Richland Parish, Louisiana

Richland Parish, Louisiana
Parish
Alto Presbyterian Church
Alto Presbyterian Church
Map of Louisiana highlighting Richland Parish
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Coordinates: 32°25′18″N 91°45′43″W / 32.421736°N 91.762070°W / 32.421736; -91.762070
Country United States
State Louisiana
FoundedSeptember 29, 1878
Named afterFertile (rich) land in the area
SeatRayville
Largest townRayville
Area
 • Total
576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land559 sq mi (1,450 km2)
 • Water9.375 sq mi (24.28 km2)  1.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
20,043
 • Estimate 
(2025)
19,582 Decrease
 • Density35.9/sq mi (13.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)

Richland Parish is a parish located in the North Louisiana Delta Country in the U.S. state of Louisiana, known for its fertile, flat farmland, cane brakes, and open spaces. The parish had a population of 20,043 at the 2020 United States census.[1] The name Richland was chosen due to the rich production from farming. The parish seat and largest community is Rayville.

History

The parish was officially created on September 29, 1868.[2] Rayville, Louisiana, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a politician from Monroe with large land holdings in present-day Rayville.[3]

Richland Parish is home to the first public parish library in the State of Louisiana, the Rhymes Memorial Library. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes.[4]

In 2024, Louisiana state political leaders cleared regulatory and tax disincentives to attract a data center for Meta called Hyperion to be built upon approximately six square miles in Richland Parish. The legislation was created and passed in secret, with state officials and legislators bound by controversial non-disclosure agreements.[5] The data center is located on mostly abandoned former rice and soybean farms. As temporary workers arrived to build the project, some longtime residents saw rents increase six-fold and were forced to relocate to areas not affected by the influx.[6]

Geography

Bayou Macon flows through the eastern areas of Richland. Other tributaries in the parish include Crew Lake, and the Lafourche Diversion Canal are located in the western portion of the parish. Boeuf River flows from the northern end to the southern end in the center of the parish.

Adjacent parishes

Parks and wildlife management areas

Communities

Towns

Village

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Transportation

Bridge crossing the Boeuf River on Hwy 15 near Alto, LA
Interstates and State Highways
Interstate 20
U.S. Highway 80
U.S. Highway 425
Louisiana Highway 15
Louisiana Highway 17
Louisiana Highway 132
Louisiana Highway 133
Louisiana Highway 135
Louisiana Highway 585
Air, Rail, Levee
Rayville Municipal Airport
Delhi Municipal Airport
Monroe Regional Airport
Kansas City Southern Railroad
Tensas Basin Levee District

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18705,110—
18808,44065.2%
189010,23021.2%
190011,1168.7%
191015,76941.9%
192020,86032.3%
193026,37426.4%
194028,8299.3%
195026,672−7.5%
196023,824−10.7%
197021,774−8.6%
198022,1871.9%
199020,629−7.0%
200020,9811.7%
201020,725−1.2%
202020,043−3.3%
2025 (est.)19,582[7] Decrease−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010[12]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 20,043, a median age of 40.4 years, with 23.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 98.4 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.[13]

There were 7,674 households in the parish, including 4,972 families; 32.4% had children under the age of 18, 42.4% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, 27.8% consisted of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]

The racial makeup of the parish was 58.8% White, 36.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.[14]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]

There were 8,628 housing units, of which 11.1% were vacant; 68.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 31.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.[13]

Racial and ethnic composition

Richland Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
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) 14,153 12,910 12,667 12,714 11,667 63.79% 62.58% 60.37% 61.35% 58.21%
Black or African American alone (NH) 7,754 7,492 7,927 7,406 7,303 34.95% 36.32% 37.78% 35.73% 36.44%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 11 14 26 57 53 0.05% 0.07% 0.12% 0.28% 0.26%
Asian alone (NH) 21 13 36 54 50 0.09% 0.06% 0.17% 0.26% 0.25%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [21] x [22] 0 2 0 x x 0.00% 0.01% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 2 1 3 6 66 0.01% 0.00% 0.01% 0.03% 0.33%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [23] x [24] 95 154 504 x x 0.45% 0.74% 2.51%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 246 199 227 332 400 1.11% 0.96% 1.08% 1.60% 2.00%
Total 22,187 20,629 20,981 20,725 20,043 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Charter schools

Community and technical colleges

Regional universities

Government

Parish AdministrationAdministrators
SheriffGary Gilley, No Party
CoronerDr. Matt Prine, Republican
AssessorLee Brown, III, Democrat
School Board SuperintendentSheldon Jones
Homeland SecurityDawn Williams
Parish Police JuryPolice Jurors
District 1, DelhiSteve Craig, Republican
District 2, DelhiPatrick Stubblefield, Democrat
District 3, RayvilleSharon Gee, Democrat
District 4, RayvilleSteve Lofton, Republican
District 5, RayvillePaul Slayter, Republican
District 6, RayvilleAlthan Smith, Democrat
District 7, AltoCecil Reddick, Republican
District 8, StartElliot Colvin, Republican
District 9, ManghamRoy Wiggins Jr., Republican
5th Judicial DistrictParish Judicial Leaders
Division "A"Clay Hamilton, Republican
Division "B"Will Rhymes Barham, Republican
Division "C"Steve Dean, Republican
Clerk of CourtStacie Williamson, Republican
Parish School BoardBoard Members
District 1, DelhiBilly Calvert, No Party
District 2, DelhiEugene Young Jr., Democrat
District 3, RayvilleMoses "DeJohn" Wilkins, Democrat
District 4, RayvilleJames Hough, Republican
District 5, RayvilleAlece Copeland, No Party
District 6, RayvilleMarie Lewis, Democrat
District 7, ArchibaldJoe Chapman, No Party
District 8, StartKevin Eppinette, No Party
District 9, ManghamChris Pruitt, Republican

Notable people

Politics

United States presidential election results for Richland Parish, Louisiana[25]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1912 2 0.46% 393 89.93% 42 9.61%
1916 7 1.07% 650 98.93% 0 0.00%
1920 50 7.00% 664 93.00% 0 0.00%
1924 116 14.61% 678 85.39% 0 0.00%
1928 242 18.26% 1,083 81.74% 0 0.00%
1932 46 2.53% 1,773 97.42% 1 0.05%
1936 165 6.36% 2,425 93.48% 4 0.15%
1940 310 11.37% 2,417 88.63% 0 0.00%
1944 488 18.95% 2,087 81.05% 0 0.00%
1948 119 4.69% 960 37.87% 1,456 57.44%
1952 1,645 39.70% 2,499 60.30% 0 0.00%
1956 1,063 29.88% 1,094 30.76% 1,400 39.36%
1960 1,378 35.62% 996 25.74% 1,495 38.64%
1964 4,498 85.76% 747 14.24% 0 0.00%
1968 1,031 15.95% 1,017 15.74% 4,415 68.31%
1972 4,304 70.80% 1,335 21.96% 440 7.24%
1976 3,630 49.93% 3,495 48.07% 145 1.99%
1980 4,772 54.57% 3,745 42.83% 227 2.60%
1984 5,980 65.84% 2,918 32.13% 185 2.04%
1988 5,226 62.85% 2,833 34.07% 256 3.08%
1992 3,808 42.77% 3,706 41.63% 1,389 15.60%
1996 3,765 43.23% 4,143 47.57% 802 9.21%
2000 4,895 57.69% 3,282 38.68% 308 3.63%
2004 5,471 63.14% 3,082 35.57% 112 1.29%
2008 5,751 62.64% 3,311 36.06% 119 1.30%
2012 5,846 62.66% 3,387 36.31% 96 1.03%
2016 6,287 65.51% 3,157 32.90% 153 1.59%
2020 6,607 66.47% 3,225 32.44% 108 1.09%
2024 6,354 69.12% 2,732 29.72% 107 1.16%

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Richland Parish, Louisiana". Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Richland Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  3. ↑ Leeper, Clare D’Artois (2012). Louisiana Place Names: Popular, Unusual, and Forgotten Stories of Towns, Cities, Plantations, Bayous, and Even Some Cemeteries. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 204.
  4. ↑ "Richland Library First To Form Under New Law". No. page 3. The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana). Newspapers.com. January 13, 1928. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ Karlin, Sam (July 29, 2026). "Some Louisiana lawmakers backing out of NDAs as questions arise over data centers, other deals". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  6. ↑ Tan, Eli; Farrell, Maureen (July 27, 2026). "How Meta Got Everything It Wanted in a Secret Louisiana Data Center Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  15. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 15 - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 20/12-20/20)" (PDF). United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Louisiana - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. pp. 15–38.
  18. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Richland Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Richland Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  20. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Richland Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau.
  21. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  22. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  23. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  24. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  25. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2018.

32°25′N 91°46′W / 32.42°N 91.76°W / 32.42; -91.76

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.