Grant Parish, Louisiana

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 22,169 residents and a median age of 39.4 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 127.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 132.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the parish was 79.9% White, 14.0% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.0% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,823 households in the parish, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.3% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

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

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

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

|White alone (NH)

|13,715

|14,739

|15,859

|17,361

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,678

|82.11%

|84.10%

|84.82%

|77.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |75.23%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,782

|2,521

|2,212

|3,441

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,060

|16.66%

|14.38%

|11.83%

|15.42%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.80%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|24

|78

|157

|205

|style='background: #ffffe6; |193

|0.14%

|0.45%

|0.84%

|0.92%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.87%

|Asian alone (NH)

|26

|29

|24

|53

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67

|0.16%

|0.17%

|0.13%

|0.24%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.03%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42

|0.02%

|0.03%

|0.01%

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

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|85

|307

|style='background: #ffffe6; |790

|0.45%

|1.38%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.56%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|152

|153

|213

|931

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,333

|0.91%

|0.87%

|1.14%

|4.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.01%

|Total

|16,703

|17,526

|18,560

|22,309

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,169

|100.00%

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

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the parish was 85.43% White, 11.88% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The decreases in population from 1910 to 1920, and from 1940 to 1960, were chiefly caused by different phases of the Great Migration, as African Americans left segregation and oppression of the South to seek better opportunities in the North, during the first phase, and in the West, especially California's defense industry, in the second phase. Tens of thousands of migrants left Louisiana during times of agricultural difficulties and the collapse of agricultural labor after mechanization.

In 2000, there were 7,073 households, out of which 36.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the parish the population was spread out, with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $29,622, and the median income for a family was $34,878. Males had a median income of $31,235 versus $20,470 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $14,410. About 16.90% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Prisons U.S. Penitentiary, Pollock is located in an unincorporated area in the parish, near Pollock.

Politics

Today Grant Parish is majority white and votes strongly Republican. Mitt Romney polled 7,082 votes (81.7 percent) in his 2012 race against the Democrat U.S. President Barack H. Obama, who trailed with 1,422 votes (16.4 percent). In 2008, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona swept the parish, with 6,907 votes (80.7 percent) to Obama's 1,474 (17.2 percent). In every election since then, the Republican candidate has broken the record for the strongest performance by a candidate from that party in Parish history.

In 1992, George Herbert Walker Bush carried Grant Parish but was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection. He polled 3,214 votes (40.8 percent) to Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas's 3,122 (39.6 percent). This son of the South carried numerous other Republican-leaning jurisdictions. Ross Perot, who later founded the Reform Party, polled 1,174 (14.9 percent). In 1996, Republican Robert J. Dole narrowly won in Grant Parish over U.S. President Bill Clinton, a son of the South, with 3,117 votes (42.8 percent) to 2,980 (40.9 percent). Ross Perot polled another 1,055 (14.5 percent).

The last Democrat to win in Grant Parish at the presidential level was former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia in his 1976 defeat of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Jr., who had Bob Dole as his vice-presidential partner.

Education

Public schools in Grant Parish are operated by the Grant Parish School Board.

National Guard

A Company 199TH FSB (Forward Support Battalion) resides in Colfax, Louisiana. This unit deployed twice to Iraq as part of the 256TH IBCT in 2004-5 and 2010.

Communities

Towns

Colfax (parish seat and largest municipality)
Montgomery
Pollock

Villages

Creola
Dry Prong
Georgetown

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Prospect
Rock Hill

Other communities

Aloha
Antonia
Bentley
Fishville
Hargis
Oak Grove
Selma
Verda

Prison

{| class="wikitable"

! Name !! Address !! Zip !! Aged

| Grant Parish Detention Center || Richardson Drive, Colfax, Louisiana || 71417 || 18+

Notable people

W. K. Brown, state representative from Grant Parish from 1960 to 1972
Joe T. Cawthorn (1911-1967), lawyer, businessman, and politician affiliated with the Long faction, born in Selma in Grant Parish, resided in Mansfield in DeSoto Parish
Billy Ray Chandler, state representative from Grant Parish, 2006-2012
Ed Head (1918–1980), Major League Baseball player who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Russ Springer, Major League baseball player