no-cause terminations. Uncontested evictions typically resolve in 14 to 30 days; contested matters extend to 30 to 90 days. Reviewing the Louisiana eviction process in detail is worthwhile for any landlord new to this market, because procedural missteps reset these already-tight timelines.

Total eviction costs in Louisiana range from a court filing fee of $170 to $300, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees of $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. Louisiana has no statewide rent control, and state law preempts any local ordinance that would impose rent caps. Source-of-income is not a protected class at the state level. Understanding Louisiana eviction costs upfront lets investors build realistic reserves rather than absorbing unplanned legal expenses mid-tenancy.

With a parish-wide poverty rate of 30.3% and 43% of residents renting rather than owning, the tenant pool in St. Landry Parish faces significant financial pressure; the city grid above breaks down which communities carry the heaviest concentration of these conditions for landlords evaluating specific acquisitions.