RANK #51 / 1001 NAT · #1 / 21 LA · POP 68,599
1YR FORECAST: -0.0%
5YR OUTLOOK: +38%
Iberia Parish, Louisiana, is known as the birthplace of Tabasco sauce, with the famous factory located on Avery Island. The parish seat, New Iberia, sits on the Bayou Teche, approximately 21 miles southeast of Lafayette. This area, part of the Acadiana region, offers a community feel with a blend of historic architecture and natural scenery. Outdoor recreation opportunities are abundant, with access to the Atchafalaya Basin and the Gulf of Mexico, providing options for fishing, boating, birdwatching, and hiking in places like Lake Fausse Pointe State Park and Cypremort Point State Park.
Life in Iberia Parish often involves a commute, with the average travel time to work being around 25 minutes. The public school system serves the entire parish and is considered above average. The local economy is supported by a workforce engaged in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and agriculture, particularly sugar cane cultivation. Recent economic developments include investments in infrastructure and expansions in manufacturing, contributing to job creation.
Iberia Parish's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices -0.5% YoY, population -0.9%, wages +4.1%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Prices declining
Moderate climate & terrain
Housing looks overvalued at 7.7x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
First Solar Manufacturing Facility
First Solar, Inc.
|
$1,100M | Operating |
|
Morbihan Battery Energy Storage System
Undisclosed (subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC)
|
$120M | Planned |
|
Hangar Drive Reconstruction and Extension
Iberia Parish Government
|
$50M | Under Construction |
|
Iberia BioInnovation Accelerator & NIRC Expansion
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
|
$47M | Planned |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
Iberia Parish ranks #51 out of 1001 U.S. counties on the Boom Town Index with a score of 95/100, putting it in the top tier nationally. Job growth of +1.6% and a median household income of $56,961 point to a county with active economic momentum.
Housing in Iberia Parish is roughly in line with national affordability norms. The median home costs $164,500 and the income-to-home-value ratio sits at 0.35, with rents averaging $897/month. Not a bargain, but not a stretch for most local earners either.
It's a mixed picture in Iberia Parish. The population is declining (-0.9% YoY), but employers are actually hiring — job growth is at +1.6%. Home values moved -0.5% in the last year. That tension between shrinking population and expanding employment often signals a county in transition.
Not particularly — 1.83% of Iberia Parish's population moved in from another state, which is below the national average. Most residents are long-term locals rather than recent transplants.