Jefferson Davis Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, in the Acadiana region of the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 32,250 at the 2020 census and covers 659 square miles (1,700 km2) centred near 30°15′N 92°40′W.
Jennings is the parish seat, and its postal code is 70546. The parish has one city, three towns, one village and a handful of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Jefferson Davis Parish
Jefferson Davis Parish has five incorporated places and a number of small unincorporated communities scattered across its rural interior. CDP = Census-Designated Place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no city government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennings | City · seat | — | 70546 |
| Welsh | Town | — | 70591 |
| Lake Arthur | Town | — | 70549 |
| Elton | Town | — | 70532 |
| Fenton | Village | — | 70640 |
| Lacassine | Unincorp. | — | 70650 |
| Roanoke | Unincorp. | — | 70581 |
| Hathaway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| China | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fontenot | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Foremans Hall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gravel Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Niblett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Panchoville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Raymond | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Silverwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Thornwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Topsy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodlawn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barnsdall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buller | Unincorp. | — | — |
Jennings, the parish seat, sits on Interstate 10 near the parish’s northern edge and is the only city. Welsh, Lake Arthur and Elton are incorporated towns; Fenton is the parish’s one village. The remaining names are small farming and railroad-siding communities with no municipal government — several, such as Roanoke and Lacassine, cluster along the Union Pacific line that crosses the parish east to west.
ZIP Codes
- 70546 — Jennings
- 70591 — Welsh
- 70549 — Lake Arthur
- 70532 — Elton
- 70581 — Roanoke
- 70650 — Lacassine (PO Box)
- 70640 — Fenton (PO Box)
Smaller communities such as Hathaway, China, Edna and Woodlawn have no ZIP code of their own and are served by the nearest post office town above.
Geography
Jefferson Davis Parish lies in the flat coastal prairie of southwestern Louisiana, most of it drained by the Mermentau River and the Lacassine Bayou, with the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge covering marshland in the parish’s southern reaches. Rice and cattle farming dominate the open prairie in the north and center of the parish.
The parish borders Allen Parish and Evangeline Parish to the north, Acadia Parish and Vermilion Parish to the east, Cameron Parish to the south, and Calcasieu Parish and Beauregard Parish to the west.
Demographics
Jefferson Davis Parish had 32,250 residents at the 2020 census. Jennings and Welsh are the parish’s two largest communities. Median household income in the parish runs below the Louisiana median of $58,229, reflecting the rural, agriculture-based economy. Population density is about 49 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Rice farming, cattle ranching and crawfish aquaculture anchor the parish economy, alongside oil and gas services tied to the historic Jennings oil field. Jennings hosts the parish’s hospitals, schools and government offices and sits directly on Interstate 10, drawing regional retail and trucking traffic. The parish is part of the Acadiana cultural region, and Cajun French heritage remains visible in local place names and family names.
History
Jefferson Davis Parish was created in 1913 out of the western portion of Calcasieu Parish (then Imperial Calcasieu), and it is named for Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States during the Civil War. Jennings, the parish seat, was already a well-established railroad town on the Southern Pacific line by the time the parish was organized. In 1901, drilling near Jennings, at the Jules Clement farm, brought in Louisiana’s first commercial oil well, sparking an early-20th-century oil boom that shaped the parish’s economy for decades.
Getting There
Interstate 10 runs east-west through the parish, passing directly through Jennings; U.S. Route 90 and Louisiana Highway 26 provide secondary access to the parish’s towns.
- Lake Charles — 25 miles west
- Lafayette — 35 miles east
- Crowley — 20 miles east
- Baton Rouge — 115 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Lake Charles Regional Airport, about 30 miles west of Jennings via I-10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Jefferson Davis Parish?
It is in the southwestern part of Louisiana, in the Acadiana region, between Lake Charles and Lafayette.
What is the population of Jefferson Davis Parish?
32,250 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Jefferson Davis Parish?
659 square miles (1,700 km2), of which about 7.2 square miles is water.
What is the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish?
Jennings is the parish seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Jefferson Davis Parish?
One city (Jennings), three towns (Elton, Lake Arthur, Welsh), one village (Fenton) and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Jefferson Davis Parish?
70546 (Jennings), 70591 (Welsh), 70549 (Lake Arthur), 70532 (Elton), 70581 (Roanoke), 70650 (Lacassine) and 70640 (Fenton).
What was drilled near Jennings in 1901?
Louisiana’s first commercial oil well, on the Jules Clement farm, launching an early oil boom that shaped the parish’s economy.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.