Moving to Opelousas, Louisiana

About Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas

Opelousas (French: Les Opélousas; Spanish: Los Opeluzás) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a junction here. According to the 2020 census, Opelousas has a population of 15,786, a 6.53 percent decline since the 2010 census, which had recorded a population of 16,634. Opelousas is the principal city for the Opelousas-Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 80,808 in 2020. Opelousas is also the fourth largest city in the Lafayette-Acadiana Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 537,947.

Historically an area of settlement by French and Spanish Creoles, Creoles of color, and Acadians, Opelousas is the center of zydeco music. It celebrates its heritage at the Creoles of Color Heritage Folklife Center, one of the destinations on the new Louisiana African-American Heritage Trail. It is also the location of the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino.

The city calls itself "the spice capital of the world", with production and sale of seasonings such as Tony Chachere's products, Targil Seasonings, Savoie's cajun meats and products, and LouAna Cooking Oil.

During the tenure of Sheriff Cat Doucet, from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1952 to 1968, the section of Opelousas along Highway 190 was a haven of gambling and prostitution, the profits from which he skimmed a take.

Gender
Gender Opelousas Louisiana Country
Female 54% 51.2% 50.8%
Male 46% 48.8% 49.2%
Gender

Household Income


Income Opelousas Louisiana Country
Less than $10,000 21.2% 8.9% 5.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 8% 5.5% 4.1%
$15,000 to $24,999 14.9% 12.2% 8.5%
$25,000 to $34,999 7.3% 10.2% 8.6%
$35,000 to $49,999 16% 12.5% 12.0%
$50,000 to $74,999 11.2% 16.3% 17.2%
$75,000 to $99,999 11.3% 11.4% 12.8%
$100,000 to $149,999 5.3% 13% 15.6%
$150,000 to $199,999 3.3% 5.3% 7.1%
$200,000 or more 1.4% 4.7% 8.3%
Education


Education Opelousas Louisiana Country
< 9th Grade 10% 5% 5.0%
9-12th Grade 17% 9% 7.0%
High School or GED 35% 33% 27.0%
Other College 14% 21% 20.0%
Associate's Degree 7% 7% 9%
Bachelor's Degree 8% 16% 20.0%
Master's Degree 7% 6% 9.0%
Professional Degree 0% 2% 2.0%
Doctorate Degree 2% 1% 1.0%
Household Income
Education
Race / Ethnicity


Ethnicity Opelousas Louisiana Country
White 20.1% 58.3% 60.1%
African American 77.1% 31.9% 12.2%
American Indian 0.4% 0.5% 0.6%
Asian 0% 1.7% 5.6%
Hawaiian 0% 0% 0.2%
Other 0.5% 0.3% 0.3%
Multiracial 0.8% 2% 2.8%
Hispanic 1.1% 5.2% 18.2%
Race / Ethnicity