Bayou Vista, Louisiana

Community in St. Mary Parish · population 4,213 (2020 Census)

Median home: $144,700
Household income: $40,500
Jan low / Jul high: 45° / 91°
Snow a year: 0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 11
Median age: 46.6

Bayou Vista is a community of 4,213 people in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. The median home is worth $144,700, below the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). It ranks more vibrant than 85% of Louisiana towns.

Bayou Vista in our rankings:

How Bayou Vista ranks

Percentile among Louisiana towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Louisiana towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Bayou Vista is worth $144,700, below the typical Louisiana town ($166,450). Homes cost about 3.6 times the median household income of $40,500, which is more affordable than 28% of Louisiana towns. Median rent is $864 a month. 74.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Louisiana towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Bayou Vista	Typical Louisiana town
Median home value	$144,700	$166,450
Median rent	$864	$887
Median household income	$40,500	$52,134
Home value ÷ income	3.6×	3.0×
Homeownership	74.9%	70.4%
Median year built	1970	1979
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Bayou Vista

People	Bayou Vista	Typical Louisiana town
Median age	46.6	38.4
Age 65 and over	20.8%	17.0%
Under 18	22.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.9%	15.8%
Below the poverty line	24.6%	20.4%
Veterans	5.3%	—
Born outside the U.S.	5.2%	—
Work from home	9.1%	4.7%
Average commute	15.5 min	25.8 min
Homes with broadband	84.2%	84.6%

Weather in Bayou Vista

July highs average 90.5°F and January lows 45.4°F. About 58.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.0 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 53 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 7 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Morgan City station (5.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

11 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bayou Vista since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on March 17, 1970 about 2.1 miles from the town center. The most recent was on April 14, 2018.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 9 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on December 30, 2006.

Severe weather in St. Mary Parish since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, St. Mary Parish, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996).

St. Mary Parish has been included in 49 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, other, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3638: Severe Winter Storm
September 16, 2024	Hurricane	DR-4817: Hurricane Francine
September 10, 2024	Hurricane	EM-3614: Tropical Storm Francine
September 27, 2023	Other	EM-3600: Seawater Intrusion
September 13, 2021	Coastal Storm	EM-3574: Tropical Storm Nicholas

Jobs and pay in St. Mary Parish

St. Mary Parish had 19,838 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $61,932 a year. Unemployment was 4.2% in 2023; in Bayou Vista itself the ACS puts it at 2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Bayou Vista

Berwick, LA
2.0 mi · 4,771 people · home $212,400
Patterson, LA
2.6 mi · 5,931 people · home $160,400
Morgan City, LA
4.7 mi · 11,472 people · home $155,200
Franklin, LA
15.9 mi · 6,728 people · home $104,400
Pierre Part, LA
18.7 mi · 3,024 people · home $176,000
Schriever, LA
26.0 mi · 6,711 people · home $179,300
Thibodaux, LA
28.1 mi · 15,948 people · home $232,500
Jeanerette, LA
29.0 mi · 4,813 people · home $98,200

Bayou Vista questions

Is Bayou Vista, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bayou Vista scores better for retirees than 2% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 26%. 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.6).

How much does a house cost in Bayou Vista?

The median owner-occupied home in Bayou Vista is valued at $144,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $40,500, so homes cost about 3.6 times income. Median rent is $864 a month.

What is the weather like in Bayou Vista?

July highs average 90.5°F and January lows 45.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 58.5 inches of precipitation a year and 0.0 inches of snow.

Does Bayou Vista get tornadoes?

11 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bayou Vista since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on March 17, 1970. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bayou Vista's Census boundary (GEOID 2205525). Comparisons use the median of Louisiana towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.