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De Soto Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Mansfield and As of 2000, the population was 25,494.
With a large black population, De Soto Parish is a traditioinal stronghold of the Democratic Party. However, in the 2004 presidential election, the parish gave Republican nominee George W. Bush 6,211 votes (55 percent) to Democrat John F. Kerry's 5,026 (44 percent).
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 (1.93%) is 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 were 25,494 people, 9,691 households, and 6,967 families residing in the parish. The population density was 11/km² (29/mi²). There were 11,204 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,691 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the parish the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.00 males.
The median income for a household in the parish was $28,252, and the median income for a family was $33,196. Males had a median income of $30,780 versus $20,182 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $13,606. About 21.00% of families and 25.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.80% of those under age 18 and 24.90% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
"De Soto Parish, Louisiana"