Bernice, Louisiana

Town in Union Parish · population 1,356 (2020 Census)

Median home: $80,300
Household income: $26,399
Jan low / Jul high: 36° / 92°
Snow a year: 1 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 23
Median age: 41.8

Bernice is a town of 1,356 people in Union Parish, Louisiana. The median home is worth $80,300, below the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). It ranks better for a vacation home than 95% of Louisiana towns, hipper than 84% of Louisiana towns, better for retirees than 83% of Louisiana towns.

How Bernice 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 Bernice is worth $80,300, below the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $26,399, which is more affordable than 52% of Louisiana towns. Median rent is $695 a month. 68.4% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Bernice	Typical Louisiana town
Median home value	$80,300	$166,450
Median rent	$695	$887
Median household income	$26,399	$52,134
Home value ÷ income	3.0×	3.0×
Homeownership	68.4%	70.4%
Median year built	1977	1979
Seasonal / vacation homes	1.4%	—

Who lives in Bernice

People	Bernice	Typical Louisiana town
Median age	41.8	38.4
Age 65 and over	17.1%	17.0%
Under 18	21.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.8%	15.8%
Below the poverty line	28.1%	20.4%
Veterans	3.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	16.0%	—
Work from home	1.1%	4.7%
Average commute	21.3 min	25.8 min
Homes with broadband	58.8%	84.6%

Weather in Bernice

July highs average 92.4°F and January lows 35.7°F. About 58.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.6 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 81 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 39 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 Farmerville station (15.0 mi away); snow from Spearsville Fire Twr (7.1 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bernice since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 11 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on April 3, 1999 about 10.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 8, 2024.

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 38 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on May 3, 1991.

Severe weather in Union Parish since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Union Parish, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Union Parish has been included in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
February 18, 2026	Winter Storm	DR-4900: Severe Winter Storm
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3638: Severe Winter Storm
September 10, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3614: Tropical Storm Francine
September 13, 2021	Coastal Storm	EM-3574: Tropical Storm Nicholas
August 29, 2021	Hurricane	DR-4611: Hurricane Ida

Jobs and pay in Union Parish

Union Parish had 5,454 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $42,245 a year. Unemployment was 4.2% in 2023; in Bernice itself the ACS puts it at 4.6%.

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).

Towns near Bernice

Dubach, LA
8.6 mi · 908 people · home $104,700
Junction City, AR
14.0 mi · 503 people · home $111,300
Farmerville, LA
15.4 mi · 3,366 people · home $104,900
Ruston, LA
20.4 mi · 22,166 people · home $225,300
Grambling, LA
21.0 mi · 5,239 people · home $181,700
Simsboro, LA
21.7 mi · 803 people · home $84,300
Choudrant, LA
21.8 mi · 989 people · home $313,500
Homer, LA
23.4 mi · 2,747 people · home $80,700

Bernice questions

Is Bernice, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bernice scores better for retirees than 83% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 67%. 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 41.8).

How much does a house cost in Bernice?

The median owner-occupied home in Bernice is valued at $80,300 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $26,399, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $695 a month.

What is the weather like in Bernice?

July highs average 92.4°F and January lows 35.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 58.2 inches of precipitation a year and 0.6 inches of snow.

Does Bernice get tornadoes?

23 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bernice since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on April 3, 1999. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bernice's Census boundary (GEOID 2207030). 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.