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Waterproof, LA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

576
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
16.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.8%
foreign-born population
96.2%Native
3.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Waterproof is a town within Tensas Parish, Louisiana, United States.
Location
Town in Tensas Parish, LA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC31.807159° N, 91.386146° W
DMS31° 48′ 25.77″ N, 91° 23′ 10.13″ W

Population Density & area

826.4/sq mi (319.1/km²)
Total Area
0.697 sq mi (1.805 km²)
Land Area
0.697 sq mi (1.805 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

25% male
Male 25%
Female 75%
males per 100 females
Waterproof 33.3
Tensas Parish 92.6
Louisiana 95.8

Nativity

3.8%
foreign-born population
96.2%Native
3.8% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Waterproof 3.8%
Tensas Parish 0.9%
Louisiana 4.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older
Waterproof
37.1
Tensas Parish
47.5
Louisiana
38

Dependency ratio

Low High
105
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Waterproof 105
Tensas Parish 98.1
Louisiana 67.3

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 29.3% 21.4% 23.5%
Working age (18-64) 48.8% 50.5% 59.8%
Senior (65+) 21.9% 28.1% 16.7%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 105 98.1 67.3
Child dependency ratio 60.1 42.4 39.3
Old-age dependency ratio 44.8 55.7 28
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
0.9%
Black
91%
Asian
6.6%
Hispanic
0%
Other
1.5%
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

Low High
16.7%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Waterproof 16.7%
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 Waterproof population
Waterproof 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 98.4% 96.3% 89%
White 0.9% 41.3% 55.7%
Black or African American 91% 54% 30.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 0.4%
Asian 6.6% 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) 1.6% 2.6% 3.8%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

39.5% family
Family 39.5%
Non family 60.5%
% family households
Waterproof 39.5%
Tensas Parish 52.9%
Louisiana 62.7%

Average household size

2.88
persons per household
Waterproof
2.88
Tensas Parish
2.33
Louisiana
2.49

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Waterproof population
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Total households 200 1,578 1,804,780
Average houshold size 2.88 2.33 2.49
Family households 79 835 1,130,826
Average family size 5.76 3.45 3.16
Married couple family 21 515 754,231
Other families 58 320 376,595
Male householder 0 77 96,444
Female householder 58 243 280,151
Non-family households 121 743 673,954
One-person households 121 712 571,003
Male householder 47 288 260,218
Senior (65+) living alone 32 89 79,575
Female householder 74 424 310,785
Senior (65+) living alone 50 274 151,041
Other living arrangements 0 31 102,951

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

319
housing units
Waterproof 319
Tensas Parish 2,792
Louisiana 2,108,902

Occupancy status

62.7% occupied
Occupied 62.7%
Vacant 37.3%
vacancy rate
Waterproof 37.3%
Tensas Parish 43.5%
Louisiana 14.4%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

73%
Single family houses
Single family houses
73%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
12.6%
Mobile homes
14.4%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1969
Half of houses were built before 1969, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
11.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
47%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
25.7%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
16%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.1 5.3 5.5
1–3 rooms 7.5% 12.7% 11.6%
4–6 rooms 72.4% 59.8% 58.5%
7+ rooms 20% 27.5% 30%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 0.2% 2%
1 bedroom 5.3% 7.7% 8.8%
2 bedrooms 44.5% 31% 22.9%
3 bedrooms 41.4% 43.3% 48%
4+ bedrooms 8.8% 17.8% 18.3%
At a glance
Median year built 1969 1973 1983
Total housing units 319 2,792 2,108,902
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76% owners
Renter-occupied 24%
Owner-occupied 76%
homeownership rate
Waterproof 76%
Tensas Parish 74.2%
Louisiana 67.4%

Average household size

3.22
Owner-occupied
1.81
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Waterproof 3.22
Tensas Parish 2.33
Louisiana 2.57

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Total occupied units 200 1,578 1,804,780
Year moved in
2020 or later 13% 11% 23.3%
2010 to 2019 31.5% 37% 38%
2000 to 2009 29.5% 15.1% 16.9%
1999 or earlier 26% 36.9% 21.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99.5% 97.7%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.3% 1.6%
1.51 or more 0% 0.2% 0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 29% 9.5% 8.4%
1 vehicle 39% 41.1% 36.9%
2 vehicles 28% 33.3% 37.1%
3 or more vehicles 4% 16.1% 17.6%
House heating fuel used
Gas 49% 42.6% 34.1%
Electricity 49.5% 54.1% 64.7%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0% 0.1%
All other fuels 0% 3.1% 0.5%
No fuel used 1.5% 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

$47,300
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Waterproof
$47,300
Tensas Parish
$86,300
Louisiana
$216,500

Housing Cost Burden

54.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
54.3%
Owners without a mortgage
35.9%
Renters
73.7%
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
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Property value
Median Value $47,300 $86,300 $216,500
Under $100,000 81% 59.3% 20.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 19.1% 25% 25.1%
$200,000 - $300,000 0% 6.4% 25.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 0% 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 23% 27.2% 52.2%
Without a mortgage 77% 72.8% 47.8%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $856 $981 $1,604
Without a mortgage $348 $433 $442
Gross rent
Median rent $469 $601 $1,064

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

20.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Waterproof 20.7%
Tensas Parish 14.6%
Louisiana 27%

Adults without a high school diploma

20.6%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Waterproof 20.6%
Tensas Parish 19.4%
Louisiana 12.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

254
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
17.3%
K–12
79.5%
College / Undergraduate
3.1%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

2.9%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Waterproof
2.9%
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
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Total enrolled (age 3+) 254 915 1,127,670
Nursery / preschool 17.3% 12.7% 6.5%
K–12 79.5% 77.9% 69.6%
Kindergarten 7.5% 9.9% 5.3%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 7.5% 28% 20.9%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 26.4% 18% 21.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 38.2% 22% 21.6%
College or graduate school 3.1% 9.4% 23.9%
College, undergraduate 3.1% 9.1% 19.2%
Graduate, professional school 0% 0.3% 4.7%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 2.9% 14% 37.5%
School type
Public school 100% 89.9% 79.3%
Private school 0% 10.1% 20.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

305
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
17%
HS graduate
32.8%
Some college no degree
23.6%
Associates degree
2.3%
Bachelors degree
20.7%
Graduate or professional degree
0%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
63.6% · 36.4%
9th-12th, no diploma
71.2% · 28.8%
HS graduate
36% · 64%
Some college no degree
15.3% · 84.7%
Associates degree
0% · 100%
Bachelors degree
0% · 100%
Graduate or professional degree
—% · —%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Population (25+) 305 2,835 3,107,436
Less than 9th grade 3.6% 4.7% 4.5%
9th–12th, no diploma 17% 14.7% 8.2%
High school diploma or GED 32.8% 40.2% 32.5%
Some college, no degree 23.6% 22.8% 20.4%
Associate's degree 2.3% 3% 7.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.7% 14.6% 27%
Bachelor's degree 20.7% 8.6% 17%
Graduate or professional 0% 6% 10.1%
High School or higher 79.3% 80.5% 87.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$24,052
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$—
Some college or associates
$31,000
Bachelors degree
$—
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

100%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
49.2%
HS graduate
36%
Some college or associates
50.6%
Bachelors degree or higher
100%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Waterproof Tensas Parish Louisiana
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $24,052 $24,887 $46,510
Less than high school graduate $— $17,557 $29,714
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $— $30,330 $36,782
Some college or associate's degree $31,000 $26,813 $42,528
Bachelor's degree $— $23,206 $60,472
Graduate or professional degree $— $— $70,058
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 49.2% 34.8% 32.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 36% 28.6% 19%
Some college or associate's degree 50.6% 20% 14.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 100% 21.1% 5.9%

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