Jefferson Parish

Jefferson Parish sits at a gross rent-to-price ratio of 6.9%, which translates to a modeled cap rate of 4.48% on a median-priced asset at $265,366. That cap rate is thin but not unusual for a market scoring 93 on appreciation and only 69 on cash flow. The 7.37% year-over-year home price growth is the number doing the work here. At a 6.85% mortgage rate with 20% down, the model produces a negative cash-on-cash return of -7.84% and a monthly cash flow deficit of roughly $399. That is not a rounding error; it is structural, driven by a $1,391 mortgage payment against $1,526 in median rent with $534 in estimated expenses layered on top. Investors who underwrite this market expecting to clip income from day one will be disappointed. The appreciation score of 93, ranked 114th nationally out of 1,000 counties and sitting in the 85th percentile, tells a different story.

This market suits an appreciation-oriented buyer who can carry a modest monthly deficit and whose thesis is equity accumulation over a three-to-seven-year hold. It does not suit a pure cash-flow buyer unless that buyer finds an off-market asset at a meaningful discount to the $265,366 median, buys with cash, or brings in higher rents through value-add renovation. A value-add operator targeting the upper end of Jefferson Parish's rent distribution has a plausible path to breakeven or slightly positive cash flow, but the baseline numbers require that operator to close the gap themselves. The affordability index of 67 and median household income of $63,257 put a ceiling on how far rents can stretch in the median band, so underwriting aggressive rent growth on a B or C asset carries real execution risk. The stability score of 50 is also worth respecting; it signals that this market is not a set-it-and-forget-it hold.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance burden is $268, which is embedded in the $534 estimated expense figure. Louisiana's state-average effective property tax rate is 0.55%, which the Tax Foundation classifies as low, and that is a genuine tailwind relative to markets in the 1.5-to-2% range. On a $265,366 asset that works out to roughly $122 per month in property tax. The insurance side is less friendly: the annual insurance estimate of $1,751 (0.66% of value, or about $146 per month) reflects Louisiana's exposure to gulf storms and the elevated premiums that come with it. Any investor buying in Jefferson Parish should verify current carrier availability and actual policy costs before closing, because state-average insurance figures in coastal Louisiana can diverge significantly from what a specific property will actually cost to insure.

The absence of economic anchor data in this dataset means employer-specific demand drivers cannot be quantified here, but Jefferson Parish borders Orleans Parish and is part of the greater New Orleans metro, which gives it geographic context relevant to rental demand. That adjacency matters for understanding why a 436,171-person parish with a median income of $63,257 can sustain a median rent of $1,526 despite affordability constraints. Parish-level data here reflects the suburban ring of a major metro, which tends to produce more stable occupancy than an isolated secondary market.

The primary risks are concentration and climate. Jefferson Parish is a coastal Louisiana market, and the insurance figures above only partially capture that exposure. Flood zone designations, wind mitigation requirements, and the possibility of further insurance market contraction are not reflected in a state-average rate. Investors should pull the FEMA flood map for any specific parcel, budget for potential NFIP or private flood premiums on top of the hazard insurance estimate, and stress-test the carry cost under a scenario where insurance renews 20-30% higher. The stability score of 50 is consistent with a market that has meaningful weather and economic cyclicality priced into it.

Against the five neighboring counties in the dataset, Jefferson Parish has the highest median home price at $265,366 and the highest appreciation score at 93. Livingston Parish is the closest comparable at $246,195 and an overall score of 69, with a rent-to-price ratio of 7.8% that beats Jefferson's 6.9%, making Livingston the better cash-flow option if the buyer is indifferent to metro adjacency. Iberia Parish at $134,124 and a 10.6% rent-to-price ratio is the clearest cash-flow market in this peer group, and an investor prioritizing yield over appreciation should look there first. Calcasieu and Caddo Parishes sit at the lower price points with lower rent ratios and matching overall scores of 70 and 67 respectively. Jefferson Parish makes the most sense over its neighbors when the investor's primary thesis is price appreciation in a population-dense metro-adjacent market and the carry deficit is within an acceptable tolerance for the specific portfolio.