Oakdale is a somewhat small city located in the state of Louisiana. With a population of 6,520 people and three associated neighborhoods, Oakdale is the 71st largest community in Louisiana.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Oakdale is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Oakdale is a city of service providers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Oakdale who work in healthcare (10.03%), food service (9.53%), and teaching (7.54%). Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 8.67% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. As is often the case in a small city, Oakdale doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.The percentage of people in Oakdale with college degrees is quite a bit lower than the national average for cities and towns of 21.84%: just 10.08% of people over 25 have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. The per capita income in Oakdale in 2022 was $21,406, 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 $85,624 for a family of four. However, Oakdale contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Oakdale is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oakdale home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oakdale residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Oakdale also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 16.28% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Oakdale include Irish, French, English, Scottish, and Lebanese. Foreign born people are also an important part of Oakdale's cultural character, accounting for 15.28% of the city’s population. The most common language spoken in Oakdale is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.
