St. James Parish, Louisiana

LA · FIPS 22093 Republican

Located in Louisiana, St. James Parish has a population of 19,528 residents and a median age of 40.8 years, making it the #1,909 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 11.1%. The median home value is $211,800, and the median household income is $65,531, which is 13% below the national median.

19,528
Population
#1,909 of 3,222
$65,531
Median Income
-12.8% #1,590 of 3,222
40.8 years
Median Age
+4.9% #1,863 of 3,222
11.1%
Poverty Rate
-12.0% #1,032 of 3,222

Demographics

St. James Parish has a population of 19,528, making it the #1,909 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.2%
Native Born
1.8%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in St. James Parish is $65,531, ranking #1,590 out of 3,222 counties — 12.8% below the national median. The poverty rate is 11.1% and unemployment stands at 4.1%.

Income#1,590
$65,531
-12.8%
vs nation
51th percentile
Per Capita#1,235
$37,140
-10.0%
vs nation
62th percentile
Poverty#1,032
11.1%
-12.0%
vs nation
68th percentile
Unemployment#1,382
4.1%
-22.3%
vs nation
57th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in St. James Parish is $211,800 (-24.9% vs national). Renters pay a median of $903/mo and the homeownership rate is 84.4%.

Home Value#1,283
$211,800
-24.9%
vs nation
60th percentile
Rent#1,425
$903
-22.4%
vs nation
56th percentile
Homeownership#153
84.4%
+31.1%
vs nation
95th percentile

Household Type

Education

In St. James Parish, 19.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 42.2% below the national average, ranking #2,090 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
19.5% −42.2% vs nation
Rank #2,090 of 3,222
35th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in St. James Parish is 74.5 years. 21.5% of adults report poor or fair health and 6.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,778
74.5
-0.8%
vs nation
42th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,131
21.5%
+9.9%
vs nation
32th percentile
Diabetes#2,668
13.5%
+21.3%
vs nation
15th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#3,039
44.3%
+18.7%
vs nation
3th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,547
6.2
+9.0%
vs nation
19th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,466
4.4
-2.0%
vs nation
53th percentile
Uninsured Rate#445
6.0%
-43.1%
vs nation
86th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,280
29.4%
+11.4%
vs nation
28th percentile
Food Insecurity#603
11.3%
-21.6%
vs nation
81th percentile

Substance Use

19.3% of adults in St. James Parish smoke , 43.9% are obese , and 20.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 38.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,074
19.3%
+7.5%
vs nation
34th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,916
43.9%
+15.8%
vs nation
7th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,584
20.0%
+0.8%
vs nation
50th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,544
38.4
+18.8%
vs nation
27th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in St. James Parish is 19.3 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 10.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 22.8 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,444
19.3
+141.5%
vs nation
6th percentile
Suicide Rate#159
10.7
-45.7%
vs nation
94th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,976
23.5
+31.6%
vs nation
20th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,894
22.8
+12.4%
vs nation
33th percentile

Families & Children

23.0% of children in St. James Parish live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 13.2 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 18.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,343
13.2
+93.4%
vs nation
2th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,307
18.4
-15.8%
vs nation
57th percentile
Child Poverty#2,311
23.0%
+21.1%
vs nation
27th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in St. James Parish is 77.6%. The mean commute time is 30.8 min, which is 11.7% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
77.6% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
30.8 min +11.7% vs nation
Rank #749 of 3,222
77th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, St. James Parish voted Republican with a margin of 1.0%. The vote was 49.1% Dem / 50.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.4 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +1.0%
49.1% 50.1%
Dem 11,789 votes Rep
2020 DEM +4.4%
51.7% 47.3%
Dem 12,590 votes Rep
2016 DEM +8.0%
53.1% 45.1%
Dem 12,085 votes Rep
2012 DEM +14.9%
56.9% 42%
Dem 12,391 votes Rep
2008 DEM +12.5%
55.7% 43.2%
Dem 12,564 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About St. James Parish, Louisiana

St. James Parish, Louisiana has a total population of 19,528, making it the 1,909th most populous county in the United States. The median age in St. James Parish is 40.8 years, which is 4.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in St. James Parish is $65,531, which ranks #1,590 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 12.8% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 11.1%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.1%.

The median home value in St. James Parish is $211,800, 24.9% below the national median. Renters in St. James Parish pay a median gross rent of $903 per month. The homeownership rate is 84.4%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In St. James Parish, 19.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 42.2% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.3% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 30.8 min.

St. James Parish is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 49.3% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (47.4%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.0%).

All data for St. James Parish, Louisiana comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.