Ponchatoula is a somewhat small coastal city (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Louisiana. With a population of 5,228 people and three constituent neighborhoods, Ponchatoula is the 112nd largest community in Louisiana.

Ponchatoula is neither predominently blue-collar or white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, Ponchatoula is a city of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Ponchatoula who work in sales jobs (17.56%), office and administrative support jobs (17.56%), and food service (7.83%).

The city is also nautical, which means that parts of Ponchatoula are somewhat historic and bounded by the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Ponchatoula is very much a car-oriented city. This is because the population of Ponchatoula isn't large enough or dense enough to support an extensive public transit system. It has a lot of rural roads, and the distance between houses can be quite large, which together tends to discourage walking and bicycling to work. 97.84% of residents commute to work in their own car (and the drive is typically to a job out of town). People also tend to drive out of town for other services as well, such as shopping, doctors appointments, and more.

As is often the case in a small city, Ponchatoula doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Ponchatoula Information and Demographics

The education level of Ponchatoula citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 14.60% of adults 25 and older in Ponchatoula have a college degree.

The per capita income in Ponchatoula in 2000 was $12,157, which is lower middle income relative to Louisiana, and low income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $48,628 for a family of four.

Ponchatoula is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ponchatoula home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Ponchatoula is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Ponchatoula include French, German, Irish, Italian, English, and French Canadian.

The most common language spoken in Ponchatoula is English.