Best Places71301, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 71301, 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.
71301 ranks 31,658th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 71301
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.
71301's strengths and weaknesses
Where 71301 ranks high
- Short commute17.9 minutes each way, better than 92% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 81% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 71301 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Household income$45,815 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 71301
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 71301 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $45,815, 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 71301's effective rate of 0.51%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 71301
71301 runs older than the country, 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 71301.
Who works in 71301, and how
Work in 71301 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 71301
71301 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 84% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 71301 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 71301, month by month
71301 sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 49° | 40° |
| April | 79° | 67° | 57° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 83° | 69° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 71301
The nearest airport, Alexandria International, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 159 miles away.
The best schools in and around 71301
Schools across 71301 average a D+, better than 15% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Phoenix Magnet Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Peabody Montessori Elementary SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- J.b. Nachman Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Scott M. Brame Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Alexandria Middle Magnet SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Pineville Elementary SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Alexandria Senior High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Pineville High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Bolton High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 71301 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
71301 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 71301 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 71301 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 6% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 71301
Is 71301 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 71301 ranks 31,658th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, walkability, and low property taxes, 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 71301 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $177,517. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $45,815 median income, cost of living beats 10% of zip codes.
Is 71301 safe?
71301 is safer than 9% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $892 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 71301?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 40. That works out to about 82 pleasant days a year, more than 47% of zip codes.
Is 71301 good for families?
Schools beat 15% of zip codes, crime safety beats 9%, and childcare runs $731 a month.
Compare 71301 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 71301. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 71301 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.
71301 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 71301: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 71301: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 71301: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 71301: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
71301 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.