Winn Parish

Winn Parish sits at a median home price of $111,799, which puts it among the most affordable entry points in Louisiana and nationally. The affordability index scores a perfect 100, and the parish ranks 575th out of 1,000 counties nationally, landing at the 27th percentile overall. That overall score of 51 is mediocre by design: the cash-flow score registers zero and the appreciation score is 15, which tells you clearly where this market does not compete. Home prices have declined 5.1% year-over-year, so there is no price momentum to speak of. The cap rate and cash-on-cash return fields returned zero in the underlying model, which reflects either insufficient rental comparables or a market where the numbers simply do not close at conventional financing terms with a 6.85% rate. Investors should treat those zeroes as a signal to underwrite conservatively from scratch rather than rely on modeled returns.

The investor profile this market suits is narrow. A cash-flow buyer working at conventional leverage will struggle: with a $111,799 purchase, a $22,360 down payment, and a 6.85% rate, the debt service alone consumes a meaningful share of any realistic rent, and the model produced no positive cash-flow estimate. An appreciation buyer has even less reason to be here given the 5.1% price decline and a 15 out of 100 appreciation score. Where Winn Parish might make sense is for an all-cash or deep-discount value-add operator who can acquire significantly below the $111,799 median, force equity through renovation, and hold with zero leverage drag. The affordability score of 100 does suggest that prices are low relative to local income, which can support stable occupancy if the operator is not dependent on rent appreciation to make the return work.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Winn Parish, so the analysis cannot speak to job base composition or institutional demand drivers. What the population figure of 13,665 does communicate is that this is a small, rural parish with a thin tenant pool. A single large employer entering or exiting this market would move vacancy materially, and an investor cannot diversify that risk across a broad demand base the way they could in a larger metro.

On carry costs, the tax and insurance picture is a genuine tailwind. Louisiana's state-average effective property tax rate is 0.55%, flagged as low, and at that rate the annual tax bill on a $111,799 home is approximately $615. Combined with an estimated $738 in annual insurance, the monthly tax-and-insurance carry comes to $113. That is meaningfully below what investors pay in higher-tax states, and it provides some cushion on the expense side of any underwrite. Keep in mind this is a state-average estimate per the Tax Foundation's 2024 data, and actual Winn Parish rates may differ, so verify at the parish level before closing. Insurance costs in Louisiana are elevated nationally due to hurricane exposure, and while the $738 annual figure is already baked into that $113 monthly estimate, investors should confirm current carrier availability and pricing in this specific parish, as the coastal insurance market has been repricing inland risks as well.

The primary risks here are concentration and demographic. A population of 13,665 in a rural Louisiana parish means limited economic diversification, shallow rental demand, and limited exit liquidity. Price declines of 5.1% year-over-year confirm that more sellers than buyers are active, which compresses both your entry and exit pricing. Regulatory risk specific to this parish is not quantified in the data, but Louisiana landlord-tenant law is generally considered landlord-friendly relative to coastal states, so that is not a primary concern. The real risk is vacancy duration: in a thin market, a vacant unit can stay vacant for months, and there is no data here to suggest otherwise.

Compared to its neighbors, Winn Parish is essentially tied on overall score with Saint Helena Parish (51) and sits below Jackson Parish (54), East Feliciana Parish (54), and Avoyelles Parish (54), while outscoring only Evangeline Parish (46). On price, Winn Parish at $111,799 is nearly identical to Jackson Parish at $111,674, which scores three points higher overall, making Jackson the more compelling choice if the entry price is the same and the fundamentals score better. East Feliciana Parish at $210,695 is a different market entirely, pricing out the deep-value buyer. Avoyelles Parish at $125,762 and a 54 overall score offers modestly better fundamentals for a modest price premium. The only reason to choose Winn Parish over these neighbors is if you locate a specific asset at a sufficiently steep discount to the $111,799 median that the per-unit economics work on an all-cash or low-leverage basis, something you cannot replicate in the higher-priced parishes at comparable discount depths.