Ouachita Parish, Louisiana: commercial real estate data.
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana has a population of 158,480 across 610 square miles, down 1.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $9.31 bn in 2024, 4,181 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 65 7(a) approvals worth $41.5 m.
120 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Ouachita Parish
How many people live in Ouachita Parish
- Population158,480
- Households61,489
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$54,688
- Median age36.6
- Median gross rent$959 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$194,400
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree11.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over104,362
- Population under 1838,938
- Share under 1824.6 percent
- Population 65 and over25,119
- Share 65 and over15.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6494,423
- Civilian labor force74,090
- Unemployment rate6.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.0 percent
- Rank by population among Louisiana parishes8th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents440th
Ouachita Parish is the 8th largest of 64 Louisiana parishes by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.6 percent against 15.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ouachita Parish
Is Ouachita Parish growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.55 percent
- Census 2020 base population160,366
- Births, 20241,915
- Deaths, 20241,808
- Natural change, 2024107
- Net domestic migration, 2024-354
- Net international migration, 2024405
- Total net migration, 202451
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-3,438
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2374th
The county has lost 1.55 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ouachita Parish
Where people moving to Ouachita Parish come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,910
- People arriving, from those returns5,519
- Adjusted gross income arriving$132.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$45,403
- Largest single originOuachita Parish Non-migrants (51,405 households)
- Largest single destination (51,405 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita Parish Non-migrants | 51,405 | 107,476 | $3.52 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 994 | 1,942 | $53.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 655 | 1,299 | $36.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 313 | 551 | $12.1 m |
| Lincoln Parish | 200 | 363 | $7.7 m |
| Morehouse Parish | 188 | 380 | $9.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 175 | 319 | $9.8 m |
| Richland Parish | 172 | 336 | $6.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ouachita 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.
Ouachita Parish
What the Ouachita Parish economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$9.31 bn
- County GDP, 2023$8.90 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.6 percent
- GDP change over five years28.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Louisiana parishes10th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents466th
- GDP per resident$58,726
Output grew 4.6 percent in the latest year and 28.8 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.
Ouachita Parish
Who employs people in Ouachita Parish
- Covered employment, annual average69,384
- Establishments reporting5,397
- Average annual pay$50,059
- Average weekly wage$963
- Sector 62, employment14,546
- Sector 62, average annual pay$49,276
- Sector 44-45, employment8,310
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,857
- Sector 72, employment7,018
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,839
- Sector 56, employment5,263
- Sector 56, average annual pay$45,652
- Sector 31-33, employment4,618
- Sector 23, employment3,932
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 14,546 | 820 | $49,276 |
| Sector 44-45 | 8,310 | 749 | $32,857 |
| Sector 72 | 7,018 | 402 | $19,839 |
| Sector 56 | 5,263 | 326 | $45,652 |
| Sector 31-33 | 4,618 | 141 | $77,360 |
| Sector 23 | 3,932 | 466 | $59,295 |
| Sector 54 | 2,694 | 660 | $68,181 |
| Sector 52 | 2,627 | 333 | $73,847 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 14,546 jobs, 21.0 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.
Ouachita Parish
What businesses operate in Ouachita Parish
- Establishments, all industries4,181
- Employment at those establishments59,407
- Annual payroll$2.80 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.4
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.
Ouachita Parish
What is being built in Ouachita Parish
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024345
- Declared construction value permitted$83.4 m
- Single family units authorised338
- Multifamily units authorised7
- Multifamily share of units2.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$241,683
- Units authorised per 1,000 households5.6
Multifamily is 2.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ouachita Parish
How much SBA lending happens in Ouachita Parish
- 7(a) approvals recorded65
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$41.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$638,629
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,970,000
- Largest single approval$3,836,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)896
- Jobs per approval13.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active28
- Distinct industries receiving approvals41
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer23.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms15
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter43
- Franchise loans9
- Franchise share of approvals13.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (5)
- Most active lenderOuachita Valley Federal Credit Union (6)
- 504 approvals recorded26
- 504 gross approval dollars$16.4 m
- Average 504 approval$629,615
- Median 504 approval$568,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval11.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved18.6
- Most active CDCSBA CLSC Servicing (14)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals71.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$57.9 m
The average approval of $638,629 sits well above the median of $250,000, 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 23.1 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.
Ouachita Parish
Do SBA loans in Ouachita Parish get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full5
- Charged off3
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Cancelled13
- Status: Exempt from disclosure42
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ouachita Parish
Which parts of Ouachita Parish get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- WEST MONROE, approvals34
- Monroe, approvals26
- STERLINGTON, approvals3
- Calhoun, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| WEST MONROE | 34 | $18,164,300 |
| Monroe | 26 | $19,743,200 |
| STERLINGTON | 3 | $3,175,400 |
| Calhoun | 2 | $428,000 |
WEST MONROE accounts for 34 approvals against 26 in Monroe. 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.
Ouachita Parish
How big is Ouachita Parish
- Land area610 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Louisiana parishes38th of 64
- Width, east to west29.4 mi
- Height, north to south30.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land260
- Establishments per square mile6.85
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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population158,480
- Households61,489
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$54,688
- Median age36.6
Common questions
Ouachita Parish questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana?
158,480, in 61,489 households, ranking 8th of 64 Louisiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ouachita Parish growing?
The population has fallen 1.55 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,915 births against 1,808 deaths, with net migration of 51. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ouachita Parish?
$54,688. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $194,400, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $959 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ouachita Parish?
4,181 establishments, employing 59,407 people with an annual payroll of $2.80 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 Ouachita Parish?
Average annual pay is $50,059, or $963 a week, across 69,384 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ouachita Parish?
65 7(a) approvals totalling $41.5 m since FY2020, across 28 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 26 504 approvals worth $16.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Ouachita Parish?
345 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $83.4 m. Multifamily was 2.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish come from?
The largest single origin is Ouachita Parish Non-migrants, with 51,405 households. Arriving households report an average income of $45,403 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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita 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.