Northern parishes still losing population

• By STEVEN WARD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Mar 24, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The majority of parishes in north Louisiana continue to bleed population just like they have for more than 20 years, according to U.S. Census estimates.

“What’s happening in northern Louisiana? Nothing. We’re stuck,” Shreveport demographer and political consultant Elliot Stonecipher said Friday.

Stonecipher said he has closely monitored the population trends of north Louisiana since 1980 and nothing much has changed between the mid-’80s and the estimates the U.S. Census Bureau released recently on population shifts from July 1, 2006, to July 1, 2007.

He said there are exceptions: Bossier Parish, a northwest parish with a history of growth, managed to grow from 2006 to 2007 by just over 1,000 people, or 1 percent of its population.

Across the Red River, however, Caddo Parish, home to the city of Shreveport, lost 860 residents, or 0.3 percent.

Parishes such as Morehouse, West Carroll, Winn and Tensas also lost residents, Census estimates show.

• Morehouse Parish lost 491 residents, or 1.7 percent.
• West Carroll Parish lost 145 residents, or 1.2 percent.
• Winn Parish lost 163 residents, or 1 percent.
• Tensas Parish lost 173 residents, or 2.9 percent.

“I can’t believe we lost people,” she said. “We had some people move here after Hurricane Katrina (in 2005). Maybe the loss was the people who died. We have a large elderly population.”

Netterville also said younger people would love to stay and rear their families in Tensas, but there are just not enough higher-paying jobs.

Stonecipher said the population figures are really “grim” when cast over 26 years.

Since 1980, he said, Concordia Parish lost 17 percent of its population, East Carroll Parish lost 29 percent, Franklin Parish lost 17 percent and Madison Parish lost 26 percent.

Ouachita Parish, home of the city of Monroe, grew only 7.4 percent in more than 25 years, Stonecipher said.

He said it’s not surprising people continue to leave Louisiana, considering the state is situated between Texas and Florida, states where there are no state income taxes and plenty of higher-paying job opportunities.

“And we can’t seem to connect the dots in Louisiana,” he said.