Caldwell Parish

Caldwell Parish sits at a median home price of $138,878, making it one of the most affordable entry points in Louisiana and, by the tool's ranking, fourth nationally out of 1,000 counties scored. The affordability index hits 100, the highest possible reading, and the appreciation score comes in at 90, backed by 6.19% year-over-year home price growth. What's missing from this picture is rental income data: cap rate, cash-on-cash return, monthly mortgage, and estimated cash flow are all listed at zero, meaning the cash flow score is also zero. That absence of rental rate data is itself a signal. This is not a market where you underwrite a yield and call it done. The investable thesis here is price appreciation in a deeply undervalued, low-cost market, not a carry trade where rent covers your mortgage from day one.

That profile points clearly toward a specific type of investor: the appreciation buyer or the patient accumulator who wants low-basis positions in a market that has begun to move. At $138,878, the entry price is low enough that even modest rent, once comparable data becomes available, could generate serviceable returns. The 6.19% annual price appreciation is meaningful on a $139k asset, representing roughly $8,600 in equity gain per year before any leverage effect. A buyer putting down the 20% modeled here ($27,776) is gaining equity at a rate that already competes with many cash-flowing markets on a total-return basis. The cash flow buyer who needs positive carry from month one will likely need to look elsewhere or underwrite very carefully with local rent comparables before committing, given the data gaps. The value-add operator buying below replacement cost and renovating to capture rent premium could also find a home here, precisely because the median price is this low.

The economic context for a parish of 9,658 people deserves candor. No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Caldwell Parish, so no specific demand drivers can be cited. What the population figure does tell you is that this is a thin, rural market. Thin markets can move quickly in both directions: a single employer closing or a single infrastructure investment can shift vacancy and rent substantially. That illiquidity cuts both ways.

On carrying costs, the tax and insurance picture is a tailwind. Louisiana's state-average effective property tax rate is estimated at 0.55%, which the Tax Foundation flags as low, and the combined monthly tax and insurance payment on a $138,878 purchase works out to approximately $140 per month ($764 annually in taxes, $917 in insurance). That is a materially lighter burden than most markets at this price point. At $140 per month, your fixed overhead on the carry is contained. The honest caveat, as noted in the underlying data, is that this is a state-average estimate and actual Caldwell Parish or township-level rates may differ, so pull the parish assessor's figures before you close. Still, even if the local rate varies somewhat, Louisiana's overall tax environment is unlikely to flip this into a high-cost carry situation.

The risks here are concentration and liquidity. A population under 10,000 means the buyer pool for resale is narrow, exit timelines can stretch, and rent demand is tied to a small local economy with limited diversification data available. Regulatory risk is not flagged by the data provided. The appreciation score of 90 is the strongest signal in the data set, but appreciation in a small rural parish requires a clear-eyed view of what is driving it and whether that driver is durable.

Compared to the neighboring parishes included in the data, Caldwell Parish's overall score of 81 leads the group by a meaningful margin: Assumption Parish scores 74, Calcasieu and Sabine each score 70, and Iberia and Livingston both score 69. Of those neighbors, Iberia Parish is worth a direct comparison. Iberia's median home price is $134,124, nearly identical to Caldwell's $138,878, but Iberia carries a rent-to-price ratio of 10.63% against a median rent of $1,188. That is a materially better yield signal than anything quantifiable in Caldwell right now. If cash flow is your primary underwriting criterion, Iberia's numbers are more legible today. Livingston Parish, at a $246,195 median price and a 7.78% rent-to-price ratio, offers a more liquid suburban market but requires nearly double the capital and scores ten points lower overall. Calcasieu's rent-to-price ratio of 6.59% on a $193,360 median is workable but not exceptional. Choose Caldwell over these neighbors if your thesis is capital-efficient appreciation in the lowest-basis market in Louisiana, you are comfortable with thin-market illiquidity, and you plan to hold long enough for that 6.19% annual price growth to compound. Choose a neighbor, specifically Iberia, if you need a quantifiable yield today and want comparable affordability with a cleaner cash-flow underwrite.