Franklin Parish, Louisiana


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 is water.

Major highways

Towns

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, there were 8,883 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. Among occupied units, 71.3% were owner-occupied and 28.7% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.
The racial makeup of the parish was 63.2% White, 33.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, 26.0% of residents lived in urban areas while 74.0% lived in rural areas.

Racial and ethnic composition

Education

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