Franklin Parish

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 625 square miles (1,620 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 425

Louisiana Highway 4

Louisiana Highway 15

Louisiana Highway 17

Louisiana Highway 577

Adjacent parishes

Richland Parish (north)

Madison Parish (northeast)

Tensas Parish (southeast)

Catahoula Parish (south)

Caldwell Parish (west)

National protected area

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Towns

Winnsboro (parish seat and largest municipality)

Wisner

Villages

Baskin

Gilbert

Unincorporated communities

Chase

Crowville

Extension

Fort Necessity

Jigger

Liddieville

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the parish had a population of 19,774 and a median age of 40.4 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,727 households and 5,130 families residing in the parish. Of those households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.0% were married-couple households, 19.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,883 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. Among occupied units, 71.3% were owner-occupied and 28.7% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

The racial makeup of the parish was 63.2% White, 33.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, 26.0% of residents lived in urban areas while 74.0% lived in rural areas.

Education

Franklin Parish School Board operates local public schools. Franklin Parish High School is the sole public high school in the parish.

The parish also hosts two private schools. One of them, Franklin Academy in Winnsboro, was opened as a segregation academy on September 14, 1970, three weeks after parish schools were ordered by a federal judge to desegregate. Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.

Culture

Franklin Parish hosts the annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival with music, attractions and hundreds of vendors. The 2018 festival was attended by over 10,000 people in bad weather but usually the draw is between 15,000 and 20,000. People from across the region are attracted by the relatively high vendor count and this has an important economic contribution for local businesses. In past years the festival has included an antique car show, a zoo exhibit for children and an exhibit about Louisiana's contributions during World War II, along with performances from Grammy-winning artists Jo-El Sonnier and Jason Crabb.

Notable people

Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Catahoula, Franklin, and Richland parishes in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960

Anthony "Booger" McFarland, Winnsboro native; All-American football player at Louisiana State University; played in National Football League for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lainey Wilson, a 2024 Grammy Award winning country music singer, was born in Baskin.