Madison Parish, Louisiana

Madison Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, on the Mississippi River at the state’s northeastern corner, across from Vicksburg, Mississippi. It had a population of 10,017 at the 2020 census and covers 651 square miles (1,690 km2), of which 624 square miles (1,616 km2) is land, centred near 32°22′N 91°14′W.

Tallulah is the parish seat, and its postal code is 71282. The parish has one incorporated city, three villages, and a scatter of unincorporated communities and river landings. Madison Parish is in the Central time zone; its FIPS code is 22065.

Towns & Villages in Madison Parish

Madison Parish has 28 named places on record: one incorporated city (Tallulah, the seat), three villages (Delta, Mound, Richmond), and the rest unincorporated communities and old river landings scattered across the delta lowlands. Louisiana parishes have no civil townships, so places are listed with type only.

Most of the parish’s unincorporated points are old plantation or ferry-landing names on the Mississippi River batture rather than settlements with a business district; several (County Landing, Indian Landing, Jackson Landing, Scott Landing, Warsaw Ferry) mark historic river-crossing or landing sites rather than current population centres.

ZIP Codes

• 71282 — Tallulah (also serves most of the parish’s rural communities)
• 71233 — Delta

Mound, Richmond, and the small river landings and farm communities scattered across the parish are served by the Tallulah post office.

Geography

Madison Parish lies in the Mississippi River delta lowlands of northeastern Louisiana, flat alluvial farmland cut by bayous and old river oxbows. The Mississippi River forms the parish’s eastern boundary, with the Vicksburg Bridge carrying Interstate 20 and US Route 80 across it into Warren County, Mississippi. Much of the land is protected by levees and drains through Walnut Bayou and Roundaway Bayou toward the Tensas and Mississippi rivers.

Madison Parish borders East Carroll Parish to the north, Warren County, Mississippi to the east across the Mississippi River, Tensas Parish to the south, Franklin Parish to the southwest, and Richland Parish to the northwest.

Demographics

Madison Parish had 10,017 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 16 people per square mile. Tallulah, the seat, is by far the largest community; Delta and Mound are the next-largest named places. The parish is one of six in Louisiana with an African-American-majority population, at 62.1% Black or African American and 34.7% White. Median household income runs well below the Louisiana median of $58,229, reflecting the parish’s dependence on agricultural employment and its decades-long population decline since a 1980 peak.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture drives the parish economy, with cotton, soybeans, corn, and pecan orchards worked on land that once carried large antebellum cotton plantations. Mechanization of farm work through the late 20th century cut the demand for agricultural labor sharply, and the parish’s population has fallen by roughly a third since 1980. Tallulah, on I-20 midway between Monroe and Vicksburg, serves as the parish’s trade and government center.

History

Madison Parish was created on January 19, 1838, from part of Concordia Parish, and named for President James Madison. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries a ferry linked Delta, Louisiana, to Vicksburg, Mississippi, across the river; the crossing was superseded when the Vicksburg Bridge opened to carry I-20 and US 80 traffic directly into the parish. The parish’s economy and settlement pattern were shaped by large cotton plantations before the Civil War and by mechanized row-crop farming afterward.

Getting There

Interstate 20 and US Route 80 run east–west through the parish, crossing the Mississippi River on the Vicksburg Bridge; US Route 65 runs north–south.

• Vicksburg, Mississippi — 5 miles east
• Monroe, Louisiana — 65 miles west
• Lake Providence, Louisiana — 30 miles north
• Natchez, Mississippi — 65 miles south

The nearest commercial airport is Vicksburg-Tallulah Regional Airport, a general-aviation field just outside Tallulah; the nearest airport with scheduled passenger service is Monroe Regional Airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Madison Parish, Louisiana?
It sits in the delta lowlands of northeastern Louisiana, on the Mississippi River directly across from Vicksburg, Mississippi.

What is the population of Madison Parish?
10,017 residents at the 2020 census.

How big is Madison Parish?
651 square miles (1,690 km2), including 26 square miles of water.

What is the Madison Parish seat?
Tallulah is the county seat and the parish’s only incorporated city.

How many towns and villages are in Madison Parish?
One city (Tallulah) and three villages (Delta, Mound, Richmond), plus about two dozen unincorporated communities and river landings.

What ZIP codes are in Madison Parish?
71282 (Tallulah and most of the parish) and 71233 (Delta).

Why did a ferry once cross the Mississippi River here?
Before the Vicksburg Bridge opened, a ferry linked Delta, Louisiana, to Vicksburg, Mississippi, carrying road traffic across the river; I-20 and US 80 now cross on the bridge instead.

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