Tensas Parish, Louisiana

Parish in LA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

3,935

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

Median Age

47.5

years ∙ half population younger than 47.5, half older

Diversity Index

53.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.9%

foreign-born population

99.1%Native

0.9% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Tensas Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, functioning as a county equivalent for administrative and statistical purposes.

Location

Parish in LA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC32.001489° N, 91.342576° W

DMS32° 00′ 05.36″ N, 91° 20′ 33.27″ W

Population Density & area

6.52/sq mi (2.52/km²)

Total Area

641.7 sq mi (1,661.9 km²)

Land Area

603.3 sq mi (1,562.5 km²) · 94%

Water Area

38.4 sq mi (99.4 km²) · 6%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.1% male

Male 48.1%

Female 51.9%

males per 100 females

Tensas Parish 92.6

Louisiana 95.8

United States 98

Nativity

0.9%

foreign-born population

99.1%Native

0.9% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Tensas Parish 0.9%

Louisiana 4.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

47.5

years ∙ half population younger than 47.5, half older

Tensas Parish

47.5

Louisiana

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

98.1

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Tensas Parish 98.1

Louisiana 67.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.4%	23.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	50.5%	59.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	28.1%	16.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	98.1	67.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	42.4	39.3	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	55.7	28	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

41.3%

Black

54%

Asian

Hispanic

1.1%

Other

2.6%

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

53.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Tensas Parish 53.7%

Louisiana 59%

United States 61.4%

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 Tensas Parish population

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Hispanic or Latino	1.1%	7.2%	19.3%
Mexican	1.1%	2.2%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0%	4.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	98.9%	92.8%	80.7%
One race	96.3%	89%	76.4%
White	41.3%	55.7%	57.4%
Black or African American	54%	30.5%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	1%	1.7%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.6%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

52.9% family

Family 52.9%

Non family 47.1%

% family households

Tensas Parish 52.9%

Louisiana 62.7%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.33

persons per household

Tensas Parish

2.33

Louisiana

2.49

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Tensas Parish population

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Total households	1,578	1,804,780	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.33	2.49	2.53
Family households	835	1,130,826	82,990,528
Average family size	3.45	3.16	3.14
Married couple family	515	754,231	60,637,388
Other families	320	376,595	22,353,140
Male householder	77	96,444	6,572,819
Female householder	243	280,151	15,780,321
Non-family households	743	673,954	46,236,968
One-person households	712	571,003	37,140,836
Male householder	288	260,218	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	89	79,575	5,225,110
Female householder	424	310,785	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	274	151,041	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	31	102,951	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,792

housing units

Tensas Parish 2,792

Louisiana 2,108,902

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

56.5% occupied

Occupied 56.5%

Vacant 43.5%

vacancy rate

Tensas Parish 43.5%

Louisiana 14.4%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

77%

Single family houses

77%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

4.1%

Mobile homes

18.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.3%

Median Year Built

1973

Half of houses were built before 1973, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

38.2%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

43.6%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

12.2%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.3	5.5	5.5
1–3 rooms	12.7%	11.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	59.8%	58.5%	51.6%
7+ rooms	27.5%	30%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.2%	2%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7.7%	8.8%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	31%	22.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	43.3%	48%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	17.8%	18.3%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1973	1983	1981
Total housing units	2,792	2,108,902	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

74.2% owners

Renter-occupied 25.8%

Owner-occupied 74.2%

homeownership rate

Tensas Parish 74.2%

Louisiana 67.4%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.33

Owner-occupied

2.33

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Tensas Parish 2.33

Louisiana 2.57

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Total occupied units	1,578	1,804,780	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	11%	23.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	37%	38%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	15.1%	16.9%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	36.9%	21.8%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.5%	97.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.3%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.2%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	9.5%	8.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	41.1%	36.9%	33.1%
2 vehicles	33.3%	37.1%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	16.1%	17.6%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	42.6%	34.1%	51.4%
Electricity	54.1%	64.7%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	3.1%	0.5%	2%
No fuel used	0.2%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.3%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.1%	1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$86,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Tensas Parish

$86,300

Louisiana

$216,500

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

47.8%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

47.8%

Owners without a mortgage

24.2%

Renters

60.3%

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

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Property value
Median Value	$86,300	$216,500	$332,700
Under $100,000	59.3%	20.1%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	25%	25.1%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	6.4%	25.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	3.2%	21%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	5.5%	7.2%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.7%	1.5%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	27.2%	52.2%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	72.8%	47.8%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$981	$1,604	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$433	$442	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$601	$1,064	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

14.6%

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

Tensas Parish 14.6%

Louisiana 27%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

19.4%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Tensas Parish 19.4%

Louisiana 12.7%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

915

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

12.7%

K–12

77.9%

College / Undergraduate

9.1%

Graduate / Professional

0.3%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

14%

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

Tensas Parish

14%

Louisiana

37.5%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	915	1,127,670	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	12.7%	6.5%	5.7%
K–12	77.9%	69.6%	67.6%
Kindergarten	9.9%	5.3%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	28%	20.9%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	18%	21.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	22%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	9.4%	23.9%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	9.1%	19.2%	21%
Graduate, professional school	0.3%	4.7%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	14%	37.5%	40.9%
School type
Public school	89.9%	79.3%	82%
Private school	10.1%	20.7%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,835

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

14.7%

HS graduate

40.2%

Some college no degree

22.8%

Associates degree

Bachelors degree

8.6%

Graduate or professional degree

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

85.1% · 14.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

56.2% · 43.8%

HS graduate

54.6% · 45.4%

Some college no degree

28.4% · 71.6%

Associates degree

13.1% · 86.9%

Bachelors degree

32% · 68%

Graduate or professional degree

62.1% · 37.9%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Population (25+)	2,835	3,107,436	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	4.7%	4.5%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	14.7%	8.2%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	40.2%	32.5%	26%
Some college, no degree	22.8%	20.4%	19.1%
Associate's degree	3%	7.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.6%	27%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	8.6%	17%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6%	10.1%	14.1%
High School or higher	80.5%	87.3%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$24,887

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$17,557

HS graduate

$30,330

Some college or associates

$26,813

Bachelors degree

$23,206

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

21.1%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

34.8%

HS graduate

28.6%

Some college or associates

20%

Bachelors degree or higher

21.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Tensas Parish	Louisiana	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$24,887	$46,510	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$17,557	$29,714	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$30,330	$36,782	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$26,813	$42,528	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$23,206	$60,472	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$70,058	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	34.8%	32.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	28.6%	19%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	20%	14.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.1%	5.9%	4.5%

Insights for Tensas Parish, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

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