Westwego, LA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

Jefferson Parish · New Orleans-Metairie · population 8,231

AffordabilityShrinkingRenter-friendlySmall-town feel
View watchlist →
40
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Westwego stands

Population shrinking 1.0% per year.

Median home $186,880
1-year +2.1%
5-yr CAGR -1.6%
vs 5-yr peak -9.8%
Population -1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$187k$147k$170k$193k$215k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
10/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
48/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,449/mo$0$796$1,59220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent1041028010020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 10.7
Buy

At a 10.7 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Westwego on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 10.7 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
61 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
25 · w22%
Distance from peak
46 · w18%
Population growth
30 · w16%
Rent YoY
41 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
36 · w10%
Long thesis

Westwego has held up across the cycle: home values at $186,880 with -1.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Westwego's population is shrinking 1.0% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Westwego

Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, with an estimated population of 8,231. It anchors the New Orleans-Metairie metro area. The population has contracted 1.0% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Westwego is $186,880 as of 2026-04, up 2.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -1.6% annual growth (-9.8% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Westwego average $1,449 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.7%). The composite momentum score is 40 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

Bull case

Affordable AND rising: median home $186,880 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
Quiet strength: +2.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.

Bear case

Flat or shrinking population: -1.0% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Stagnant long-run trend: +1.5% 10-year CAGR plus flat population — appreciation case is weak.
Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Jefferson Parish right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Jefferson Parish routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Westwego

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
61° / 43°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 74°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
217
~59% of year
Annual precip
60″ rain
0″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very high
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the New Orleans-Metairie area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

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7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Westwego listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$57,800
Louisiana state median
Top industries (state-level)
Oil & GasTourismShipping/Petrochemicals

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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