Ball, Louisiana

Town in Rapides Parish · population 3,961 (2020 Census)

Median home: $175,800
Household income: $80,074
Jan low / Jul high: 37° / 93°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 32
Median age: 29.7

Ball is a town of 3,961 people in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The median home is worth $175,800, above the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). It ranks better transit than 82% of Louisiana towns, better for young professionals than 76% of Louisiana towns.

Ball in our rankings:

How Ball ranks

Percentile among Louisiana towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Louisiana towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Ball is worth $175,800, above the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). Homes cost about 2.2 times the median household income of $80,074, which is more affordable than 85% of Louisiana towns. Median rent is $1,337 a month. 84.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Louisiana towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Ball	Typical Louisiana town
Median home value	$175,800	$166,450
Median rent	$1,337	$887
Median household income	$80,074	$52,134
Home value ÷ income	2.2×	3.0×
Homeownership	84.9%	70.4%
Median year built	1984	1979
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.9%	—

Who lives in Ball

People	Ball	Typical Louisiana town
Median age	29.7	38.4
Age 65 and over	10.1%	17.0%
Under 18	28.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.2%	15.8%
Below the poverty line	10.9%	20.4%
Veterans	3.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.1%	—
Work from home	5.2%	4.7%
Average commute	20.2 min	25.8 min
Homes with broadband	93.9%	84.6%

Weather in Ball

July highs average 93.1°F and January lows 36.8°F. About 57.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.4 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 102 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 35 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Alexandria Esler Rgnl Ap station (6.9 mi away); snow from Alexandria (7.5 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

32 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Ball since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 14 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on December 3, 1953 about 2.7 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 3 deaths and 59 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on May 26, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 64 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on March 12, 2003.

Severe weather in Rapides Parish since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Rapides Parish, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 11 deaths recorded.

Rapides Parish has been included in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, other.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3638: Severe Winter Storm
September 10, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3614: Tropical Storm Francine
August 30, 2023	Fire	FM-5486: Highway 113 Fire
September 13, 2021	Coastal Storm	EM-3574: Tropical Storm Nicholas
August 29, 2021	Hurricane	DR-4611: Hurricane Ida

Jobs and pay in Rapides Parish

Rapides Parish had 56,422 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $51,777 a year. Unemployment was 3.5% in 2023; in Ball itself the ACS puts it at 5.6%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Ball

4 public schools with 2,258 students, about 14.0 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Tioga High School	9-12	970	14.7
Tioga Elementary School	PK-6	512	14.2
Ball Elementary School	PK-6	419	15.0
Paradise Elementary School	PK-6	357	11.5

Towns near Ball

Pineville, LA
5.2 mi · 14,384 people · home $201,500
Alexandria, LA
9.4 mi · 45,275 people · home $183,700
Jena, LA
25.0 mi · 4,155 people · home $139,700
Marksville, LA
28.7 mi · 5,065 people · home $151,900

Ball questions

Is Ball, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Ball scores better for retirees than 56% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 40%. 10.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 29.7).

How much does a house cost in Ball?

The median owner-occupied home in Ball is valued at $175,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $80,074, so homes cost about 2.2 times income. Median rent is $1,337 a month.

What is the weather like in Ball?

July highs average 93.1°F and January lows 36.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 57.1 inches of precipitation a year and 0.4 inches of snow.

Does Ball get tornadoes?

32 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Ball since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on December 3, 1953. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Ball's Census boundary (GEOID 2204055). Comparisons use the median of Louisiana towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.