Winn Parish, Louisiana

Winn Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, in the pine hills of the north-central part of the state, roughly 70 miles south of Shreveport. It had a population of 13,755 at the 2020 census and covers 957 square miles (2,480 km2) of land and water, centred near 31°57′N 92°38′W.

Winnfield is the county — parish — seat, and its postal code is 71483. The parish holds one city, one town shared with a neighboring parish, and four villages; it sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 45-081.

Towns & Villages in Winn Parish

Winnfield anchors the parish as its only city; the rest of Winn Parish is small villages and unincorporated crossroads communities strung along the highways and Saline Bayou.

Tullos straddles the Winn/La Salle parish line, so only part of the town lies inside Winn. Winn Parish has no civil-township layer; the remaining names on older lists are farm crossroads and post-office communities rather than incorporated places, and most never carried a Census population count of their own.

ZIP Codes

• 71483 — Winnfield (also serves most of central Winn Parish)
• 71479 — Tullos (also serves the parish’s southeast corner, shared with La Salle Parish)
• 71422 — Dodson (also serves the northwest corner near Jackson Parish)
• 71404 — Atlanta (also serves the parish’s northeast side)

Calvin, Sikes, and the smaller crossroads communities use a Winnfield or Dodson mailing address rather than a ZIP code of their own.

Geography

Winn Parish sits in the rolling, pine-covered uplands of north-central Louisiana. A large share of the Kisatchie National Forest’s Winn Ranger District lies within the parish, and Saline Bayou — a state and federally designated Wild and Scenic River — runs along part of the boundary with Natchitoches Parish. Of the parish’s 957 square miles, 950 square miles are land and 6.7 square miles are water. Winn Parish borders six other parishes: Jackson Parish to the north, Caldwell Parish to the northeast, La Salle Parish to the southeast, Grant Parish to the south, Natchitoches Parish to the west, and Bienville Parish to the northwest.

Demographics

Winn Parish had a population of 13,755 at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 14 people per square mile of land — sparse even by rural Louisiana standards. Winnfield, the seat, is by far the largest place at 4,153 residents; Tullos, shared with La Salle Parish, is next at 304. The parish’s median household income runs well below Louisiana’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $58,229, reflecting a rural economy still anchored in timber, corrections, and public-sector jobs rather than higher-wage industry.

Economy & Local Life

Timber and forestry drive much of Winn Parish’s private economy, with logging and lumber operations working the parish’s extensive pine acreage alongside the Kisatchie National Forest. Winn Correctional Center, a large state prison facility near Winnfield, is one of the parish’s biggest single employers, alongside Walmart and area lumber mills. The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, home to a salt kettle once used at the Confederate-era Drake’s Salt Works, is the parish’s best-known cultural landmark and draws visitors interested in the parish’s outsized role in Louisiana political history.

History

The Louisiana legislature created Winn Parish on February 24, 1852, from land taken out of Catahoula, Natchitoches, and Rapides parishes. The name likely honors either Walter O. Winn, an early landowner and legislator, or General Winfield Scott — sources differ, and the parish’s own history keeps both names in play. During the Civil War, salt boiled from local brine at Drake’s Salt Works and the Cary Salt Works supplied the Confederate army, and decades later the same mine hosted Project Cowboy, a 1959–60 underground explosives test tied to the federal Plowshare Program. Winnfield’s political legacy is unusual for a small parish seat: it produced three Louisiana governors — Huey Long, his brother Earl Long, and O. K. Allen.

Getting There

U.S. Highways 71, 84, and 167 all cross Winn Parish, along with Louisiana Highways 34, 126, 127, and 156, giving Winnfield direct road links north to Shreveport and south toward Alexandria and Interstate 49.

• Natchitoches — roughly 35 miles west
• Alexandria — roughly an hour’s drive south
• Shreveport — roughly an hour and a half north
• Monroe — roughly an hour and a half east

The nearest commercial air service is in Alexandria and Shreveport; Winnfield has no Amtrak station, and the closest passenger rail stop is in Longview, Texas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Winn Parish, Louisiana?
It is in north-central Louisiana, between Natchitoches and Monroe, bordered by Jackson, Caldwell, La Salle, Grant, Natchitoches, and Bienville parishes.

What is the Winnfield postcode?
Winnfield’s ZIP code is 71483.

What is the Winn Parish seat?
Winnfield is the county seat.

What was Winn Parish’s population at the 2020 census?
13,755 people, spread across 957 square miles of land and water.

What towns are in Winn Parish?
Winnfield is the only city; Tullos is a shared town with La Salle Parish; Dodson, Atlanta, Calvin, and Sikes are villages.

When was Winn Parish created?
The Louisiana legislature organized it on February 24, 1852, from parts of Catahoula, Natchitoches, and Rapides parishes.

What is Winn Parish’s economy built on?
Timber and forestry, the Winn Correctional Center, Walmart, and area lumber mills are the parish’s largest employers.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.