Population 1,582 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Oil City
Household size in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.28 | 2.66 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.38 | 2.64 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.40 | 2.64 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.29 | 2.59 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.01 | −0.07 | −0.03 |
Oil City is a place of small households, averaging 2.29 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 45.7 | 36.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 46.0 | 37.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 43.0 | 38.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.0 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | −7.8 | +2.2 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Oil City is 38.0 years old, a few years younger than the national median of 40.1. That is in line with the rest of Louisiana. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 45.7, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.8% | 14.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.6% | 15.1% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 13.0% | 14.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 16.5% | 15.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | +5.7 pts | +0.5 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in six households in Oil City (16.5%), well above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Oil City
Renters in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.9% | 31.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.9% | 33.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.3% | 34.4% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 51.6% | 32.6% | 34.8% |
| Change | +27.7 pts | +0.9 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Oil City rent: 51.6% of occupied homes are rented, far above the national share of 34.8%. Expect more apartments, and more turnover, than in owner-heavy areas. Among owners, 47.9% have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.0% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.8% | 13.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 22.2% | 15.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.0% | 14.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.0 pts | +0.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Oil City: 18.0% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1977 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1979 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1981 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1978 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +7 | +6 |
The typical home in Oil City was built around 1978, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in Louisiana overall, where the median home dates to 1984.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $494 | $755 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $503 | $831 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $463 | $920 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $546 | $1,122 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$52 | +$366 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Oil City costs $546 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 28.8% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Oil City
Bachelor's degrees in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.4% | 22.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.2% | 22.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 12.8% | 24.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.0% | 27.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | −3.3 pts | +5.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Oil City have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 10.0%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 79.2% | 81.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 80.4% | 83.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 86.4% | 85.4% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.1% | 87.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +6.9 pts | +5.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in Oil City never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.1% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. That is in line with the rest of Louisiana.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Oil City
| Period | Oil City | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.9% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.1% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.2% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.8% | 6.5% | 5.4% |
| Change | −5.2 pts | −1.4 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in Oil City: 7.8% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Oil City compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil City | 2.29 | 38.0 | 16.5% | 51.6% | 18.0% | 1978 | $546 | 10.0% | 86.1% | 7.8% |
| Ferry Lake | 2.16 | 41.9 | 12.1% | 39.1% | 20.9% | 1973 | $692 | 14.7% | 87.5% | 7.6% |
| Gray | 1.70 | 55.3 | 1.1% | 5.9% | 33.0% | 1976 | $913 | 17.1% | 92.6% | 9.0% |
| Belcher | 2.60 | 48.5 | 4.5% | 8.8% | 17.9% | 2000 | $1,178 | 49.2% | 93.0% | 2.7% |
| Vivian | 2.41 | 39.7 | 24.6% | 24.7% | 18.8% | 1971 | $751 | 11.6% | 88.2% | 12.6% |
| Uncertain | 1.97 | 62.2 | 2.9% | 8.0% | 49.2% | 1973 | $806 | 20.8% | 92.0% | 3.0% |
| Cavett | 2.60 | 48.7 | 4.1% | 8.9% | 18.2% | 2001 | $1,203 | 50.6% | 93.2% | 2.4% |
| Mooringsport | 2.61 | 43.0 | 13.3% | 21.6% | 15.9% | 1990 | $1,049 | 15.2% | 88.6% | 6.3% |
| Gethsemane | 1.80 | 52.0 | 0.9% | 5.6% | 30.2% | 1977 | $883 | 14.4% | 91.6% | 7.7% |
| Dixie | 2.89 | 38.0 | 6.0% | 4.7% | 32.0% | 2003 | $721 | 35.4% | 88.2% | 5.2% |
| Blanchard | 2.58 | 39.5 | 11.2% | 20.3% | 7.3% | 1991 | $1,356 | 17.3% | 92.1% | 7.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Talbotton, GA · Clarkton, MO · Coalfield, TN · Coburg, OR · Cub Run, KY · Darlington, LA · Darwin, MN · Edgar Springs, MO · Elwood, NE · Fords Prairie, WA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Oil City. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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