The public schools Jennings’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 82% of Louisiana’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

A−School Grade

School	Grades	Students	Grade
Jennings Elementary School	PK–6	976	C+
Our Lady Immaculate School Private	PK–8	207
Jennings High School	7–12	775	B−

NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduationAll 3 schools →

Safety

Less crime per resident than 3% of U.S. towns

Jennings reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. Within Louisiana, it does better than 23% of towns.

D−Safety Grade

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Jennings9.5

Louisiana4.7

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Jennings28.6

Louisiana18.6

U.S.15.5

3rd

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

23rd

percentile among LA towns

violent crimes reported in 2025

262

property crimes reported in 2025

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →

Health

Healthier than 3% of U.S. towns

Jennings beats the Louisiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.

D−Health Grade

32 measures vs. Louisiana

0 better23 too close to call9 worse

What stands out	Jennings	LA
More adults with COPD	11.1%	8.5%
More adults with heart disease	9.3%	7.5%
More adults who have had a stroke	5.3%	4.3%

Ochsner American Legion Hospital

1.2 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

31st

percentile among LA towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →

Housing

A typical Jennings home is worth about $144K

The typical Jennings home is worth about $144,000, up 2.9% in a year, 34% below the Louisiana typical home.

$144KZillow home value

Typical home value

Jennings$144K

Louisiana$217K

+2.9%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Outdoors

1.4% of Jennings is conserved land

5.7 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves.

#23for trails in LA

Map of Jennings: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk — Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below

1.4%

conserved · 93 of 6,749 acres

5.7 mi

of trails · 0.5 per sq mi

#54

most conserved land in LA

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Oil and Gas Park	—	33
2. Peters Street Playground	—	10
3. North Cutting Park	—	1

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →

Natural hazards

Very high risk, with hurricanes at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities.

86risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes

paid flood claims since 1980

federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →

Climate

Mild winters, hot summers

Jennings has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 42°, and snow is almost unheard of.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter44–64°

Spring59–79°

Summer73–91°

Fall59–80°

Dec 4

typical first frost

Feb 19

typical last frost

+0.2°

vs. the 20th-century average

92°

typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →

Work & commute

About one in three working residents works right in Jennings

About one in 3 of Jennings’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Lake Charles (11%), Lafayette (8%) and Crowley (3%). Half commute less than 33 miles.

29%work in town

Where working residents work

In Jennings29%

Lake Charles11%

Lafayette8%

Crowley3%

Baton Rouge2%

33 mi

median commute distance

4,505

jobs based in Jennings

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →

Landmarks

13 places in Jennings on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Jennings Carnegie Public LibraryBuilt 1908

Jennings Post Office

Twitchell House

T. C. Mahaffey House

Famous people from Jennings

21 notable people were born in Jennings.

See all 21 →

Travis EtienneAmerican football player · born 1999

Justin KellyAmerican film director · born 1978

Dick WinslowAmerican actor · 1915–1991

Al WoodsAmerican football player · born 1987

Carlton E. MorseAmerican producer and journalist · 1901–1993

Chancy CroftAmerican lawyer and politician · 1937–2022

About Jennings

City in Louisiana, United States

Official town website ↗

Jennings is a city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. As of the 2020 census, Jennings had a population of 9,837. Jennings is the principal city of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Jefferson Davis Parish. It is also part of the larger Lake Charles-Jennings Combined Statistical Area. It is also part of the large, 22-parish Acadiana region of the state, with a large Francophone population, many descended from early Acadian settlers.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1888
Population: 9,837
Area: 10 sq mi
Elevation: 26 ft
ZIP code: 70546
Area code: 337

More about Jennings

The handbookEverything you need to know about Jennings

Jefferson Davis Parish Library118 West Plaquemine Street

PlacesBusinesses & favorite spots

Town HallMeetings, officials & offices

Still missing for Jennings:upcoming events

JenningsLA

What makes Jennings stand out

138 years in pictures

92 years ago in Jennings

Jennings’s report card

Now in Jennings

Weather

Local news

Upcoming events

The data

Jennings’s public schools outperform 82% of Louisiana districts