Carencro vs Youngsville

Which is the better fit for you?

Carencro, LA
57
Area Score
Bottom 42% nationally
Youngsville, LA
69
Area Score
Top 18% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Youngsville receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Carencro to Youngsville

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 87.6 against 87.6 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,019 in Youngsville against $1,019 in Carencro.
The median home
34% more
$287,700 in Youngsville against $214,800 in Carencro.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F colder
Normal January lows are 43°F in Youngsville against 44°F in Carencro; July highs are 90°F against 92°F (summers 2°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Carencro
Youngsville
Opportunity: Youngsville is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
66 · Top 31%
vs
80 · Top 8%
Growth: Youngsville is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
71 · Top 13%
vs
85 · Top 2%
Climate: Youngsville is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
77 · Top 23%
vs
83 · Top 10%
Physical resilience: Carencro is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
26 · Bottom 21%
vs
25 · Bottom 21%
Housing affordability: Carencro is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
66 · Bottom 49%
vs
60 · Bottom 36%
Schools: Youngsville is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
26 · Bottom 19%
vs
76 · Top 16%
Access
98 · Top 21%
vs
98 · Top 21%
Economic stability: Youngsville is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
43 · Bottom 25%
vs
60 · Top 47%

Measured values

MetricCarencroYoungsvilleSource period
Population11,61917,4272024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$63,401$105,876 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$30,868$43,879 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,479/sq mi1,389/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$214,800$287,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$944 ±$58$1,278 ±$7592024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,019$1,019FY2026
Cost of living index87.687.62023
Homeownership rate66.4%87.4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.7%3.7%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.0%+1.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher15.9%37.2% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate24.6%7.7% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)11744512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents10.125.5 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−36.8%+6.7%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F90°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low44°F43°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation62.8"66.8"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport8 mi8 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate29.3 min ±3.9 min26.9 min ±2.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age32.834.82024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools252024-25 school year
Students per teacher15.0 — more favorable19.32024-25 school year
Math proficiency61.2%83.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.5%85.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility72.9%42.6%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Carencro

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, inland flooding.

Youngsville

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, inland flooding.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Carencro
—
Carencro: Your Score
57
Area Score
Youngsville
—
Youngsville: Your Score
69
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Carencro, LA · Youngsville, LA · How this is calculated: methodology