How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 4.62 million people living in Louisiana. That makes Louisiana the 25th-most populous state, home to 1.4% of people living in the US.

4.62M

population of Louisiana (2025)

1.4%

Louisiana share of the US population (2025)
The population of Louisiana was about 3.3 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Louisiana grew by about 3,300 people.

About 4.62 million people lived in Louisiana in 2025. That's about 3.3 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are Louisiana's age demographics?

About 814,500 Louisiana residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 17.8% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 1.07 million Louisiana residents, or 23.3% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A lower share of Louisiana's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are Louisiana's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic Black or African American residents make up 31.7% of Louisiana’s population, higher than the national share of 12.6%.
In contrast, Louisiana’s Hispanic population accounted for 7.8%, below the 20% share nationwide. The non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 2% of the state, compared with 6.5% nationally.

A higher share of Louisiana's population is non-Hispanic Black or African American than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are Louisiana's most populous parishes?

In 2024, eight out of 64 parishes accounted for over half of Louisiana’s population:
  • East Baton Rouge Parish, 453,000 (9.8% of the population)
  • Jefferson Parish, 427,300 (9.3%)
  • Orleans Parish, 362,700 (7.9%)
  • St. Tammany Parish, 277,600 (6%)
  • Lafayette Parish, 254,200 (5.5%)
  • Caddo Parish, 224,900 (4.9%)
  • Calcasieu Parish, 206,900 (4.5%)
  • Ouachita Parish, 157,900 (3.4%)

In 2024, East Baton Rouge Parish was the most populous parish in Louisiana.

Population estimates

What are Louisiana's most populous cities?

The largest city in Louisiana is New Orleans with about 362,700 residents in 2024.

Cities and parishes in Louisiana ranked by population

Cities and parishes in Louisiana ranked by population
1.

New Orleans

362,701
2.

Baton Rouge

220,907
3.

Shreveport 

176,578
4.

Lafayette 

122,280
5.

Lake Charles

81,157
6.

Kenner 

64,650
7.

Bossier City

63,218
8.

Monroe 

46,622
9.

Alexandria 

43,133
10.

Houma 

31,671

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.