Ouachita Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, centred on the city of Monroe along the Ouachita River. It had a population of 160,368 at the 2020 census and covers 632 square miles (1,640 km2) centred near 32°29′N 92°10′W.
Monroe is the parish seat, and its postal code is 71201. The parish contains two cities, two towns, several census-designated places and unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish has two incorporated cities (Monroe and West Monroe), two incorporated towns (Richwood and Sterlington), a handful of census-designated places, and dozens of unincorporated neighbourhoods and subdivisions clustered around the Monroe–West Monroe urban core. Louisiana has no civil townships, so the table below has no township column. Type key: City = incorporated city, Town = incorporated town, CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but Census-recognised), Unincorp. = unincorporated community or subdivision with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | City · seat | 47,702 | 71201, 71202, 71203, 71209, 71210, 71211, 71212, 71213, 71217 |
| West Monroe | City | 13,103 | 71291, 71292, 71294 |
| Sterlington | Town | — | 71280 |
| Richwood | Town | — | — |
| Calhoun | CDP | — | 71225 |
| Swartz | CDP | — | 71281 |
| Bawcomville | CDP | — | — |
| Brownsville | CDP | — | — |
| Claiborne | CDP | — | — |
| Lakeshore | CDP | — | — |
| Bosco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairbanks | Unincorp. | — | 71240 |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eros | Unincorp. | — | 71238 |
| Cadeville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cheniere | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cypress | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Drew | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forsythe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Luna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Millhaven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mineral Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Ten | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shenandoah | Unincorp. | — | — |
Monroe and West Monroe sit on opposite banks of the Ouachita River and function as one urban area — a resident’s mailing address can read either city depending on which side of the river they live on, even inside the shared 712xx ZIP block. Dozens of subdivision names from the old parish list — Audubon Park, Belle Meade, Casa Linda, Fleetwood Park, Highland Park, Northgate, Parkwood, Tanglewood, Westwood and similar — are residential neighbourhoods inside Monroe or West Monroe city limits rather than standalone places, so they are not repeated as separate rows here.
ZIP Codes
- 71201 — Monroe (downtown/central)
- 71202 — Monroe
- 71203 — Monroe
- 71209 — Monroe (also serves University of Louisiana Monroe)
- 71291 — West Monroe
- 71292 — West Monroe
- 71280 — Sterlington
- 71225 — Calhoun
- 71281 — Swartz
- 71238 — Eros
- 71240 — Fairbanks
Richwood, Bawcomville, Brownsville, Claiborne and Lakeshore share a Monroe or West Monroe ZIP rather than carrying a distinct post office code of their own.
Geography
Ouachita Parish lies in the Delta region of northeastern Louisiana, split by the Ouachita River, which flows south through Monroe and West Monroe on its way to the Black and Red rivers. The parish is mostly flat alluvial land given over to farmland, pine forest and bottomland hardwood, with Bayou Desiard and Bayou DeLoutre draining into the Ouachita on the east side. Watson Brake, on private land near the Bosco community, is the oldest known earthwork mound complex in North America, dated to roughly 3500 BCE.
Ouachita Parish borders Union Parish to the north, Morehouse Parish to the northeast, Richland Parish to the east, Caldwell Parish to the south, Jackson Parish to the southwest and Lincoln Parish to the west.
Demographics
Ouachita Parish had 160,368 residents at the 2020 census. Monroe (47,702) and West Monroe (13,103) together hold roughly two-fifths of the parish’s population. Median household income runs below the Louisiana median of $58,229, reflecting Monroe’s mix of hospital, utility and retail jobs alongside lower-income neighbourhoods closer to the river. Population density works out to roughly 263 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Healthcare, telecommunications and state government anchor the parish economy. Top employers include Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink, headquartered in Monroe), St. Francis Medical Center, Louisiana state government offices, J.P. Morgan Chase’s regional operations centre, and Glenwood Regional Medical Center. The University of Louisiana Monroe, on the west side of the city, and Louisiana Delta Community College add education to the mix. Monroe hosts the annual Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo and the Miracle on Ice ice-sculpture festival downtown each December.
History
Ouachita Parish was created on March 31, 1807, one of Louisiana’s original 19 parishes, and takes its name from the Ouachita River and the Ouachita people who lived along it. A 1916 natural gas strike near Monroe made the city, briefly, “the natural gas capital of the world,” fuelling early 20th-century growth in population and industry that shaped the Monroe–West Monroe metro area still visible today.
Getting There
Interstate 20 runs east–west through Monroe and West Monroe, with US routes 165 and 80 also crossing the parish. Monroe Regional Airport offers commercial flights.
- Monroe — parish seat, on I-20
- West Monroe — 3 miles west of Monroe, across the Ouachita River
- Sterlington — 12 miles north of Monroe
- Ruston (Lincoln Parish) — 30 miles west via I-20
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ouachita Parish, Louisiana?
It is in the Delta region of northeastern Louisiana, along the Ouachita River, about 100 miles east of Shreveport.
What is the population of Ouachita Parish?
160,368 at the 2020 census.
How big is Ouachita Parish?
632 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 610 square miles is land and 21 square miles is water.
What is the Ouachita Parish seat?
Monroe is the county seat.
How many towns are in Ouachita Parish?
Two cities (Monroe and West Monroe), two towns (Richwood and Sterlington), six census-designated places, and numerous unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Ouachita Parish?
Monroe uses 71201–71213 and 71217; West Monroe uses 71291, 71292 and 71294; smaller towns use 71225 (Calhoun), 71280 (Sterlington), 71281 (Swartz) and 71238 (Eros).
What is Watson Brake?
A prehistoric earthwork mound complex near Bosco, built around 3500 BCE and considered the oldest known such site in North America. It sits on private land and is not open to the public.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.