St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin and as of 2000, the population is 53,500.

Map of Louisiana highlighting St. Mary Parish

Geography

The parish has a total area of 2,898 km² (1,119 mi²). 1,587 km² (613 mi²) of it is land and 1,311 km² (506 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 45.23% water.

Adjacent parishes

• Iberia Parish (north)
• St. Martin Parish (east)
• Assumption Parish (southeast)
• Terrebonne Parish (south)
• Gulf of Mexico (southwest)

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 53,500 people, 19,317 households, and 14,082 families residing in the parish. The population density is 34/km² (87/mi²). There are 21,650 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (35/mi²). The racial makeup of the parish is 62.79% White, 31.79% Black or African American, 1.39% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 19,317 households out of which 36.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% are married couples living together, 16.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% are non-families. 23.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.70% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.74 and the average family size is 3.23.

In the parish the population is spread out with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the parish is $28,072, and the median income for a family is $33,064. Males have a median income of $31,570 versus $18,341 for females. The per capita income for the parish is $13,399. 23.60% of the population and 20.60% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.30% of those under the age of 18 and 19.00% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns