Franklin Parish, Louisiana

225px|right|thumb|Franklin Parish Veterans Memorial sign in [[Winnsboro, Louisiana|Winnsboro, Louisiana]]

225px|right|thumb|Franklin Parish Library in downtown Winnsboro historic district

Franklin Parish (, ) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020, its population was 19,774. The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Winnsboro. The parish was founded in 1843 and named for Benjamin Franklin.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 425
25px Louisiana Highway 4
25px Louisiana Highway 15
25px Louisiana Highway 17
25px Louisiana Highway 577

Adjacent parishes

Richland Parish (north)
Madison Parish (northeast)
Tensas Parish (southeast)
Catahoula Parish (south)
Caldwell Parish (west)

National protected area

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Towns

Winnsboro (parish seat and largest municipality)
Wisner

Villages

Baskin
Gilbert

Unincorporated communities

Chase
Crowville
Extension
Fort Necessity
Jigger
Liddieville

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 19,774 and a median age of 40.4 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,727 households and 5,130 families residing in the parish. Of those households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.0% were married-couple households, 19.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 census, 26.0% of residents lived in urban areas while 74.0% lived in rural areas.

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Franklin Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|16,293

|15,197

|14,197

|13,853

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,430

|67.49%

|67.88%

|66.77%

|66.71%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |62.86%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|7,645

|7,015

|6,692

|6,500

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,508

|31.67%

|31.34%

|31.47%

|31.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32.91%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|31

|55

|36

|style='background: #ffffe6; |26

|0.02%

|0.14%

|0.26%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.13%

|Asian alone (NH)

|31

|24

|39

|42

|style='background: #ffffe6; |38

|0.13%

|0.11%

|0.18%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |17

|0.03%

|0.00%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|118

|129

|style='background: #ffffe6; |479

|0.55%

|0.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.42%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|158

|120

|160

|196

|style='background: #ffffe6; |276

|0.65%

|0.54%

|0.75%

|0.94%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.40%

|Total

|24,141

|22,387

|21,263

|20,767

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,774

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

Education

Franklin Parish School Board operates local public schools. Franklin Parish High School is the sole public high school in the parish.

The parish also hosts two private schools. One of them, Franklin Academy in Winnsboro, was opened as a segregation academy on September 14, 1970, three weeks after parish schools were ordered by a federal judge to desegregate. Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.

Culture

Franklin Parish hosts the annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival with music, attractions and hundreds of vendors. The 2018 festival was attended by over 10,000 people in bad weather but usually the draw is between 15,000 and 20,000. People from across the region are attracted by the relatively high vendor count and this has an important economic contribution for local businesses. In past years the festival has included an antique car show, a zoo exhibit for children and an exhibit about Louisiana's contributions during World War II, along with performances from Grammy-winning artists Jo-El Sonnier and Jason Crabb.

Notable people

Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Catahoula, Franklin, and Richland parishes in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
Anthony "Booger" McFarland, Winnsboro native; All-American football player at Louisiana State University; played in National Football League for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lainey Wilson, a 2024 Grammy Award winning country music singer, was born in Baskin.

Politics