Living in Grand Isle, Louisiana: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.4% below the U.S. average in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Grand Isle to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Grand Isle itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town1 public school: 1 K-12 and 1 other.
A hospital close byLady of the Sea General Hospital in Cut Off, about 24 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 58 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Grand Isle meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 67% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $269,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 1.7%Jefferson Parish, 2022 to 2025
Typical property tax bill: $2,025 a yearLouisiana: $1,180
Homes built before 1940: 7%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 11%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 67%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.6U.S. average = 100 (the New Orleans-Metairie metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 1.7% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the New Orleans-Metairie metro area, not Grand Isle alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,0122020: 1,006
Median age: 58.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18: 0%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 0%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Work from home: 4%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Lady of the Sea General Hospital, Cut Off, LA, about 24 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: West Jefferson Medical Center, Marrero, LA, about 47 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Grand Isle, run by Jefferson Parish.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Louisiana's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 45°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 49 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 9 a year
Rain and melted snow: 62.4 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 2 feet

Weather stations: Galliano (24 miles away) and Grand Isle (3 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Lady of the Sea General HospitalEmergency room24

Kenner, LACity of 65,00057

New Orleans, LAMetro of 1 million58

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Lady of the Sea General Hospital, Kenner, New Orleans.

Jefferson Parish is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Humble Oil Camp Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve34 miles
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park52 miles

Read about Grand Isle's history on Wikipedia.

Know Grand Isle?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Golden Meadow, LA1,600 people, 19 miles
Galliano, LA5,900 people, 23 miles
Cut Off, LA5,400 people, 28 miles
Larose, LA5,500 people, 32 miles
Jean Lafitte, LA1,900 people, 38 miles
Chauvin, LA2,500 people, 38 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.