Living in Kaplan, Louisiana: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 12.8% below the U.S. average in the Lafayette metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Kaplan to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Kaplan 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 town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byAbrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 141 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 Kaplan 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

Kaplan has lost about 5% of its people since 2020, and about 1 in 6 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: $156,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 13%Vermilion Parish, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $826 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 58%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 7%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 87.2U.S. average = 100 (the Lafayette 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 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Lafayette metro area, not Kaplan 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: 4,1162020: 4,333
Median age: 39.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 26%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 9%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%U.S.: 6%
College students: 12%share of all residents

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: Schools, health care and social services (23%); retail (16%)
Average commute: 21 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 2%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital, Kaplan, LA, in town. 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: Abbeville General Hospital, Abbeville, LA, about 11 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

3 public schools in Kaplan, run by Vermilion 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.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 66%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 80%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

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

Weather

January average low: 41°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 73 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 10 a year
Rain and melted snow: 65.3 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 11 feet

Weather stations: Leland Bowman Lock (16 miles away) and Abbeville (10 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

Lake Charles, LACity of 83,00057

New Orleans, LAMetro of 1 million141

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: Lake Charles, New Orleans.

Vermilion Parish is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Kaplan's history on Wikipedia.

Know Kaplan?

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

Abbeville, LA10,900 people, 10 miles
Maurice, LA3,200 people, 12 miles
Gueydan, LA1,100 people, 13 miles
Milton, LA2,800 people, 15 miles
Erath, LA1,900 people, 15 miles
Crowley, LA11,200 people, 16 miles

Smaller places

Perry, LA (unincorporated)1,424 people, 9 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.