Best Places71009, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 71009, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
71009 ranks 23,729th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on walkability by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 71009
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.
71009's strengths and weaknesses
Where 71009 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 76% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 72% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$732 a month, better than 69% of zip codes
Where 71009 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 71009
A household needs to earn about $64,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 71009 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $63,750; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 71009's effective rate of 0.76%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 71009
71009'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 71009.
Who works in 71009, and how
Work in 71009 centers on construction and other services. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 71009
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 71009.
What the weather is like in 71009, month by month
71009 sees roughly 98 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 48° | 40° |
| April | 78° | 67° | 57° |
| July | 95° | 85° | 77° |
| October | 81° | 69° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 71009
The nearest airport, Shreveport Regional, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 173 miles away.
The best schools in and around 71009
Schools across 71009 average a D, better than 8% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Blanchard Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Donnie Bickham Middle SchoolD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Northwood High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 71009 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
71009 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 71009 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 71009
Is 71009 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 71009 ranks 23,729th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, few empty homes, and low disaster risk, 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 71009 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $244,700. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $63,750 median income, cost of living beats 29% of zip codes.
Is 71009 safe?
71009 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $472 per resident a year.
Compare 71009 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 71009. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 71009 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.
71009 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 71009: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 71009: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 71009: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 71009: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
71009 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.