St. Joseph, LA

Town in Tensas Parish, LA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

603

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

50.7

years ∙ half population younger than 50.7, half older

Diversity Index

40.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

St. Joseph is a town within Tensas Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Location

Town in Tensas Parish, LA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC31.920284° N, 91.240040° W

DMS31° 55′ 13.02″ N, 91° 14′ 24.14″ W

Population Density & area

677.5/sq mi (261.5/km²)

Total Area

0.89 sq mi (2.306 km²)

Land Area

0.89 sq mi (2.306 km²) · 100%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

45.3% male

Male 45.3%

Female 54.7%

males per 100 females

St. Joseph 82.7

Tensas Parish 92.6

Louisiana 95.8

Nativity

foreign-born population

100%Native

0% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

St. Joseph 0%

Tensas Parish 0.9%

Louisiana 4.9%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

50.7

years ∙ half population younger than 50.7, half older

St. Joseph

50.7

Tensas Parish

47.5

Louisiana

Dependency ratio

90.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

St. Joseph 90.2

Tensas Parish 98.1

Louisiana 67.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.9%	21.4%	23.5%
Working age (18-64)	52.6%	50.5%	59.8%
Senior (65+)	25.5%	28.1%	16.7%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	90.2	98.1	67.3
Child dependency ratio	41.6	42.4	39.3
Old-age dependency ratio	48.6	55.7	28

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

25.2%

Black

72.6%

Asian

Hispanic

Other

2.2%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

40.9%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

St. Joseph 40.9%

Tensas Parish 53.7%

Louisiana 59%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of St. Joseph population

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Hispanic or Latino	0%	1.1%	7.2%
Mexican	0%	1.1%	2.2%
Puerto Rican	0%	0%	0.4%
Cuban	0%	0%	0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0%	0%	4.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino	100%	98.9%	92.8%
One race	97.8%	96.3%	89%
White	25.2%	41.3%	55.7%
Black or African American	72.6%	54%	30.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0%	0.4%
Asian	0%	1%	1.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.1%
Some Other Race	0%	0%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.2%	2.6%	3.8%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

46.2% family

Family 46.2%

Non family 53.8%

% family households

St. Joseph 46.2%

Tensas Parish 52.9%

Louisiana 62.7%

Average household size

2.3

persons per household

St. Joseph

2.3

Tensas Parish

2.33

Louisiana

2.49

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of St. Joseph population

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Total households	260	1,578	1,804,780
Average houshold size	2.3	2.33	2.49
Family households	120	835	1,130,826
Average family size	3.67	3.45	3.16
Married couple family	67	515	754,231
Other families	53	320	376,595
Male householder	17	77	96,444
Female householder	36	243	280,151
Non-family households	140	743	673,954
One-person households	135	712	571,003
Male householder	42	288	260,218
Senior (65+) living alone	0	89	79,575
Female householder	93	424	310,785
Senior (65+) living alone	69	274	151,041
Other living arrangements	5	31	102,951

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

416

housing units

St. Joseph 416

Tensas Parish 2,792

Louisiana 2,108,902

Occupancy status

62.5% occupied

Occupied 62.5%

Vacant 37.5%

vacancy rate

St. Joseph 37.5%

Tensas Parish 43.5%

Louisiana 14.4%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

90.6%

Single family houses

90.6%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

2.4%

Mobile homes

6.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1969

Half of houses were built before 1969, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

12.3%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

45.7%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

41.8%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

0.2%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.6	5.3	5.5
1–3 rooms	11.3%	12.7%	11.6%
4–6 rooms	70.7%	59.8%	58.5%
7+ rooms	18%	27.5%	30%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	0.2%	2%
1 bedroom	3.8%	7.7%	8.8%
2 bedrooms	28.4%	31%	22.9%
3 bedrooms	59.9%	43.3%	48%
4+ bedrooms	7.9%	17.8%	18.3%
At a glance
Median year built	1969	1973	1983
Total housing units	416	2,792	2,108,902

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

75% owners

Renter-occupied 25%

Owner-occupied 75%

homeownership rate

St. Joseph 75%

Tensas Parish 74.2%

Louisiana 67.4%

Average household size

2.21

Owner-occupied

2.58

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

St. Joseph 2.21

Tensas Parish 2.33

Louisiana 2.57

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Total occupied units	260	1,578	1,804,780
Year moved in
2020 or later	15.8%	11%	23.3%
2010 to 2019	20.8%	37%	38%
2000 to 2009	13.1%	15.1%	16.9%
1999 or earlier	50.4%	36.9%	21.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.6%	99.5%	97.7%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	0.3%	1.6%
1.51 or more	0.4%	0.2%	0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	11.2%	9.5%	8.4%
1 vehicle	43.1%	41.1%	36.9%
2 vehicles	24.6%	33.3%	37.1%
3 or more vehicles	21.2%	16.1%	17.6%
House heating fuel used
Gas	53.9%	42.6%	34.1%
Electricity	44.6%	54.1%	64.7%
Solar	0%	0%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0%	0.1%
All other fuels	1.5%	3.1%	0.5%
No fuel used	0%	0.2%	0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0%	0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.3%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0%	1.1%	1%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$59,100

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

St. Joseph

$59,100

Tensas Parish

$86,300

Louisiana

$216,500

Housing Cost Burden

64.1%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

64.1%

Owners without a mortgage

28.8%

Renters

27.8%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Property value
Median Value	$59,100	$86,300	$216,500
Under $100,000	83.1%	59.3%	20.1%
$100,000 - $200,000	7.7%	25%	25.1%
$200,000 - $300,000	7.7%	6.4%	25.1%
$300,000 - $500,000	1.5%	3.2%	21%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	0%	5.5%	7.2%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	0.7%	1.5%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	20%	27.2%	52.2%
Without a mortgage	80%	72.8%	47.8%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$—	$981	$1,604
Without a mortgage	$386	$433	$442
Gross rent
Median rent	$733	$601	$1,064

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

10.1%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

St. Joseph 10.1%

Tensas Parish 14.6%

Louisiana 27%

Adults without a high school diploma

13.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

St. Joseph 13.2%

Tensas Parish 19.4%

Louisiana 12.7%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

150

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

6.7%

K–12

81.3%

College / Undergraduate

12%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

50%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

St. Joseph

50%

Tensas Parish

14%

Louisiana

37.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Total enrolled (age 3+)	150	915	1,127,670
Nursery / preschool	6.7%	12.7%	6.5%
K–12	81.3%	77.9%	69.6%
Kindergarten	12.7%	9.9%	5.3%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	37.3%	28%	20.9%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	19.3%	18%	21.8%
High School: Grades 9–12	12%	22%	21.6%
College or graduate school	12%	9.4%	23.9%
College, undergraduate	12%	9.1%	19.2%
Graduate, professional school	0%	0.3%	4.7%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	50%	14%	37.5%
School type
Public school	94%	89.9%	79.3%
Private school	6%	10.1%	20.7%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

447

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

8.7%

HS graduate

55.3%

Some college no degree

15.4%

Associates degree

Bachelors degree

1.8%

Graduate or professional degree

8.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

100% · 0%

9th-12th, no diploma

56.4% · 43.6%

HS graduate

53.8% · 46.2%

Some college no degree

17.4% · 82.6%

Associates degree

0% · 100%

Bachelors degree

62.5% · 37.5%

Graduate or professional degree

18.9% · 81.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Population (25+)	447	2,835	3,107,436
Less than 9th grade	4.5%	4.7%	4.5%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.7%	14.7%	8.2%
High school diploma or GED	55.3%	40.2%	32.5%
Some college, no degree	15.4%	22.8%	20.4%
Associate's degree	6%	3%	7.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.1%	14.6%	27%
Bachelor's degree	1.8%	8.6%	17%
Graduate or professional	8.3%	6%	10.1%
High School or higher	86.8%	80.5%	87.3%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$23,527

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$23,681

Some college or associates

$27,083

Bachelors degree

$19,000

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

73.2%

HS graduate

26%

Some college or associates

22.9%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	St. Joseph	Tensas Parish	Louisiana
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$23,527	$24,887	$46,510
Less than high school graduate	$—	$17,557	$29,714
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$23,681	$30,330	$36,782
Some college or associate's degree	$27,083	$26,813	$42,528
Bachelor's degree	$19,000	$23,206	$60,472
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$—	$70,058
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	73.2%	34.8%	32.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	26%	28.6%	19%
Some college or associate's degree	22.9%	20%	14.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	21.1%	5.9%

Insights for St. Joseph, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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