Chalmette vs New Iberia

Which is the better fit for you?

Chalmette, LA
53
Area Score
Bottom 29% nationally
New Iberia, LA
55
Area Score
Bottom 37% nationally

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

New Iberia 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 Chalmette to New Iberia

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for New Iberia, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$426 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $905 in New Iberia against $1,331 in Chalmette.
The median home
26% less
$158,300 in New Iberia against $214,700 in Chalmette.
The weather you would swap
Winters 4°F colder
Normal January lows are 43°F in New Iberia against 47°F in Chalmette; July highs are 92°F against 91°F (summers 1°F hotter).

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

Chalmette
New Iberia
Opportunity: New Iberia is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
41 · Bottom 19%
vs
43 · Bottom 22%
Growth
40 · Bottom 29%
vs
40 · Bottom 30%
Climate: New Iberia is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
78 · Top 20%
vs
81 · Top 16%
Physical resilience: Chalmette is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
32 · Bottom 25%
vs
31 · Bottom 25%
Housing affordability: New Iberia is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
67 · Top 49%
vs
71 · Top 38%
Schools: New Iberia is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
64 · Top 31%
vs
76 · Top 17%
Access: New Iberia is the more favorable of the two.
Access
90 · Bottom 39%
vs
98 · Top 21%
Economic stability: Chalmette is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
32 · Bottom 12%
vs
19 · Bottom 2%

Measured values

MetricChalmetteNew IberiaSource period
Population22,61627,5712024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$54,904 ±$7,517$47,087 ±$6,4802024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$29,914 ±$2,905$31,076 ±$4,4802024 ACS 5-Year
Population density3,152/sq mi2,475/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$214,700$158,3002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,110$894 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,331$905 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate61.2%51.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.7% — more favorable5.0%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.2%+0.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate13.6% ±3%17.3% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate24.6% ±4%25.8% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)991812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.2 — more favorable0.712 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−14.7%0.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high91°F92°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low47°F43°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation60.1"59.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport18 mi4 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute31.4 min21.4 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age35.237.02024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools6162024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.1 — more favorable14.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency72.4%75.7% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency70.9%77.5% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility62.3%76.6%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.

4 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

Chalmette

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, coastal flooding.

New Iberia

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.

Chalmette
—
Chalmette: Your Score
53
Area Score
New Iberia
—
New Iberia: Your Score
55
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Chalmette, LA · New Iberia, LA · How this is calculated: methodology