New Orleans LA
Louisiana · Pop. 371,853
New Orleans, LA: median household income of $56,631, median rent of $1,251/mo, 7.5% unemployment. Our verdict: It Depends.
Score Breakdown
Key Metrics
Median Income
$56,631
per year
Median Rent
$1,251
per month
Median Home
$316k
home value
Unemployment
7.5%
of labor force
Poverty Rate
22.6%
below poverty line
Avg. Commute
23 min
one way
City Reality Check honest
"New Orleans, LA Reality Check"
In New Orleans, the rent-to-income burden runs around 27% — acceptable by national standards. Median income sits at $56,631 and median rent is $1,251/month. 54% of renters are cost-burdened (30%+ of income on housing). Landlords are winning; everyone else is treading water. Median home value: $315,700 — that's 5.6× the median income. Employment picture: 7.53% unemployment — a average employment landscape. Poverty rate: 22.6% — well above the national average. The headline economic numbers hide a bifurcated city. Average commute: 23 minutes — acceptable. Violent crime: 114/100k avg monthly rate (21162 reported); Property crime: 385.9/100k avg monthly rate (71776 reported). New Orleans was founded in 1718 — that's 308 years of history baked into the streets. The city covers 349.9 sq miles at 1,063 people/sq mile — sprawling. Elevation: 36 ft — essentially flat — floods are a real conversation. Known as: "NOLA | The Big Easy | Crescent City". New Orleans has 23 sister cities — cosmopolitan on paper, at least. RoastMyCity overall score: 55/100 — It Depends.
Local Context
Safety
/100Violent crime: 114/100k avg monthly rate (21162 reported); Property crime: 385.9/100k avg monthly rate (71776 reported).