Lawtell, Louisiana

Community in St. Landry Parish · population 1,066 (2020 Census)

Jan low / Jul high: 41° / 92°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 54
Median age: 49.8

Lawtell is a community of 1,066 people in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. It ranks quieter than 95% of Louisiana towns, hipper than 80% of Louisiana towns, better for retirees than 79% of Louisiana towns.

Lawtell in our rankings:

#18 in The 25 Quietest Small Towns in Louisiana

How Lawtell 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

84.3% of households own their home.

Housing	Lawtell	Typical Louisiana town
Median home value	—	$166,450
Median rent	—	$887
Median household income	—	$52,134
Home value ÷ income	—×	3.0×
Homeownership	84.3%	70.4%
Median year built	1983	1979
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Lawtell

People	Lawtell	Typical Louisiana town
Median age	49.8	38.4
Age 65 and over	33.2%	17.0%
Under 18	25.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.9%	15.8%
Below the poverty line	22.3%	20.4%
Veterans	6.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	0.0%	4.7%
Average commute	22.4 min	25.8 min
Homes with broadband	55.6%	84.6%

Weather in Lawtell

July highs average 91.6°F and January lows 41.4°F. About 61.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 93 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 18 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 Grand Coteau station (10.6 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

54 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lawtell since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 13 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF3, struck on May 17, 2020 about 6.2 miles from the town center and killed 1. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 3 deaths and 49 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on April 10, 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 22 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on April 11, 2008.

Severe weather in St. Landry Parish since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, St. Landry Parish, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 5 deaths recorded.

St. Landry Parish has been included in 46 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, other, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 30, 2026	Tropical Storm	DR-4927: Tropical Storm Arthur
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 St. Landry Parish

St. Landry Parish had 23,554 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,117 a year. Unemployment was 4.5% in 2023; in Lawtell itself the ACS puts it at 2.2%.

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 Lawtell

1 public school with 639 students, about 17.3 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Lawtell Elementary School	PK-8	639	17.3

Towns near Lawtell

Opelousas, LA
6.1 mi · 15,786 people · home $105,100
Church Point, LA
7.8 mi · 4,179 people · home $96,700
Washington, LA
10.2 mi · 742 people · home $85,300
Sunset, LA
10.3 mi · 2,909 people · home $206,100
Grand Coteau, LA
10.5 mi · 776 people · home $117,500
Cankton, LA
12.3 mi · 583 people · home $191,100
Leonville, LA
12.4 mi · 868 people · home $182,800
Ville Platte, LA
13.4 mi · 6,303 people · home $101,200

Lawtell questions

Is Lawtell, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Lawtell scores better for retirees than 79% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 95%. 33.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 49.8).

What is the weather like in Lawtell?

July highs average 91.6°F and January lows 41.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 61.6 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Lawtell get tornadoes?

54 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Lawtell since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF3 on May 17, 2020. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Lawtell's Census boundary (GEOID 2242520). 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.