LaSalle Parish, Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Parish of LaSalle Paroisse de La Salle (French) | |
| LaSalle Parish Courthouse in Jena | |
| Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana | |
| Louisiana's location within the U.S. | |
| Country | |
| State | |
| Region | Central Louisiana |
| Founded | January 1, 1910 |
| Named after | René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle |
| Parish seat (and largest town) | Jena |
| Area | |
• Total | 662 sq mi (1,710 km2) |
| • Land | 625 sq mi (1,620 km2) |
| • Water | 38 sq mi (98 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,791 |
| • Density | 23.7/sq mi (9.14/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 318 |
| Congressional district | 5th |
LaSalle Parish (French: Paroisse de La Salle) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 14,791. [1] The parish seat is Jena. [2] The parish was created in 1910 from the western section of Catahoula Parish. [3]
The parish is named for René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
There is some confusion as to whether the parish is spelled "LaSalle" (no space) or "La Salle." An example of the latter view can be seen in the photo at right of the sign over the entrance to a "La Salle Parish Courthouse." A photo of this sign is also featured on the main webpage of the LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court, but the parish is consistently spelled "LaSalle" (no space) in the website text. The prevailing spelling of the parish is "LaSalle" (no space), consistent with the U.S. Census since 2011, [4] and as demonstrated for example by a Google Trends comparison of the phrase's different spellings. [5]
The parish was established (as the Parish of LaSalle) on July 3, 1908. [6] [7]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 662 square miles (1,710 km2), of which 625 square miles (1,620 km2) is land and 38 square miles (98 km2) (5.7%) is water. [8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 9,402 | — | |
| 1920 | 9,856 | 4.8% | |
| 1930 | 11,668 | 18.4% | |
| 1940 | 10,959 | −6.1% | |
| 1950 | 12,717 | 16.0% | |
| 1960 | 13,011 | 2.3% | |
| 1970 | 13,295 | 2.2% | |
| 1980 | 17,004 | 27.9% | |
| 1990 | 13,662 | −19.7% | |
| 2000 | 14,282 | 4.5% | |
| 2010 | 14,890 | 4.3% | |
| 2020 | 14,791 | −0.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010-2013 [1] | |||
As of the 2020 census, there were 14,791 people, 5,140 households, and 3,643 families residing in the parish. The median age was 38.1 years; 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. [13]
For every 100 females there were 114.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 115.7 males age 18 and over. [13]
The racial makeup of the parish was 76.7% White, 8.8% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.5% from some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.5% of the population. [14]
Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. [15]
There were 5,140 households in the parish, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [13]
There were 6,151 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.5% were owner-occupied and 20.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%. [13]
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980 [16] | Pop 1990 [17] | Pop 2000 [18] | Pop 2010 [19] | Pop 2020 [20] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 15,158 | 12,247 | 12,225 | 12,520 | 11,263 | 89.14% | 89.64% | 85.60% | 84.08% | 76.15% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,582 | 1,256 | 1,732 | 1,758 | 1,283 | 9.30% | 9.19% | 12.13% | 11.81% | 8.67% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 143 | 77 | 91 | 146 | 133 | 0.84% | 0.56% | 0.64% | 0.98% | 0.90% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 21 | 36 | 25 | 26 | 252 | 0.12% | 0.26% | 0.18% | 0.17% | 1.70% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [21] | x [22] | 1 | 1 | 10 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 20 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 0.12% | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.18% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [23] | x [24] | 85 | 105 | 422 | x | x | 0.60% | 0.71% | 2.85% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 80 | 46 | 117 | 331 | 1,402 | 0.47% | 0.34% | 0.82% | 2.22% | 9.48% |
| Total | 17,004 | 13,662 | 14,282 | 14,890 | 14,791 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census [25] of 2000, there were 14,282 people, 5,291 households, and 3,798 families residing in the parish. The population density was 23 people per square mile (8.9 people/km2). There were 6,273 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the parish was 86.13% White, 12.20% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,291 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $28,189, and the median income for a family was $36,197. Males had a median income of $27,431 versus $19,697 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,033. About 14.90% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 18.90% of those age 65 or over.
The 1087TH Transportation Company of the 165TH CSS (combat service support) Battalion of the 139TH RSG (regional support group) resides in Jena, Louisiana.
LaSalle Parish has been staunchly Republican since 1956, except in 1968 when it voted strongly for American Independent nominee George Wallace. Prior to that, it had been heavily Democratic, but no Democratic nominee since 1956 besides Jimmy Carter has passed forty percent of the parish’s vote, with Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris not even reaching double digits. In 2008 John McCain's performance was the strongest of any Republican in Parish history; every subsequent presidential election through 2024 has broken this record.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | % | № | % | № | % | |
| 1912 | 7 | 1.26% | 366 | 65.95% | 182 | 32.79% |
| 1916 | 20 | 3.13% | 610 | 95.61% | 8 | 1.25% |
| 1920 | 109 | 15.71% | 570 | 82.13% | 15 | 2.16% |
| 1924 | 102 | 17.93% | 456 | 80.14% | 11 | 1.93% |
| 1928 | 450 | 33.81% | 881 | 66.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 117 | 6.30% | 1,738 | 93.64% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1936 | 256 | 13.48% | 1,643 | 86.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 258 | 11.18% | 2,039 | 88.38% | 10 | 0.43% |
| 1944 | 504 | 19.78% | 2,018 | 79.20% | 26 | 1.02% |
| 1948 | 266 | 9.67% | 716 | 26.03% | 1,769 | 64.30% |
| 1952 | 1,692 | 45.82% | 2,001 | 54.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,885 | 61.56% | 951 | 31.06% | 226 | 7.38% |
| 1960 | 2,123 | 55.26% | 843 | 21.94% | 876 | 22.80% |
| 1964 | 4,319 | 83.33% | 864 | 16.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,258 | 21.52% | 710 | 12.15% | 3,878 | 66.34% |
| 1972 | 3,858 | 81.51% | 651 | 13.75% | 224 | 4.73% |
| 1976 | 3,161 | 50.10% | 2,961 | 46.93% | 188 | 2.98% |
| 1980 | 3,792 | 57.16% | 2,665 | 40.17% | 177 | 2.67% |
| 1984 | 5,404 | 78.60% | 1,318 | 19.17% | 153 | 2.23% |
| 1988 | 4,559 | 71.69% | 1,622 | 25.51% | 178 | 2.80% |
| 1992 | 3,068 | 45.63% | 2,389 | 35.53% | 1,266 | 18.83% |
| 1996 | 2,925 | 44.96% | 2,543 | 39.09% | 1,038 | 15.95% |
| 2000 | 4,564 | 74.72% | 1,397 | 22.87% | 147 | 2.41% |
| 2004 | 5,015 | 80.39% | 1,155 | 18.52% | 68 | 1.09% |
| 2008 | 5,602 | 85.49% | 860 | 13.12% | 91 | 1.39% |
| 2012 | 5,726 | 87.13% | 764 | 11.63% | 82 | 1.25% |
| 2016 | 5,836 | 88.84% | 605 | 9.21% | 128 | 1.95% |
| 2020 | 6,378 | 90.12% | 638 | 9.02% | 61 | 0.86% |
| 2024 | 6,023 | 90.98% | 546 | 8.25% | 51 | 0.77% |