If you ask a local how many cities are in Louisiana, you’ll probably get a shrug followed by a list of the usual suspects: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, maybe Shreveport if they’re from up north. But here’s the thing—Louisiana is weird. We don't have "counties," we have parishes. We don't just have cities; we have a very specific, legally-defined hierarchy of "municipalities" that would make a bureaucrat weep with joy.
Honestly, the answer to how many cities are in louisiana depends entirely on whether you’re using the word "city" as a vibe or as a legal status. If you’re talking about every incorporated spot with a mayor and a post office, the number is around 305. But if you are talking about actual, legal cities?
The number is much smaller. Only about 66 to 69 of them actually hold the official title of "City" under state law.
The Legal "Triple Threat" of Louisiana Municipalities
In most states, people use town and city interchangeably. Not here. In the Bayou State, the Louisiana Revised Statutes (specifically Title 33, Section 341) break things down into three very distinct buckets based on how many people are living there.
It’s basically a weight class for local government.
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- Cities: You need at least 5,000 residents to sit at this table.
- Towns: This is the middle ground, requiring between 1,001 and 4,999 people.
- Villages: If you have 1,000 people or fewer, you're officially a village.
Now, it’s not like a town automatically becomes a city the second the 5,000th baby is born. The governor actually has to get involved. When the census comes out, if a place has grown or shrunk enough to change categories, the board of aldermen has to pass a resolution, send it to the governor, and then the governor issues a proclamation. It’s a whole thing.
Why the Number of Cities in Louisiana Keeps Shifting
You’d think the number would stay static, but Louisiana’s map is surprisingly fluid. As of early 2026, the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA) tracks roughly 305 or 306 incorporated municipalities.
Among those, we currently have 66 official cities.
Wait, why do some sources say 69? That’s where it gets murky. You have "consolidated governments" like Baton Rouge and New Orleans where the city and the parish (county) are essentially the same entity. Then you have places like Houma—technically a city, but it operates under a consolidated government with Terrebonne Parish and doesn't have its own separate "city" council in the traditional sense.
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Then there is the "St. George" situation. For years, a wealthy chunk of East Baton Rouge Parish fought to incorporate as the City of St. George. After a massive legal battle that went all the way to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2024, they finally got the green light. Boom—one more city added to the tally, overnight.
The Big Players (And the Ones Losing Steam)
When people look up how many cities are in louisiana, they’re usually looking for the "Big Three." For a long time, New Orleans was the undisputed heavyweight. It still is, mostly, with a population hovering around 365,000 to 380,000 depending on which estimate you trust.
Baton Rouge follows behind at roughly 220,000. Shreveport rounds out the top three at about 175,000.
But look at the growth elsewhere. Places like Youngsville and Broussard in Lafayette Parish have been absolutely exploding. They used to be sleepy little spots, but now they are fully-fledged cities with the traffic jams to prove it. Meanwhile, older industrial cities along the river are seeing people head for the suburbs, meaning some "cities" are dangerously close to falling back into the "town" category when the next big census count hits.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Louisiana’s Map
You can’t talk about Louisiana cities without mentioning Census Designated Places (CDPs). This is where the confusion usually starts.
Metairie is the perfect example. If you live in Metairie, you probably feel like you live in a city. It has over 140,000 people! That’s bigger than Lafayette! But guess what? Metairie isn't a city. It’s not even a town. It is an unincorporated area of Jefferson Parish. It has no mayor. No city council.
So, when you’re counting how many cities are in louisiana, a place like Metairie—despite being massive—doesn’t count toward that 66-city total. It’s just a very populated "place" on the map.
Actionable Insights for Navigating the Numbers
If you are trying to get an exact, up-to-the-minute count for a research project or just to win a bar bet, keep these things in mind:
- Check the LMA: The Louisiana Municipal Association is the gold standard for who is currently "in." They represent the mayors and local officials, so they know who has recently incorporated or changed status.
- Look for the Proclamation: A town isn't a city until the Governor of Louisiana says it is. You can find these proclamations in the State Register.
- Distinguish "Incorporated" from "Populated": Just because a spot has a name and 10,000 people (like LaPlace or Prairieville) doesn't mean it's an incorporated city. If it doesn't have its own municipal government, it's not a city.
Louisiana’s municipal landscape is a mix of old Napoleonic legal quirks and modern suburban sprawl. Whether we are talking about a tiny village in North Louisiana with 80 residents or the neon lights of New Orleans, the "city" count is a living, breathing number. Currently, you're looking at 66 legal cities within a broader family of 305 incorporated communities.