Natchitoches, LA
Natchitoches County · Louisiana · United States
Home to 1,729 people across 0.5 square miles.
At a glance
71497 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 71497 is
| Coordinates | 31.749019, -93.097965 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| County | Natchitoches County |
| State | Louisiana (LA) |
| Land area | 0.5 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/Chicago
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Houston, TX | 192.5 mi |
|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 227.5 mi |
| San Antonio, TX | 358.8 mi |
| Atlanta, GA | 524.5 mi |
People
Who lives in 71497
1,729 residents in 193 households, averaging 8.96 people per household. The largest age group is 18-24 at 97.8% of residents, and 46.6% of households are a single person living alone.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 193 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 8.96 |
| Family households | 0.0% |
| Living alone | 46.6% |
| Median age | 19.6 years |
| Households with internet | 93.3% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 71497
The median household here earns $2,499 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 71497 ahead of 0% of American ZIP codes. 95.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $2,499 ±— |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $5,072 |
| Poverty rate | 95.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% |
| Labor force participation | 36.0% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 26.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 100.0% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 71497
Housing cost data is suppressed for this ZIP code.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | — |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | —/mo |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Housing units | 374 |
| Vacancy rate | 48.4% |
Own vs. rent
Of 193 occupied units
| Owner households | 7 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 186 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 71497 commutes
72.0% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 12.5 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 12.5 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 71497
ZIP code 71497 is assigned to Natchitoches, LA, and falls within Natchitoches County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 1,729 people live inside it.
At 3,458 residents per square mile spread over 0.5 square miles, 71497 reads as a densely built-up area. It is a sparsely populated postal code, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings are well below the national median. At $2,499, 71497 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 0% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Natchitoches looks like
The building stock is dominated by larger apartment buildings of twenty units or more, which account for 81.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1990, making the housing here from the later twentieth century. The vacancy rate of 48.4% is high, which in many places reflects seasonal or second-home use rather than abandonment.
The population skews notably young, with a median age of 19.6 against 42 nationally. Households are relatively large at 8.96 people on average, with 0.0% classified as family households.
Getting to work takes 12.5 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 72.0% of workers, while 18.5% walk. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Natchitoches, LA
Natchitoches is a built-up area, so you will generally find a mix of chain hotels near the main approach roads and a smaller number of independent properties closer to the centre. Staying in 71497 itself often costs less than an equivalent room in the nearest downtown while keeping you close to it.
For reference, Houston, TX is about 192.5 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 71497 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 71497 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 71497 offers a compact profile of Natchitoches: 1,729 residents, a median household income of $2,499, 26.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 6.4%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 71497 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Natchitoches may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 71497
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Louisiana ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
Other ZIP codes in Natchitoches
Natchitoches is served by 3 postal codes.
More in Natchitoches County
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Questions
Common questions about 71497
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 71497. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).