De Soto Parish, Louisiana
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De Soto Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Mansfield and as of 2000, the population is 25,494.
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Geography
The parish has a total area of 2,317 km2 (894 mi2). 2,272 km2 (877 mi2) of it is land and 45 km2 (17 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.93% water.
Adjacent parishes
- Caddo Parish (north)
- Red River Parish (east)
- Natchitoches Parish (southeast)
- Sabine Parish (south)
- Shelby County, Texas (southwest)
- Panola County, Texas (west)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 25,494 people, 9,691 households, and 6,967 families residing in the parish. The population density is 11/km2 (29/mi2). There are 11,204 housing units at an average density of 5/km2 (13/mi2). The racial makeup of the parish is 55.97% White, 42.16% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,691 households out of which 33.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% are married couples living together, 18.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% are non-families. 25.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.11.
In the parish the population is spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.00 males.
The median income for a household in the parish is $28,252, and the median income for a family is $33,196. Males have a median income of $30,780 versus $20,182 for females. The per capita income for the parish is $13,606. 25.10% of the population and 21.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 33.80% of those under the age of 18 and 24.90% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns