Best Places70589, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 70589, 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.
70589 ranks 31,392nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 70589
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.
70589's strengths and weaknesses
Where 70589 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$637 a month, better than 82% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 67% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 54% of zip codes
Where 70589 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute35.2 minutes each way, better than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 70589
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 70589 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,055, 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 70589's effective rate of 0.29%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 70589
70589's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 70589.
Who works in 70589, and how
Work in 70589 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 70589
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 70589.
What the weather is like in 70589, month by month
70589 sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 50° | 42° |
| April | 78° | 67° | 58° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 69° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 70589
The nearest airport, Lafayette Regional/Paul Fournet Field, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 117 miles away.
The best schools in and around 70589
Schools across 70589 average a C, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Palmetto Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Port Barre Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- James Stephens Montessori SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Port Barre Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Plaisance Middle SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Magnet Academy For Cultural ArtsB+ · 55% proficient
- Ville Platte High SchoolD · 21% proficient
- North Central High SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 70589 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
70589 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 70589 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 70589
Is 70589 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 70589 ranks 31,392nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, affordable childcare, and a stable housing market, and lowest on state infrastructure and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 70589 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $150,342. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $56,055 median income, cost of living beats 30% of zip codes.
Is 70589 safe?
70589 is safer than 10% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $765 per resident a year.
Compare 70589 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 70589. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 70589 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.
70589 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 70589: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 70589: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 70589: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 70589: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
70589 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.