Ascension Parish, Louisiana: commercial real estate data.
Ascension Parish, Louisiana has a population of 130,314 across 290 square miles, up 5.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $12.65 bn in 2024, 2,626 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 125 7(a) approvals worth $62.0 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Ascension Parish
How many people live in Ascension Parish
- Population130,314
- Households47,656
- Average household size2.73
- Median household income$91,549
- Median age36.6
- Median gross rent$1,318 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$279,600
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher29.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over85,426
- Population under 1834,379
- Share under 1826.4 percent
- Population 65 and over16,833
- Share 65 and over12.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6479,102
- Civilian labor force68,032
- Unemployment rate4.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over70.9 percent
- Rank by population among Louisiana parishes11th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents502nd
Ascension Parish is the 11th largest of 64 Louisiana parishes by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 26.4 percent against 12.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ascension Parish
Is Ascension Parish growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.56 percent
- Census 2020 base population126,499
- Births, 20241,602
- Deaths, 20241,002
- Natural change, 2024600
- Net domestic migration, 2024407
- Net international migration, 2024577
- Total net migration, 2024984
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,800
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents466th
The county has grown 5.56 percent since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ascension Parish
Where people moving to Ascension Parish come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,446
- People arriving, from those returns6,854
- Adjusted gross income arriving$221.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$64,298
- Largest single originAscension Parish Non-migrants (44,110 households)
- Largest single destination (44,110 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Parish Non-migrants | 44,110 | 97,331 | $3.92 bn |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | 1,079 | 2,084 | $67.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 743 | 1,534 | $60.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 473 | 976 | $36.4 m |
| Livingston Parish | 274 | 533 | $15.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 201 | 381 | $12.2 m |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | 164 | 350 | $9.4 m |
| St. James Parish | 154 | 338 | $8.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ascension Parish Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ascension Parish
What the Ascension Parish economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$12.65 bn
- County GDP, 2023$11.87 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.6 percent
- GDP change over five years51.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Louisiana parishes9th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents367th
- GDP per resident$97,107
Output grew 6.6 percent in the latest year and 51.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ascension Parish
Who employs people in Ascension Parish
- Covered employment, annual average50,590
- Establishments reporting3,919
- Average annual pay$71,805
- Average weekly wage$1,381
- Sector 23, employment9,756
- Sector 23, average annual pay$85,091
- Sector 31-33, employment7,629
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$135,685
- Sector 44-45, employment6,146
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,778
- Sector 72, employment4,616
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,325
- Sector 62, employment3,153
- Sector 42, employment2,242
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 23 | 9,756 | 405 | $85,091 |
| Sector 31-33 | 7,629 | 175 | $135,685 |
| Sector 44-45 | 6,146 | 482 | $34,778 |
| Sector 72 | 4,616 | 328 | $21,325 |
| Sector 62 | 3,153 | 393 | $41,813 |
| Sector 42 | 2,242 | 261 | $89,573 |
| Sector 54 | 2,165 | 462 | $92,306 |
| Sector 56 | 2,113 | 267 | $54,080 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 9,756 jobs, 19.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ascension Parish
What businesses operate in Ascension Parish
- Establishments, all industries2,626
- Employment at those establishments45,262
- Annual payroll$3.20 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ascension Parish
What is being built in Ascension Parish
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024531
- Declared construction value permitted$120.9 m
- Single family units authorised531
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$227,718
- Units authorised per 1,000 households11.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ascension Parish
How much SBA lending happens in Ascension Parish
- 7(a) approvals recorded125
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$62.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$496,107
- Median 7(a) approval$263,700
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,100,000
- Largest single approval$4,300,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,652
- Jobs per approval13.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active35
- Distinct industries receiving approvals63
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer13.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms17
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter97
- Franchise loans22
- Franchise share of approvals17.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other Specialty Trade Contractors (9)
- Most active lenderb1BANK (19)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.9 m
- Average 504 approval$628,000
- Median 504 approval$507,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval14.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved22.8
- Most active CDCJEDCO Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals97.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$63.9 m
The average approval of $496,107 sits well above the median of $263,700, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 13.6 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ascension Parish
Do SBA loans in Ascension Parish get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded21
- Paid in full16
- Charged off5
- Charge off rate on resolved loans23.8 percent
- Status: Paid in full16
- Status: Exempt from disclosure81
- Status: Charged off5
- Status: Cancelled19
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Of the 21 loans that have reached a final outcome, 23.8 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ascension Parish
Which parts of Ascension Parish get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending7
- Gonzales, approvals62
- PRAIRIEVILLE, approvals34
- GEISMAR, approvals9
- SAINT AMANT, approvals9
- DONALDSONVILLE, approvals7
- DENHAM SPRINGS, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Gonzales | 62 | $42,092,600 |
| PRAIRIEVILLE | 34 | $10,540,300 |
| GEISMAR | 9 | $2,540,400 |
| SAINT AMANT | 9 | $4,785,000 |
| DONALDSONVILLE | 7 | $1,660,100 |
| DENHAM SPRINGS | 2 | $107,000 |
| SORRENTO | 2 | $288,000 |
Gonzales accounts for 62 approvals against 34 in PRAIRIEVILLE. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ascension Parish
How big is Ascension Parish
- Land area290 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Louisiana parishes58th of 64
- Width, east to west28.3 mi
- Height, north to south19.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land449
- Establishments per square mile9.06
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Ascension Parish site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ascension Parish site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population130,314
- Households47,656
- Average household size2.73
- Median household income$91,549
- Median age36.6
Common questions
Ascension Parish questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ascension Parish, Louisiana?
130,314, in 47,656 households, ranking 11th of 64 Louisiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ascension Parish growing?
The population has grown 5.56 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,602 births against 1,002 deaths, with net migration of 984. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ascension Parish?
$91,549. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $279,600, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $1,318 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ascension Parish?
2,626 establishments, employing 45,262 people with an annual payroll of $3.20 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Ascension Parish?
Average annual pay is $71,805, or $1,381 a week, across 50,590 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ascension Parish?
125 7(a) approvals totalling $62.0 m since FY2020, across 35 lenders, with a median approval of $263,700, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Ascension Parish get paid back?
Of the 21 loans that have reached a final outcome, 16 were paid in full and 5 charged off, a charge off rate of 23.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Ascension Parish?
531 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $120.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ascension Parish?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ascension Parish come from?
The largest single origin is Ascension Parish Non-migrants, with 44,110 households. Arriving households report an average income of $64,298 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ascension Parish on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ascension Parish?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.