De Soto Parish, Louisiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
De Soto Parish, LA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 92% of counties in Louisiana
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,025 | 4,610,276 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 30.2 | 88.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.01% | -0.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.0 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,504 | 1,803,262 | 130,235,071 |
Population in De Soto Parish grew by 3.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 27,025 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in De Soto Parish is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.4% of residents. That is 1.4 points below Louisiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,370 19.9% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,517 20.4% -1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,490 20.3% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,050 18.7% +1.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Louisiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.8% of the people living in De Soto Parish and men 48.2%.
- Women 51.8% Louisiana 51.1%
- Men 48.2% Louisiana 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in De Soto Parish
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
De Soto Parish has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,684 | $60,934 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 1.84% | 3.69% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in De Soto Parish is about 20% lower than in Louisiana.
Housing
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $263,686 | $170,446 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $686 | $1,063 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.2% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in De Soto Parish is about 32.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $686 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in De Soto Parish spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 230 hours, about 9.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.6 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.1 | 42.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 230 | 177 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,123 | $5,493 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.3% | 8.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,215 | 8,275 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,060 | 1,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Louisiana:
East Carroll Parish (11.4 min), Madison Parish (13.1 min), St. Mary Parish (15.5 min).
Slowest:
West Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), East Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), St. Helena Parish (32.4 min).
The average commute time in De Soto Parish is 28 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Louisiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
De Soto Parish has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.2% | 24.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.55 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Louisiana:
Orleans Parish (0.3), East Baton Rouge Parish (0.3), St. Tammany Parish (0.3).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.1), Assumption Parish (0.2), Evangeline Parish (0.2).
Health
De Soto Parish has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.2 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 26.1% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.1% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Louisiana:
St. Tammany Parish (0.8), Ascension Parish (0.8), Vernon Parish (0.8).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.7), Madison Parish (0.7), Tensas Parish (0.7).
De Soto Parish, LA Compared With Nearby Counties
De Soto Parish, LA is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 27,025 residents against a local median of 23,440. The measure that sets De Soto Parish, LA apart most is median home price: $263,686, 155% above the local median of $103,496.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 27.6 min against a local median of 19.6 min, 41% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 41% above the local median it puts De Soto Parish, LA at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $170,418 on median home price, so De Soto Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. De Soto Parish, LA has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Soto Parish, LA | 27,025 | $48,684 #5/5 | $263,686 #1/5 | 27.6 min #5/5 |
| Shelby County, TX | 24,155 | $49,689 | $205,000 | 17.9 min |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 21,977 | $50,161 | $147,341 | 23.8 min |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 229,305 | $50,854 | $59,652 | 18.2 min |
| Panola County, TX | 22,726 | $63,075 | $34,582 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about De Soto Parish, Louisiana.
How big is De Soto Parish, Louisiana by population?
About 27,025 people live in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, in 10,504 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is De Soto Parish, Louisiana mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, De Soto Parish, Louisiana has 30 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 35% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
The median home costs 5.4 times the median household income ($263,686 against $48,684), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $686 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in De Soto Parish, Louisiana have a college degree?
15.2% of adults in De Soto Parish, Louisiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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