Living in Jonesville, Louisiana: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 17.5% below the U.S. average in the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Jonesville to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Jonesville 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 town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byRiverland Medical Center in Ferriday, about 16 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 156 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 Jonesville 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

Worth a closer look

Jonesville has lost about 11% of its people since 2020, and about 1 in 4 homes stands empty (not counting vacation homes or homes for sale or rent). A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

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: $112,800U.S.: $332,700
Homes owned by the people living in them: 71%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 82.5U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas, not Jonesville 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: 1,5312020: 1,716
Median age: 50.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 25%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 23%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%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

Biggest lines of work: Retail (18%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (15%)
Work from home: 0%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Riverland Medical Center, Ferriday, LA, about 16 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: Merit Health Natchez, Natchez, MS, about 27 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 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

2 public schools in Jonesville, run by Catahoula 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: 37°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 87 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 27 a year
Rain and melted snow: 59.5 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 55 feet

Weather station: Jonesville Locks (10 miles away). 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

Riverland Medical CenterEmergency room16

St. George, LACity of 79,00099

New Orleans, LAMetro of 1 million156

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: Riverland Medical Center, St. George, New Orleans.

Catahoula Parish is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Natchez National Historical Park25 miles
Natchez Trace Parkway28 miles
Vicksburg National Military Park52 miles

Read about Jonesville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Jonesville?

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

Ferriday, LA3,000 people, 16 miles
Jena, LA4,200 people, 18 miles
Vidalia, LA3,900 people, 24 miles
Natchez, MS14,900 people, 27 miles
Olla, LA1,300 people, 31 miles
Urania, LA1,200 people, 32 miles

Smaller places

Wallace Ridge, LA (unincorporated)628 people, 4 miles
Harrisonburg, LA261 people, 10 miles
Monterey, LA (unincorporated)326 people, 14 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.