Ouachita Parish, LA

County

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2024 Population

158,480

US Senator

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

US Senator

John Kennedy

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

23.2%

3.63% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,688

6.73% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$194,400

6.23% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

69,274

1.43% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ouachita Parish, LA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.7% of the residents in Ouachita Parish, LA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ouachita Parish, LA are University of Louisiana at Monroe (1,750 degrees awarded in 2023), Louisiana Delta Community College (1,550 degrees), and Unitech Training Academy-West Monroe (147 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Ouachita Parish, LA was $194,400, and the homeownership rate was 61%.

Most people in Ouachita Parish, LA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Ouachita Parish, LA was 2 cars per household.

Ouachita Parish, LA borders Caldwell Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, and Union Parish, LA.

United States Louisiana Monroe, LA

Population & Diversity

Ouachita Parish, LA is home to a population of 158k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.16% of Ouachita Parish, LA residents were born outside of the country (3.42k people).

In 2024, there were 1.49 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (87.7k people) in Ouachita Parish, LA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 59k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 2.09k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Ouachita Parish, LA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ouachita Parish, LA was 98.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Ouachita Parish, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ouachita Parish, LA

White (Non-Hispanic)
87.7k ± 622
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
59k ± 576
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.09k ± 392

3.71%

Hispanic Population

5.88k people

3.71% of the people in Ouachita Parish, LA are hispanic (5.88k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ouachita Parish, LA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Louisiana.

Most Common Origin

Honduras
46,145 ± 5,248 people
Mexico
26,336 ± 3,973 people
Vietnam
16,621 ± 3,160 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Louisiana was Honduras, the natal country of 46,145 Louisiana residents, followed by Mexico with 26,336 and Vietnam with 16,621.

Foreign-Born Population

2.16%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.42k people

2.16%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.43k people

As of 2024, 2.16% of Ouachita Parish, LA residents (3.42k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ouachita Parish, LA was 2.16%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ouachita Parish, LA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
2,414 ± 546
Vietnam
2,219 ± 350
Gulf War (1990s)
1,062 ± 260

Ouachita Parish, LA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.09 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Ouachita Parish, LA.

Economy

The economy of Ouachita Parish, LA employs 69.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ouachita Parish, LA were Health Care & Social Assistance (13,064 people), Retail Trade (7,668 people), and Educational Services (7,568 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($78,320), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($68,929), and Wholesale Trade ($62,036).

Employment

Occupations

69.3k

2024 Value

± 2,477

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 5.03%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ouachita Parish, LA grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 68.3k employees to 69.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ouachita Parish, LA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (7,329 people), Management Occupations (7,105 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (6,901 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ouachita Parish, LA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

69.3k

2024 Value

± 2,477

1.43%

1 Year growth

± 5.03%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ouachita Parish, LA grew at a rate of 1.43%, from 68.3k employees to 69.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ouachita Parish, LA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (13,064 people), Retail Trade (7,668 people), and Educational Services (7,568 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ouachita Parish, LA, though some of these residents may live in Ouachita Parish, LA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,940

Median earning men ± $2,544

$36,388

Median earning women ± $1,593

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($77,821), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($72,198), and Information ($67,083).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($67,109), Wholesale Trade ($54,375), and Information ($47,109).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Y-Axis

1.78%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.94M people employed in Louisiana. This represents a 1.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Louisiana.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

306
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
287
Health Care and Social Assistance
232
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$606k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$289k
Manufacturing
$262k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing the state of Louisiana. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Louisiana is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Ouachita Parish, LA. Showing the available data for Louisiana.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (60.2%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.2%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.547%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Louisiana went to Donald J. Trump with 60.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.2%), followed by Other (0.547%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Louisiana for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Louisiana

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Louisiana.

Bill Cassidy

Senator from Louisiana

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Kennedy

Senator from Louisiana

Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are the senators currently representing Louisiana.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Louisiana over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Ouachita Parish, LA awarded 3,647 degrees. The student population of Ouachita Parish, LA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 4,354 male students and 8,143 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ouachita Parish, LA are White (2,067 and 57.9%), Black or African American (1,182 and 33.1%), Hispanic or Latino (103 and 2.88%), and Two or More Races (94 and 2.63%).

The largest universities in Ouachita Parish, LA by number of degrees awarded are University of Louisiana at Monroe (1,750 and 48%), Louisiana Delta Community College (1,550 and 42.5%), and Unitech Training Academy-West Monroe (147 and 4.03%).

The most popular majors in Ouachita Parish, LA are General Studies (419 and 11.5%), Registered Nursing (211 and 5.79%), and General Psychology (200 and 5.48%).

The median tuition cost in Ouachita Parish, LA for a public four year colleges is $5,788 for in-state students and $17,888 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Ouachita Parish, LA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 74.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 12,497 (34.8% men and 65.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 12,497 students enrolled in Ouachita Parish, LA, 34.8% men and 65.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,776 records, of which 65.4% were women and 34.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
146 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
116 degrees awarded
General Studies
74 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ouachita Parish, LA was General Psychology with 146 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Ouachita Parish, LA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Louisiana at Monroe
1,750 degrees awarded
Louisiana Delta Community College
1,550 degrees awarded
Unitech Training Academy-West Monroe
147 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Louisiana at Monroe with 1,750 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,242 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ouachita Parish, LA, which is 0.516 times less than the 2,405 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,067 degrees mean that there were 1.75 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,182 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($5,788) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,402) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,300) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ouachita Parish, LA was $194,400 in 2024, which is 0.584 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $183,000 to $194,400, a 6.23% increase. The homeownership rate in Ouachita Parish, LA is 61%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ouachita Parish, LA have an average commute time of 22.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ouachita Parish, LA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ouachita Parish, LA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.75%.

Housing

Property

$194,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,085

$37,489

Median Property Taxes

±$1,585

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Ouachita Parish, LA the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ouachita Parish, LA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61%

Homeownership

2024

68.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61% of the housing units in Ouachita Parish, LA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ouachita Parish, LA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$54,688

Median Household Income

± $2,311

61.5k

Number of Households

± 2,096

In 2024, the median household income of the 61.5k households in Ouachita Parish, LA grew to $54,688 from the previous year's value of $51,241.

The following chart displays the households in Ouachita Parish, LA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ouachita Parish, LA is from Louisiana.

0.465

2023 Wage GINI in Louisiana

0.466

2022 Wage GINI in Louisiana

In 2023, the income inequality in Louisiana was 0.465 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.123% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Louisiana was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Louisiana in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Louisiana across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.4%)
Carpooled (9.73%)
Worked At Home (8.34%)

In 2024, 78.4% of workers in Ouachita Parish, LA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.73%) and those who worked at home (8.34%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ouachita Parish, LA have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.13% of the workforce in Ouachita Parish, LA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ouachita Parish, LA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Ouachita Parish, LA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ouachita Parish, LA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ouachita Parish, LA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.75%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

23.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ouachita Parish, LA (35.5k out of 153k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ouachita Parish, LA is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 29.4% of the children was living in poverty in Ouachita Parish, LA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 1.38k in Ouachita Parish, LA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 847 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.6% of the population of Ouachita Parish, LA has health coverage, with 37.7% on employee plans, 31% on Medicaid, 11.1% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 1.19% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ouachita Parish, LA see 1,066 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,066 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1546 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 182 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,066 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ouachita Parish, LA

Primary care physicians in Ouachita Parish, LA see an average of 1,066 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,066 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Ouachita Parish, LA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.3% under 18 years, 21.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.39%

Uninsured

37.7%

Employer Coverage

31%

Medicaid

11.1%

Medicare

11.7%

Non-Group

1.19%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ouachita Parish, LA declined by 8.5% from 8.08% to 7.39%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ouachita Parish, LA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 110 in Ouachita Parish, LA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Ouachita Parish, LA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 42.1% in Ouachita Parish, LA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Ouachita Parish, LA.