Cost of Living in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

Fort Polk South is a Census-designated place in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, with a population of 9,233. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Fort Polk South is $36,638 a year — greater than the annual cost of living for Louisiana of $35,133 yet less than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Fort Polk South and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Transportation Costs in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Fort Polk South, 88.50% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 85.00% of workers commute to jobs outside of Fort Polk South, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Fort Polk South is 9 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Fort Polk South spends $10,324 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far higher than they are on average nationwide in Fort Polk South and also above what they are across Louisiana as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $5,081 per year, compared to an average of $4,707 across Louisiana and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Fort Polk South, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $8,492, about $600 less than the comparable average of $9,099 across all of Louisiana. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Fort Polk South, a single adult spends an average of $2,954 on food annually, and a family of four spends $8,530 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Louisiana and the U.S., respectively, are $3,119 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $9,006 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Fort Polk South, Louisiana

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Fort Polk South, Louisiana pays $6,091 annually — closely in line with the statewide average of $5,772.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Fort Polk South residents live in a state with a low average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Louisiana total $2,437 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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