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Compare towns

Elton vs Plain Dealing

178 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (3.5× in Plain Dealing) and average commute (14 min in Elton).

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Elton, LAHomes around $124KLouisiana · 862 people
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Plain Dealing, LAKnown for its schoolsLouisiana · 929 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

EltonHomes around $124K
Housing$124K typical home43% below the LA typical home SchoolsBetter than 82%of LA districts All about Elton →
Plain DealingKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 88%of LA districts Housing$131K typical home39% below the LA typical home All about Plain Dealing →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker3.5×
Plain Dealing is more of a job hub
Plain Dealing 0.52Elton 0.15
Average commute14 min
Elton has the shorter commute
Plain Dealing 33 minElton 19 min
Property tax bill+24%
Tax bills are bigger in Plain Dealing
Plain Dealing $247Elton $199
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Elton$670/mo
Typical home $124K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.23% · or rent about $499/mo · Housing →
Plain Dealing$710/mo
Typical home $131K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.18% · or rent about $487/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Louisiana ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
A−EltonBetter than 82% of districts in the state APlain DealingBetter than 88% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
EltonPlain Dealing
Snow a year0″1″
January low39°F—
July high90°F—
Growing season (days)267d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st53rd
Outdoors & history
EltonPlain Dealing
Settled1911—
National Register places2—
Archive photos29
Famous people born here19
Community
EltonPlain Dealing
Library hours a week41 hrs45 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

178 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

EltonLAPlain DealingLA
Elton ↔ Plain Dealing178 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

EltonPlain Dealing
People
Population 862Lowest 929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -12.1%Lowest LA: +2.7% -12%Highest LA: +2.7%
Median age 58.9±22.2Highest 55% above LA 56.5±6Lowest 49% above LA
Elton and Plain Dealing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20%±9.7Highest LA: 23.5% 13.9%±5.4Lowest LA: 23.5%
Elton and Plain Dealing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 36.2%±0.4 LA: 16.7% 36.2%±4.7 LA: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 9.8%Lowest LA: 27% 12.5%Highest LA: 27%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.4%±3.9Highest LA: 5.8% 0.3%±1.6Lowest LA: 5.8%
Elton and Plain Dealing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $37,575±$9kLowest 38% below LA $48,894±$13kHighest 20% below LA
Plain Dealing and Elton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $84,900±$16kLowest 61% below LA $140,300±$42kHighest 35% below LA
Plain Dealing and Elton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $499±$390Highest 53% below LA $487±$89Lowest 54% below LA
Elton and Plain Dealing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $199Lowest 83% below LA $247Highest 79% below LA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.8%±23.5Highest LA: 54.8% 19.4%±13.7Lowest LA: 54.8%
Elton and Plain Dealing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 27.3%Highest LA: 18.9% 20.6%Lowest LA: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.6%Highest LA: 67.4% 65.8%Lowest LA: 67.4%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 8 yrs older than LA 1972Lowest 11 yrs older than LA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 26% below LA 33 minHighest 28% above LA
Work from home 0%±4.2 LA: 8.1% 0%±6.3 LA: 8.1%
Work in townworking residents 0.8%Lowest 1.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miLowest 29.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.15Lowest 0.52Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Jennings (19%)Shreveport (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Plain DealingFew work in Elton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.3Highest 51.6Lowest
Schools
School district Jefferson Davis Parish—
High school in town Elton High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 14.2 —
Louisiana average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Elton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Elton’s Town Square.

Plain Dealing neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plain Dealing’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Jonesville1,288 people · $113K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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