De Soto Parish, Louisiana

Geography The parish has a total area of 2,317 km² (894 mi²). 2,272 km² (877 mi²) of it is land and 45 km² (17 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.93% water.

Demographics As of 2000, there are 25,494 people, 9,691 households, and 6,967 families residing in the parish. The population density is 11/km² (29/mi²). There are 11,204 housing units at an average density of 5 persons/km² (13 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish is 55.97% White, 42.16% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 9,691 households out of which 33.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% are married couples living together, 18.60% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 28.10% are non-families. 25.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.11.

In the parish the population is spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.00 males.

The median income for a household in the parish is $28,252, and the median income for a family is $33,196. Males have a median income of $30,780 versus $20,182 for females. The per capita income for the parish is $13,606. 25.10% of the population and 21.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.80% are under the age of 18 and 24.90% are 65 or older.

Cities and Towns

• Grand Cane
• Keachi
• Logansport
• Longstreet
• Mansfield
• South Mansfield
• Stanley
• Stonewall