• parish
  • FIPS 22079
  • Largest town: Alexandria

Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Rapides Parish had 125,899 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,324.1 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 64 in Louisiana by population and 2nd by land area.

Population
125,899
#13 of 64 in Louisiana · #519 in US
Area
1,324.1 sq mi
#2 of 64 in Louisiana · #451 in US
Density
95 / sq mi
#19 of 64 in Louisiana · #950 in US
Median household income
$52,379
#35 of 64 in Louisiana · #2,524 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Rapides Parish within Louisiana. Pin: Baton Rouge.

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Tools and pages that start from Rapides Parish

Rapides Parish population, land area and income

Rapides Parish had 125,899 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,324.1 square miles of land. It ranks 13th of 64 in Louisiana by population and 2nd by land area. That works out to 95.1 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Louisiana has 31,591 residents, so Rapides Parish is 4.0 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $52,379 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

125,899

3144th1st

519th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,324 sq mi

3144th1st

451st of 3,144 (US)

Density

95.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

950th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$52,379

3143rd1st

2524th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Louisiana (64)

Population

125,899

64th1st

13th of 64 (LA)

Land area

1,324 sq mi

64th1st

2nd of 64 (LA)

Density

95.1 / sq mi

64th1st

19th of 64 (LA)

Median household income

$52,379

64th1st

35th of 64 (LA)

How Rapides Parish's population changed since 2020

Rapides Parish lost 3,759 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.9%. That ranks 36th of 64 in Louisiana for growth. The median Louisiana county changed by -2.3%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Rapides Parish recorded 6,753 births and 7,747 deaths, a natural change of -994. Net international migration added +1,089 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -4,278. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 4,278 people.

129.7k2020128.6k2021127.0k2022126.5k2023125.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
6,753
Deaths
7,747
Net international migration
+1,089
Net domestic migration
-4,278
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-554

Where Rapides Parish is

The Census internal point of Rapides Parish is at 31.193200, -92.536000. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Louisiana's 64 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Rapides Parish outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Assumption Parish: -4.4%Concordia Parish: -4.2%Jackson Parish: -1.3%De Soto Parish: +1.6%Washington Parish: -0.6%Bienville Parish: -3.9%Caddo Parish: -5.1%Red River Parish: -4.6%Lafayette Parish: +5.0%Webster Parish: -4.6%Calcasieu Parish: -4.4%Allen Parish: -0.8%Rapides Parish: -2.9%Vernon Parish: -5.8%Union Parish: -2.3%St. Tammany Parish: +4.8%West Baton Rouge Parish: +4.3%Winn Parish: -2.3%Beauregard Parish: +0.2%Grant Parish: -0.2%Evangeline Parish: -1.7%Tangipahoa Parish: +4.6%St. Martin Parish: -0.8%Tensas Parish: -6.4%Caldwell Parish: -2.3%Franklin Parish: -3.1%Jefferson Parish: -2.8%Madison Parish: -8.3%Morehouse Parish: -6.6%Jefferson Davis Parish: -2.4%Pointe Coupee Parish: -4.0%Bossier Parish: +1.8%Richland Parish: -1.9%St. Charles Parish: -4.0%Acadia Parish: -1.5%Avoyelles Parish: -3.2%St. Mary Parish: -4.8%East Baton Rouge Parish: -0.6%Lafourche Parish: -2.2%Cameron Parish: -16.8%Terrebonne Parish: -5.1%LaSalle Parish: -0.9%Livingston Parish: +7.0%St. John the Baptist Parish: -6.3%Ouachita Parish: -1.4%Claiborne Parish: -4.0%St. Bernard Parish: +2.1%Orleans Parish: -5.4%St. Landry Parish: -1.8%Plaquemines Parish: -5.0%East Carroll Parish: -6.8%Vermilion Parish: +1.2%East Feliciana Parish: -1.7%Sabine Parish: -1.6%Iberia Parish: -3.6%Ascension Parish: +5.2%Lincoln Parish: -0.1%Natchitoches Parish: -3.8%St. James Parish: -5.0%St. Helena Parish: -0.4%Catahoula Parish: -6.4%West Carroll Parish: -4.5%West Feliciana Parish: -0.7%Iberville Parish: -1.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -5.0%
  2. < -3.6%
  3. < -1.7%
  4. < -0.4%
  5. ≥ -0.4%
no data

Orange pin: Rapides Parish internal point. Dark pin: Baton Rouge.

Internal point

Decimal
31.193200, -92.536000
DMS
31°11'35.52"N 92°32'9.60"W
UTM
15N 544206.9E 3451106.4N
Geohash
9vw1qq93d
Plus code
86395FV7+7J

Towns in Rapides Parish

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Rapides Parish, 63,683 people together, or 51% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rapides Parish; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Alexandria with 43,133.

  1. 01Alexandria43,133
  2. 02Pineville13,966
  3. 03Ball3,801
  4. 04Woodworth1,749
  5. 05Glenmora1,034
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rapides Parish

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Rapides Parish. The most populous is Vernon Parish, LA, with 45,819 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Baton Rouge and the nearest big city

Baton Rouge is 94.8 miles ESE of Rapides Parish's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lafayette, LA (population 122,280), 74.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Alexandria, LA (population 43,133), 8.0 miles away.

Rapides Parish FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rapides Parish is 22079: state code 22 for Louisiana plus parish code 079. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $52,379.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rapides Parish, Louisiana?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 125,899. That is down 3,759 people (2.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 129,658.

What is the FIPS code of Rapides Parish?

22079. The first two digits (22) are Louisiana; the last three (079) identify the parish.

What is the largest town in Rapides Parish?

Alexandria, with 43,133 residents inside Rapides Parish in 2024.

Which counties border Rapides Parish?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Vernon Parish, LA; Avoyelles Parish, LA; Natchitoches Parish, LA; Evangeline Parish, LA; Allen Parish, LA; Grant Parish, LA; LaSalle Parish, LA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.