St. Bernard Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette and as of 2000, the population is 67,229.

Geography

The parish has a total area of 4,646 km² (1,794 mi²). 1,204 km² (465 mi²) of it is land and 3,441 km² (1,329 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 74.07% water.

Adjacent parishes

• Lake Borgne (north)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Plaquemines Parish (south)
• Orleans Parish (west & northwest)

History

St. Bernard Parish contains a small community of Spanish descent. Isleños from the Canary Islands arrived around 1780. This linguistically isolated group eventually developed their own dialect.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 67,229 people, 25,123 households, and 18,289 families residing in the parish. The population density is 56/km² (145/mi²). There are 26,790 housing units at an average density of 22/km² (58/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish is 88.29% White, 7.62% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 5.09% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 25,123 households out of which 33.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.40% are married couples living together, 14.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% are non-families. 22.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.64 and the average family size is 3.12.

In the parish the population is spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.10 males.

The median income for a household in the parish is $35,939, and the median income for a family is $42,785. Males have a median income of $34,303 versus $24,009 for females. The per capita income for the parish is $16,718. 13.10% of the population and 10.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 16.50% of those under the age of 18 and 11.40% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns

External link

• St. Bernard Parish government's website