Largest Cities in Louisiana: Ranked by Population
The largest city in Louisiana in our data is New Orleans, LA, with an estimated 1,020,886 people, followed by Baton Rouge, LA (570,308) and Shreveport, LA (280,062). This list ranks the top 50 places among the 117 Louisiana communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 50 in Louisiana?
| # | City | County | Population | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans, LA | Orleans Parish | 1,020,886 | 2,302 |
| 2 | Baton Rouge, LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 570,308 | 2,546 |
| 3 | Shreveport, LA | Caddo Parish | 280,062 | 1,740 |
| 4 | Lafayette, LA | Lafayette Parish | 264,357 | 2,271 |
| 5 | Lake Charles, LA | Calcasieu Parish | 156,181 | 1,746 |
| 6 | Metairie, LA | Jefferson Parish | 142,135 | 6,110 |
| 7 | Houma, LA | Terrebonne Parish | 140,469 | 2,264 |
| 8 | Monroe, LA | Ouachita Parish | 112,891 | 1,614 |
| 9 | Mandeville, LA | St. Tammany Parish | 95,968 | 1,751 |
| 10 | Slidell, LA | St. Tammany Parish | 93,040 | 1,800 |
| 11 | Alexandria, LA | Rapides Parish | 80,129 | 1,619 |
| 12 | Hammond, LA | Tangipahoa Parish | 72,413 | 1,526 |
| 13 | Bossier City, LA | Bossier Parish | 68,159 | 1,567 |
| 14 | Kenner, LA | Jefferson Parish | 66,340 | 4,457 |
| 15 | Prairieville, LA | Ascension Parish | 31,974 | 1,453 |
| 16 | Marrero, LA | Jefferson Parish | 30,894 | 4,289 |
| 17 | Central, LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 29,357 | 471 |
| 18 | Laplace, LA | St. John the Baptist Parish | 29,108 | 1,391 |
| 19 | New Iberia, LA | Iberia Parish | 28,454 | 2,554 |
| 20 | Morgan City, LA | St. Mary Parish | 27,728 | 1,795 |
| 21 | Ruston, LA | Lincoln Parish | 27,717 | 1,033 |
| 22 | Terrytown, LA | Jefferson Parish | 24,953 | 6,806 |
| 23 | Opelousas, LA | St. Landry Parish | 24,423 | 2,007 |
| 24 | Chalmette, LA | St. Bernard Parish | 23,851 | 3,323 |
| 25 | Harvey, LA | Jefferson Parish | 21,054 | 3,245 |
| 26 | Shenandoah, LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 20,252 | 3,266 |
| 27 | Bayou Cane, LA | Terrebonne Parish | 20,093 | 2,642 |
| 28 | Sulphur, LA | Calcasieu Parish | 20,065 | 1,787 |
| 29 | Abbeville, LA | Vermilion Parish | 19,470 | 1,989 |
| 30 | Natchitoches, LA | Natchitoches Parish | 18,859 | 769 |
| 31 | Breaux Bridge, LA | St. Martin Parish | 18,484 | 1,054 |
| 32 | Estelle, LA | Jefferson Parish | 17,968 | 3,872 |
| 33 | Zachary, LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 17,949 | 686 |
| 34 | Gretna, LA | Jefferson Parish | 17,647 | 4,372 |
| 35 | Donaldsonville, LA | Ascension Parish | 16,540 | 2,227 |
| 36 | Youngsville, LA | Lafayette Parish | 14,704 | 1,217 |
| 37 | Thibodaux, LA | Lafourche Parish | 14,425 | 2,352 |
| 38 | Crowley, LA | Acadia Parish | 14,147 | 2,150 |
| 39 | Pineville, LA | Rapides Parish | 14,122 | 1,119 |
| 40 | Luling, LA | St. Charles Parish | 14,049 | 601 |
| 41 | Belle Chasse, LA | Plaquemines Parish | 14,024 | 562 |
| 42 | Gramercy, LA | St. James Parish | 13,873 | 1,629 |
| 43 | DeRidder, LA | Beauregard Parish | 13,354 | 1,145 |
| 44 | River Ridge, LA | Jefferson Parish | 13,337 | 4,768 |
| 45 | Baker, LA | East Baton Rouge Parish | 13,194 | 1,570 |
| 46 | Franklin, LA | St. Mary Parish | 12,803 | 676 |
| 47 | Broussard, LA | Lafayette Parish | 12,700 | 723 |
| 48 | Bastrop, LA | Morehouse Parish | 12,327 | 1,124 |
| 49 | West Monroe, LA | Ouachita Parish | 12,227 | 1,523 |
| 50 | Minden, LA | Webster Parish | 12,071 | 787 |
How big are the largest cities in Louisiana?
Of the 117 places with pages, 8 have more than 100,000 residents, 13 have between 25,000 and 100,000, and 96 have fewer than 25,000. The median place has about 10,698 people. The ten largest places account for about 66% of the combined population of all pages, which shows how concentrated the state's population is across communities. Jefferson Parish contributes 8 of the top 50.
Which counties do the top 50 belong to?
The 50 places on this list are spread across 30 counties of Louisiana. Jefferson Parish has 8 (Metairie, Kenner, Marrero, Terrytown, Harvey, Estelle, Gretna, River Ridge); East Baton Rouge Parish has 5 (Baton Rouge, Central, Shenandoah, Zachary, Baker); Lafayette Parish has 3 (Lafayette, Youngsville, Broussard). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does Louisiana compare with the rest of the country?
The median Louisiana place with a page has about 10,698 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is smaller than the national typical place. New Orleans, LA ranks 49th among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 474 communities in total, of which 117 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about Louisiana cities
- Which is the largest city in Louisiana? New Orleans (1,020,886 people).
- How many Louisiana cities have more than 100,000 people? 8 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 13.
- What is the typical size? About 10,698 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.