Best Places70549, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 70549, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
70549 ranks 30,173rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 70549
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
70549's strengths and weaknesses
Where 70549 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$710 a month, better than 72% of zip codes
Where 70549 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Short commute44.4 minutes each way, better than only 2% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 70549
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 70549 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,451, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 70549's effective rate of 0.38%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 70549
70549's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 70549.
Who works in 70549, and how
Work in 70549 centers on retail trade and mining & oil & gas. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 70549
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 70549.
What the weather is like in 70549, month by month
70549 sees roughly 100 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 52° | 44° |
| April | 78° | 68° | 60° |
| July | 91° | 82° | 76° |
| October | 83° | 71° | 62° |
Flying in and out of 70549
The nearest airport, Lake Charles Regional, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around 70549
Schools across 70549 average a C+, better than 49% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lake Arthur Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Welsh Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Jennings Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Welsh-roanoke Junior High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Lake Arthur High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Jennings High SchoolC · 30% proficient
- Welsh High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 70549 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
70549 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 70549 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 70549
Is 70549 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 70549 ranks 30,173rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, low property taxes, and cell coverage, and lowest on state infrastructure and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 70549 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $103,109. The overall cost of living runs about 27% below the national average. Set against a $57,451 median income, cost of living beats 43% of zip codes.
Is 70549 safe?
Yes, 70549 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $360 per resident a year.
Compare 70549 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 70549. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 70549 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
70549 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 70549: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 70549: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 70549: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 70549: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
70549 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.