St. James, Louisiana

Community in St. James Parish · population 592 (2020 Census)

Median home: $181,700
Jan low / Jul high: 42° / 91°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 21
Median age: 55.3

St. James is a community of 592 people in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The median home is worth $181,700, above the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). It ranks better for young professionals than 91% of Louisiana towns, better for first-time buyers than 78% of Louisiana towns.

How St. James 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 St. James is worth $181,700, above the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). 94.1% of households own their home.

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

Housing	St. James	Typical Louisiana town
Median home value	$181,700	$166,450
Median rent	—	$887
Median household income	—	$52,134
Home value ÷ income	—×	3.0×
Homeownership	94.1%	70.4%
Median year built	1963	1979
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in St. James

People	St. James	Typical Louisiana town
Median age	55.3	38.4
Age 65 and over	30.9%	17.0%
Under 18	12.3%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.2%	15.8%
Below the poverty line	3.0%	20.4%
Veterans	4.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	0.0%	4.7%
Average commute	27.0 min	25.8 min
Homes with broadband	82.2%	84.6%

Weather in St. James

July highs average 90.6°F and January lows 41.7°F. About 63.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.1 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 80 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 16 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 Donaldsonville 4 Sw station (11.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

21 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of St. James since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF3, struck on February 23, 2016 about 6.9 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 3 deaths and 77 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on May 11, 2026.

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 6 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on April 5, 1996.

Severe weather in St. James Parish since 1996

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

St. James Parish has been included in 44 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, other, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3638: Severe Winter Storm
September 16, 2024	Hurricane	DR-4817: Hurricane Francine
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. James Parish

St. James Parish had 7,650 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $78,993 a year. Unemployment was 4.5% in 2023; in St. James itself the ACS puts it at 11%.

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 St. James

Welcome, LA
2.6 mi · 672 people · home —
Union, LA
5.2 mi · 735 people · home —
Grand Point, LA
6.3 mi · 2,241 people · home $253,800
Lemannville, LA
7.3 mi · 695 people · home $75,300
Paulina, LA
7.8 mi · 1,778 people · home $283,100
North Vacherie, LA
8.3 mi · 2,093 people · home $221,900
Lutcher, LA
8.9 mi · 3,133 people · home $219,600
Gramercy, LA
9.9 mi · 2,932 people · home $225,100

St. James questions

Is St. James, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, St. James scores better for retirees than 64% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 59%. 30.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 55.3).

How much does a house cost in St. James?

The median owner-occupied home in St. James is valued at $181,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of —. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in St. James?

July highs average 90.6°F and January lows 41.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 63.4 inches of precipitation a year and 0.1 inches of snow.

Does St. James get tornadoes?

21 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of St. James since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF3 on February 23, 2016. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to St. James's Census boundary (GEOID 2267355). 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.