Living in Lafayette

In Lafayette (Louisiana), the median gross salary is €2,835 a month (2024) and unemployment is 5.2% (2024).

Lafayette had a population of 122,280 at the end of 2024. The city faced an unemployment rate of 5.2% at the end of 2024. A foreign population count of 8,533 was recorded at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1933 sources

Population122,280people31 Dec 2024Official source · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program

Median gross salary2,835EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · ACS 2024 1-year table-based Summary File, table B20002 (Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars) by Sex for the Population 16 Years and Over with Earnings), place records

Median rent1,016EUR/month31 Dec 2020Official source · ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records

Unemployment rate5.2%country median 4.6% — 14% aboveOfficial source · Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)

Recorded crime5,414offences per 100,000country median 1,586 — 241% aboveOfficial source · FBI Crime Data Explorer / Uniform Crime Reporting

PM2.5, annual mean8.31µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · U.S. EPA Air Quality System / AirData

Higher unemployment than 61% of American cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 97% of American cities that publish it and dirtier air than 80% of American cities that publish it.

Which United States-wide rules apply when you move to Lafayette?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United StatesNational rates and thresholds that apply in Lafayette.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€60

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	60.38 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Verizon 300 Mbps home internet²⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.57 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Visible unlimited mobile plan²⁶Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,077 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent)³Official
Median monthly rent	1,016 EUR/month	31 Dec 2020	ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records²Official
Recorded property crimes	4,229 offenses/year	31 Dec 2025	FBI CIUS Table 8 by City 2025 (CDE offenses-known-to-le-2025.zip)⁷Official

Is Lafayette a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker47%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–56%

Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on education · range 48–64%

Student35%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 26–44%

Family41%strong on family, weak on education · range 33–49%

Retirement34%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 24–44%

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

7% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 8,533 of 122,280 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in United StatesUnemployment in Lafayette is 5.2%. Of 2,153 cities with data, 1,250 have unemployment of 0 to under 5%.

1,250

778

0–55–1010–1515–2020–2525–30

Lafayette 5.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary	2,835 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	ACS 2024 1-year table-based Summary File, table B20002 (Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars) by Sex for the Population 16 Years and Over with Earnings), place records⁴Official
Unemployment rate	5.2 %country median 4.6%	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official

What does a salary buy in Lafayette?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,098of €2,257 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,257
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent) · 2020-12-31	− €1,077
Internet€60 · official · Verizon 300 Mbps home internet · 2026-09-30	− €60
Mobile plan€22 · official · Visible unlimited mobile plan · 2026-09-30	− €22
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,098

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Lafayette Salary needed to live in Lafayette

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Lafayette. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

American Job Centers — Public employment service

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

Job Search

Open official service

Open the United States service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Lafayette. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	300 count	13 Sept 2026	NPPES Data Dissemination V.2 — September 2026¹⁴Official
Hospitals	12 count	30 Sept 2026	CMS Hospital General Information⁶Official
Pharmacies	73 count	13 Sept 2026	NPPES Data Dissemination V.2 — September 2026¹⁴Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	761.3 per 100,000	13 Sept 2026	NPPES Data Dissemination V.2 — September 2026¹⁴Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lafayette when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Recorded crime across major citiesLafayette highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Philadelphia5,457

Houston5,442

Lafayette5,414

San Antonio5,218

Chicago4,012

Dallas4,010

Austin3,709

Fort Worth3,158

Phoenix3,125

New York City3,039

Los Angeles2,212

San Diego2,082

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	662.7 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	US-FBI-CDE-LA0280300-2024²³Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,414 offences per 100,000country median 1,586	31 Dec 2024	FBI Crime Data Explorer / Uniform Crime Reporting⁸Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	1,080 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	US-FBI-CDE-LA0280300-2024²⁴Official
Recorded violent crimes	1,383 offenses/year	31 Dec 2025	FBI CIUS Table 8 by City 2025 (CDE offenses-known-to-le-2025.zip)⁷Official

Mobility and administration

Lafayette's nearest airport was LFT, 4 km away and offered 3 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	3 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁵Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	4 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	LFT	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁶Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Lafayette. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Adult Education and English Language Acquisition (AEFLA) — State Language Course

U.S. Department of Education

For adult learners, adult English-language learners.

EnglishIn Person, Online, HybridCost varies

Open official information

USCIS English and citizenship class finder — Civic Orientation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

For immigrants, future citizens.

EnglishIn Person, OnlineCost varies

Open official information

Open the full United States section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Lafayette.

Find courses near Lafayette

Climate and air quality

At the end of 2024, annual PM2.5 reached 8.3 µg/m³. Monthly mean temperatures were 11.6°C in January and 28.5°C in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

17°6°

19°9°

23°12°

26°15°

30°20°

32°23°

33°24°

34°24°

32°21°

27°16°

22°10°

18°7°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

150

103

125

138

180

159

128

121

112

126

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.58.3WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United StatesAnnual PM2.5 in Lafayette is 8.3 µg/m³. Of 968 cities with data, 261 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

135

261

252

124

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–1313–1414–1515–16

Lafayette 8.3

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.31 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	U.S. EPA Air Quality System / AirData²²Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan 16.78 · Feb 18.94 · Mar 22.56 · Apr 26.11 · May 29.94 · Jun 32.33 · Jul 33.06 · Aug 33.5 · Sep 31.67 · Oct 27.39 · Nov 21.94 · Dec 18 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 6.39 · Feb 8.56 · Mar 11.83 · Apr 15.17 · May 19.56 · Jun 22.83 · Jul 23.94 · Aug 23.72 · Sep 21.33 · Oct 15.61 · Nov 10.11 · Dec 7.39 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 11.56 · Feb 13.78 · Mar 17.17 · Apr 20.67 · May 24.72 · Jun 27.56 · Jul 28.5 · Aug 28.61 · Sep 26.5 · Oct 21.5 · Nov 16 · Dec 12.72 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 150.4 · Feb 103.4 · Mar 94.49 · Apr 124.7 · May 138.2 · Jun 180.1 · Jul 159.3 · Aug 159 · Sep 127.5 · Oct 120.9 · Nov 111.5 · Dec 126 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information⁹Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5, highest monitored reading	26.7 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	US EPA Air Quality System (AQS)²²Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5, annual mean	8.31 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	US EPA Air Quality System (AQS)²²Official · nearest-station reading
Annual precipitation	1,697 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)¹⁰Official · nearest-station reading
Maximum July temperature	32 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)¹¹Official · nearest-station reading
Average annual temperature	19.9 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)¹²Official · nearest-station reading
Minimum January temperature	5.9 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)¹³Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United States: Round Rock ±0.7 °C. Elsewhere: Amagasaki (Japan) ±3.6 °C, Daitō (Japan) ±3.6 °C, Habikino (Japan) ±3.6 °C, Higashiosaka (Japan) ±3.6 °C, Hirakata (Japan) ±3.6 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 146.2 km² at the end of 2025. Lafayette had a population density of 836.4 people per km² at the end of 2024.

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport93%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	146.2 km²	31 Dec 2025	U.S. Census Bureau (TIGERweb ArcGIS REST service)¹⁸Official
Foreign-resident share	7.01 %	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official
Foreign residents	8,533 people	31 Dec 2024	Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS)⁵Official
Population density	836.4 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	U.S. Census Bureau (Population Estimates Program)²¹Official
Population	122,280 people	31 Dec 2024	U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program²¹Official
Population covered by crime statistics	122,489 people	31 Dec 2025	FBI CIUS Table 8 by City 2025 (CDE offenses-known-to-le-2025.zip)⁷Official

Alternatives for people set on Lafayette

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Thousand Oaks as a Lafayette alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 2557 km, better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Median gross pay, city: €4,757 Thousand Oaks vs €2,835 Lafayette+68%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,123 Thousand Oaks vs 5,414 Lafayette−79%
Foreign residents: 18.8% (2020) Thousand Oaks vs 7.0% (2024) Lafayetteno percentage

Full comparison More about Thousand Oaks

Cities near Lafayette

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

St. Martinville Commuting Zone · 21.7 km away

Rent: 706.8 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2020-12-31
Salary: 2,818 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2020-12-31

Alternative cities in United States

Other cities in United States to compare with Lafayette, nearest in population first.

All United States cities

Ann Arbor122,233 residents Thousand Oaks122,230 residents Fairfield122,489 residents New Braunfels122,492 residents Hartford121,981 residents Cambridge122,588 residents

How does Lafayette compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Lafayette's.

Open the full comparison

Lafayette in rankings

#26 of 30 in Cheapest cities to rent in United States

Put Lafayette's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Lafayette?

The unemployment rate is 5.2 %. Source: Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS).

Is the air quality good in Lafayette?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.31 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System / AirData.

How safe is Lafayette?

Police recorded 5,414 offences per 100,000. This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer / Uniform Crime Reporting.

How many people live in Lafayette?

The published population is 122,280 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program.

How many foreign residents live in Lafayette?

8,533 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS).

Is Lafayette a good place to live?

Lafayette may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Lafayette?

Scott, Carencro, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Youngsville are near Lafayette. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Lafayette (Louisiana), United States: population, rent, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version cd576fdb6b6801a271865926269c2f35]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/lafayette/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lafayette-louisiana-united-states-population-rent-jobs_bd9b98c7b7c6,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Lafayette (Louisiana), United States: population, rent, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {cd576fdb6b6801a271865926269c2f35},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/lafayette/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Lafayette (Louisiana), United States: population, rent, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/us/lafayette/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version cd576fdb6b6801a271865926269c2f35; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B20002 (Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars) by Sex for the Population 16 Years and Over with Earnings) www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-19
ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, table B25064 (Median Gross Rent), place records www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-18
ACS 2020-2024 5-year table-based Summary File, tables B25065 (Aggregate Gross Rent) and B25063 (Gross Rent, units with cash rent) www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-19
ACS 2024 1-year table-based Summary File, table B20002 (Median Earnings in the Past 12 Months (in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars) by Sex for the Population 16 Years and Over with Earnings), place records www2.census.gov · checked 2026-09-18
Census Reporter (underlying U.S. Census ACS) api.censusreporter.org · checked 2026-08-03
CMS Hospital General Information data.cms.gov · checked 2026-09-15
FBI CIUS Table 8 by City 2025 (CDE offenses-known-to-le-2025.zip) cde.ucr.cjis.gov · checked 2026-09-05
FBI Crime Data Explorer / Uniform Crime Reporting cde.ucr.cjis.gov · checked 2026-08-04
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-07

Show 23 more sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-07
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-07
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-07
NPPES Data Dissemination V.2 — September 2026 NPPES Data Dissemination V.2 · download.cms.gov · checked 2026-09-18
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
TIGERweb ACS2023 — Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (CBSA, January 1 2023) TIGERweb ACS2023 · tigerweb.geo.census.gov · checked 2026-09-19
U.S. Census Bureau (TIGERweb ArcGIS REST service) tigerweb.geo.census.gov · checked 2026-08-03
U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb Places (layer 4 incorporated places, layer 5 CDPs; identical query) tigerweb.geo.census.gov · checked 2026-09-11
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey api.census.gov · checked 2026-08-07
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program www2.census.gov · checked 2026-08-05
U.S. EPA Air Quality System / AirData aqs.epa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
US-FBI-CDE-LA0280300-2024 cde.ucr.cjis.gov · checked 2026-09-15
US-FBI-CDE-LA0280300-2024 cde.ucr.cjis.gov · checked 2026-09-15
Verizon 300 Mbps home internet verizon.com · checked 2026-09-15
Visible unlimited mobile plan visible.com · checked 2026-09-15
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.