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Quality of Life in Terrebonne County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
21% below national average
120%
The Real Cost of Living in Terrebonne County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $16k | $30k |
| Comfortable | $37k | $54k |
| Luxury | $116k+ | $180k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $137k+ | $212k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Terrebonne County, Louisiana, offers a spectrum of living environments that range from the urbanized bayou hub of Houma to isolated fishing villages and deep-rural communities along the bayous. The county’s character is defined by its Cajun and Creole heritage, the working waterways of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and a landscape shaped by the Atchafalaya Basin and the Gulf Coast. Different parts of the county attract distinct groups: Houma draws professionals tied to the offshore oil and gas industry and healthcare, while smaller communities like Chauvin and Montegut appeal to those seeking a quieter, water-centric lifestyle, and rural areas like Gibson and Schriever offer land and lower density for families and retirees.
Largest town(s) & population centers
Houma is the county seat and the only incorporated city, housing roughly 33,000 residents and serving as the commercial and cultural heart of Terrebonne. Daily life here is centered around the intersection of Main Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, with shopping at the Southland Mall, dining at local seafood spots like Boudreaux & Thibodeau’s, and employment at major employers such as Terrebonne General Medical Center and the Port of Terrebonne. The city has a mix of historic neighborhoods near the bayou and newer subdivisions in the Grand Caillou and East Houma areas. The average commute of 24.3 minutes is manageable, though traffic on Highway 24 and Bayou Gardens Boulevard can be congested during peak hours. Houma provides the widest range of amenities, including the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, multiple grocery chains, and the Regional Military Museum.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Beyond Houma, the county is a patchwork of unincorporated communities, each with a distinct identity. Chauvin, located about 15 miles southeast of Houma along Bayou Petit Caillou, is a tight-knit fishing community where many residents work in shrimping or oyster harvesting. Montegut, further south, is even more isolated, with homes lining the bayou and a strong reliance on the Montegut Fire Department and local churches for community life. Bourg and Gray, just south of Houma, offer a mix of suburban subdivisions and farmland, with Bourg known for its annual Bourg Carnival and Gray for the Gray Recreation District ball fields. Gibson, in the northern part of the county near the Atchafalaya Basin, is a rural area with large tracts of land, swamp tours, and the Gibson Fire Department serving a sparse population. Schriever, west of Houma, is a small crossroads community with a few churches and a post office, offering a quiet, land-based rural lifestyle.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost of living in Terrebonne County is well below the national average, with a COL index of 79 (100 = US average). The median home value of $189,100 and median rent of $1,010 reflect a market where housing is affordable compared to national benchmarks, but prices vary significantly by location. At the higher end, newer subdivisions in East Houma and Bayou Blue see home values approaching $250,000–$300,000, with larger lots and proximity to schools and shopping. In contrast, older homes in Chauvin or Montegut can be found for under $120,000, though many are elevated due to flood risk and may require flood insurance. Rentals are cheapest in rural areas like Gibson or Schriever, where a two-bedroom apartment might rent for $700–$850, but availability is limited. Amenities thin out quickly outside Houma: residents in Chauvin drive 20–30 minutes for a full grocery store, while those in Gibson may commute 30 minutes to Houma for medical care. The trade-off is space and quiet—rural properties often come with acreage, bayou frontage, and lower property taxes.
This county is best suited for people who value affordability, water access, and a strong sense of community over urban convenience. Families and retirees who prioritize a slower pace and lower housing costs will find the rural pockets appealing, while professionals and those needing frequent access to healthcare and retail will gravitate toward Houma. The average commute of 24.3 minutes is a realistic trade-off for those living in the outer communities, and the county’s deep cultural roots in Cajun and Creole traditions make it a distinctive place to live for those who embrace the bayou lifestyle.
Crime in Terrebonne County
Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, reports a violent crime rate of 362.3 incidents per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,448.6 per 100,000, placing it above national averages but below the most dangerous parishes in the state. The parish’s overall safety picture is heavily influenced by the city of Houma, which accounts for the majority of reported incidents, while smaller communities like Schriever, Gray, and Bourg experience significantly lower crime volumes. Residents and prospective movers should weigh these parish-wide figures against the specific neighborhood and town-level data that reveal a more nuanced safety landscape.
Crime in context
Terrebonne’s violent crime rate of 362.3 per 100,000 is roughly 25% higher than the national average of 290 per 100,000, but it remains well below the Louisiana state average of approximately 540 per 100,000. Property crime in the parish, at 1,448.6 per 100,000, also exceeds the national benchmark of 1,195 per 100,000 but is lower than the state average of roughly 1,900 per 100,000. Houma, the parish seat and largest city, drives these numbers upward; its concentrated population and commercial corridors produce higher incident counts than the outlying communities. By contrast, the unincorporated areas around Chauvin and Montegut report property crime rates that are a fraction of Houma’s, reflecting the rural character and lower population density of those bayou communities. The 32nd Judicial District Court, which covers Terrebonne, has historically taken a moderate-to-conservative approach to sentencing, though recent shifts in prosecutorial priorities in neighboring parishes have raised concerns about regional consistency in criminal justice outcomes.
What residents experience
Daily life in Terrebonne Parish varies sharply by location. In Houma, residents frequently cite property crime—particularly vehicle burglaries and theft from unlocked sheds or porches—as a routine annoyance, with the East Houma and Mechanicville neighborhoods seeing the highest concentration of such incidents. Violent crime in Houma is largely concentrated in specific areas, including the Senator Circle and Grand Caillou Road corridors, where drug-related disputes and domestic violence account for a disproportionate share of aggravated assaults. Outside Houma, residents in Dulac and Gibson report a markedly different experience, with petty theft and occasional trespassing being the primary concerns. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office maintains a visible presence in these outlying areas, and community watch programs are active in subdivisions around Bayou Cane. However, the parish’s geography—crisscrossed by bayous and canals—creates natural choke points that can slow emergency response times in remote areas, a factor residents should consider when evaluating personal safety.
Neighborhood-level variation is pronounced. The safest areas tend to be the newer subdivisions west of Houma, such as those near La. Highway 311, where home values are higher and property crime rates are roughly half the parish average. Conversely, the older, denser neighborhoods in central and eastern Houma, particularly around Main Street and the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, see elevated rates of both violent and property crime. Prospective residents should examine block-level crime maps from the Houma Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office, as a single street can separate a low-crime pocket from a high-incident corridor. The presence of progressive-leaning district attorneys in nearby Orleans and Jefferson parishes has been linked to softer plea deals and reduced incarceration rates, a trend that some analysts argue contributes to recidivism and the displacement of offenders into adjacent jurisdictions like Terrebonne. For those prioritizing safety, choosing a home in the western or southern reaches of the parish—away from Houma’s core—offers the most favorable risk profile.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-07-24T07:26:18.000Z
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