Webster Parish

Webster Parish sits at a median home price of $112,367, making it one of the more affordable entry points in Louisiana. The affordability index scores a perfect 100, and the parish ranks 28th out of 64 Louisiana parishes overall. The cash flow score, however, comes in at 0, and the cap rate and cash-on-cash return fields are both zero in the dataset, which signals that the rental income picture here does not pencil clearly against current financing costs at 6.85%. The appreciation story is equally muted, with a year-over-year price change of -3.21% and an appreciation score of 34 out of 100. This is not a market you buy for price growth or for yield optimization at today's rates. It is a market you underwrite carefully, or you wait.

The investor this market suits most is a deep-value, long-hold buyer who is either paying cash or has access to below-market financing and can manufacture yield through value-add work. At $112,367, the cost basis is low enough that a buyer who can source distressed assets below median, renovate, and force equity has a real path to a workable return. The stability score of 50 is average, and the overall rank of 402 out of 1,000 nationally puts Webster Parish squarely in the middle of the pack. An appreciation buyer has no compelling case here given the negative price trend. A turnkey cash flow buyer at market price and conventional financing will find the numbers do not close. The investor with a value-add thesis and a low acquisition cost has the most defensible position.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Webster Parish, so this analysis cannot speak to the composition of the local job base or identify specific demand drivers for rental housing. What the demographic context does suggest is a county of roughly 36,761 people, small enough that any single employer contraction or population outflow creates outsized vacancy exposure. That scale deserves attention in any underwrite.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance burden is $113, or approximately $1,356 annually, based on a state-average effective property tax rate of 0.55% and an insurance rate of 0.66%. Louisiana's property tax rate at 0.55% is low by national standards, and the data flags it accordingly, meaning taxes represent a genuine tailwind on operating costs in this parish. Bear in mind this is a state-average estimate per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and actual rates at the county or township level may differ from what's modeled here. The insurance figure, at 0.66% annually or roughly $742 per year, is the line item to watch more closely. Louisiana carries elevated wind and flood exposure depending on location, and actual insurance costs in Webster Parish could diverge significantly from the state-average estimate used here, particularly if the property requires flood coverage.

The primary risks in a market this size are concentration and demographic. A population of 36,761 leaves little cushion if employment or population trends worsen. The -3.21% year-over-year home price decline is not catastrophic, but in a small market with no appreciating price trend, it signals that demand is not absorbing supply at current levels. Without vacancy data, the exact rental market tightness cannot be quantified here, but the cash flow score of 0 implies the rent-to-price relationship is not favorable enough to produce confident yield projections.

Comparing Webster Parish to the neighbors provided, the picture clarifies. Ouachita Parish at $172,866 median carries a rent-to-price ratio of 0.070, Terrebonne Parish at $173,690 median carries a ratio of 0.086, and East Baton Rouge at $227,649 median shows a ratio of 0.068. All three of those parishes provide more data for underwriting rental income and all carry higher median prices, but their rent-to-price ratios are visible and represent real yield signals. Terrebonne at 0.086 is the strongest gross yield figure in the comparison set. West Carroll Parish at $120,526 and Pointe Coupee Parish at $189,105 lack rent data in this dataset, limiting direct comparison. Webster Parish wins on purchase price, but an investor who can stomach a higher entry cost in Terrebonne or Ouachita gets more evidence that rents are actually there to support the investment. Choose Webster Parish if you are buying at a significant discount to median, have construction capability to force value, and can hold through a soft price environment. Choose Ouachita or Terrebonne if you want rent-to-price data that backs the yield story before you commit.