Skip to main content
All Posts
Investigation

21% of Louisiana Dumpster Rental Companies Are Ghost Listings. Here's the Data.

We scored 6,304 dumpster rental companies across 50 states. Louisiana's ghost-listing rate is 20.5% — more than double the national average. Bossier City and the Shreveport corridor are the worst. Here's who you can trust.

May 10, 20269 min readBy Chad Waldman

21% of Louisiana Dumpster Rental Companies Are Ghost Listings. Here's the Data.

We scored every dumpster rental operator in America. All of them. 6,304 companies. 50 states. Real Google data, real reviews, real scores.

Louisiana has a ghost listing problem that puts it in the top 5 worst states nationally — and the problem is concentrated in the northern part of the state.

The Headline Number

20.5% of Louisiana dumpster rental companies are ghost listings — Google Maps entries with zero reviews, a sub-3.0 star rating, or both. That's more than double the 9.5% national average.

Out of 122 dumpster rental operators listed in Louisiana, 25 are ghosts. That means roughly 1 in 5 Louisiana dumpster rental Google listings will connect you with a company that has no verifiable track record.

StateGhost ListingsTotal OperatorsRate
Arizona5719828.8%
Oregon125521.8%
Arkansas94221.4%
Louisiana2512220.5%
Kentucky116018.3%
National Average6006,3049.5%
---

What Is a Ghost Listing?

A ghost listing is a business listed on Google Maps that shows one or more of these red flags:

  • Zero reviews — nobody has ever reviewed them publicly
  • No star rating — Google has no rating data at all
  • Sub-3.0 star rating — enough bad experiences to drag the average below 3 stars
You call the number. Someone answers. They give you a quote. The dumpster may or may not show up. The bill may or may not match the quote. And you can't check their history because there is no history — no reviews, no ratings, no accountability.

---

The Data: Louisiana by the Numbers

MetricValue
Total operators in Louisiana122
Ghost listings25
Ghost listing rate20.5%
National average rate9.5%
Louisiana vs national2.2x worse
---

Worst Cities for Ghost Listings in Louisiana

CityTotal OperatorsGhost ListingsGhost Rate
Minden22100.0%
Stonewall2150.0%
Bossier City6233.3%
Kenner3133.3%
Scott3133.3%
Minden is 100% ghost listings. Both operators listed in Minden have zero reviews or sub-3.0 ratings. If you're in the Minden area, look for operators in Shreveport or Bossier City — but even Bossier City has a 33.3% ghost rate.

The Shreveport-Bossier corridor is the worst metro area in Louisiana for ghost listings. Between Minden, Stonewall, and Bossier City, the ghost concentration is dramatically higher than in New Orleans or Baton Rouge.

Kenner and Scott — both in the greater New Orleans and Lafayette metros — each have 1 ghost out of 3 operators.

---

Why Louisiana?

1. Post-hurricane demand spikes. Louisiana's hurricane history creates periodic surges in dumpster rental demand. After every major storm, fly-by-night operators flood the market to capture cleanup business. Many of those ghost listings are remnants of operators who showed up for a storm season and never bothered to take down the listing.

2. North-South divide. Louisiana's ghost listing problem is concentrated in the northern part of the state. The Shreveport-Bossier-Minden corridor has far fewer established operators than New Orleans or Baton Rouge, creating space for ghost listings to fill the gap.

3. Low licensing friction. Like most Southern states, Louisiana requires minimal licensing beyond standard LLC paperwork to list yourself as a dumpster rental company. No fleet inspection, no insurance verification at the state level.

4. Fragmented rural markets. Outside the major metros, Louisiana's small towns and rural parishes have very few legitimate operators. Ghost listings fill those gaps in Google Maps, capturing calls from people who don't realize they're not calling a real company.

---

The Best-Rated Operators in Louisiana

These are the top 5 Louisiana operators by DCS Score. Every one has been independently scored on public data — none paid to be here.

DCSCompanyCityGoogle RatingReviews
90Waste Connections - Greater New OrleansBridge City4.6314
89Junk King Baton RougeBaton Rouge5.0745
89Waste ProKenner4.81,452
89Junk King New OrleansNew Orleans4.91,467
891-800-GOT-JUNK? ShreveportShreveport5.01,088
Junk King New Orleans leads in review volume with 1,467 reviews and a 4.9 rating. For the Shreveport area — where the ghost problem is worst — 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Shreveport is the standout with a perfect 5.0 rating across 1,088 reviews.

---

How to Avoid Ghost Listings in Louisiana

1. Never hire a company with fewer than 10 Google reviews. Especially in northern Louisiana, where the ghost concentration is highest. 2. Check the DCS Score. Operators scoring below 40 are in the "Listed" tier — that's where the ghosts live. 3. Be cautious in the Shreveport-Bossier corridor. Ghost rates are dramatically higher than in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Stick with operators that have real review histories. 4. Avoid Minden entirely for local operators. Look to Shreveport-based companies with verified reviews. 5. Ask how long they've been in business. Post-hurricane pop-up operators rarely last more than a year. If they can't tell you a specific year they started, walk away. 6. Use the [size estimator](/tools/size-estimator) before you call so you know exactly what you need — and can spot a nonsensical quote immediately.

---

Our Methodology

  • Data source: Google Places API, pulled April 2026, across 50 US states and 200+ metros.
  • Universe: 6,304 unique operators with at least one business detail field populated.
  • Ghost listing definition: A Google Maps business listing with either (a) zero reviews, (b) no star rating, or (c) a rating below 3.0 stars.
  • DCS Score: Our 100-point rubric measuring Rating Quality (25 pts), Review Volume (25 pts), Consistency (15 pts), Trust Signals (20 pts), and Data Completeness (15 pts).
  • Independence: No operator paid for placement. No operator can pay to improve their DCS Score.
Data last updated April 2026. We re-score monthly.

[Browse the full Louisiana operator directory](/dumpster-rental/louisiana) | [Try the size estimator](/tools/size-estimator) | [Use the cost calculator](/calculator)

Tags
louisiana dumpster rentalnew orleans dumpster rentalbaton rouge dumpster rentalghost listingsdcs score

Free Download

The Dumpster Rental Cheat Sheet

Sizes, costs, and the 10 questions that save homeowners $200+.

Download Free