Richland Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States, in the state’s northeastern Delta Country along the Boeuf River. It had a population of 20,043 at the 2020 census and covers 576 square miles (1,491 km2) centred near 32°25′N 91°46′W.
Rayville is the parish seat, and its postal code is 71269. The parish has two incorporated towns (Rayville and Delhi), one village (Mangham), one census-designated place (Start), and a scatter of unincorporated communities. Louisiana parishes have no civil townships. The parish sits in the Central time zone; its FIPS code is 22077.
Towns & Villages in Richland Parish
Richland Parish’s population centres range from the seat, Rayville, down to farm hamlets that never incorporated. “Town” and “Village” below are the parish’s two incorporated classes under Louisiana law; “CDP” is a Census Bureau statistical area with no government of its own; “Unincorp.” communities have neither.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayville | Town · seat | 3,347 | 71269 |
| Delhi | Town | 2,622 | 71232 |
| Mangham | Village | 624 | 71259 |
| Start | CDP | 982 | 71279 |
| Alto | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Archibald | Unincorp. | — | 71218 |
| Bardel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bee Bayou | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buckner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Charlieville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crew Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dehlco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dunn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Four Forks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gilleyville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Girard | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Holly Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jonesburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mitchiner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Light | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rhymes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sacksonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Warden | Unincorp. | — | — |
Rhymes, one of the parish’s smaller communities, gave its name to the Rhymes Memorial Library in Rayville, built in 1925 as Louisiana’s first parish library.
ZIP Codes
- 71269 — Rayville (also serves the parish’s central and eastern rural routes)
- 71232 — Delhi (also serves Bee Bayou and Four Forks)
- 71259 — Mangham (also serves Buckner and Gilleyville)
- 71279 — Start
- 71218 — Archibald (PO Box only)
Most other unincorporated communities listed above share the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than carrying their own.
Geography
Richland Parish lies in the North Louisiana Delta, a flat, alluvial landscape of farmland, cane brakes, and bayou bottomland. The Boeuf River runs north to south through the middle of the parish, and Bayou Macon crosses its eastern side; Crew Lake and the Lafourche Diversion Canal add to its network of waterways. Of the parish’s 576 square miles, 559 are land and about 9 are water.
Richland Parish borders Morehouse Parish to the north, West Carroll Parish to the northeast, East Carroll Parish to the east, Madison Parish to the southeast, Franklin Parish to the south, Caldwell Parish to the southwest, and Ouachita Parish to the west.
Demographics
The parish had 20,043 residents at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 35.9 people per square mile of land. Rayville (3,347) and Delhi (2,622) are its two largest communities, together holding about 30 percent of the parish population. Median household income in Richland Parish runs below the Louisiana median of $58,229, reflecting the parish’s heavily agricultural economic base.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop farming anchors the parish economy — cotton, corn, soybeans, and grain sorghum on the Delta’s flat, fertile ground, alongside cattle and timber on the parish’s margins. Rayville serves as the parish’s retail and government hub, with the Richland Parish Courthouse and Richland Parish School Board both based there. Delhi, on the Union Pacific rail line, has historically served as a shipping point for parish agriculture.
History
Richland Parish was created on September 29, 1868, carved from parts of Ouachita, Franklin, and Carroll parishes during Reconstruction. Its name reflects the richness of its farmland. Rayville, the parish seat, was named for John Ray, a Monroe-based politician and landowner in the area. The Rhymes Memorial Library, opened in Rayville in 1925, was Louisiana’s first parish library.
Getting There
U.S. Route 80 and Interstate 20 both cross the parish east–west, and Louisiana Highway 17 runs north–south through Rayville and Delhi.
- Monroe — 20 miles west
- Tallulah — 35 miles east
- Winnsboro — 25 miles south
- Bastrop — 30 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Monroe Regional Airport (MLU), about 25 miles west of Rayville.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Richland Parish?
It is in Louisiana’s northeastern corner, in the North Louisiana Delta Country, between Monroe and the Mississippi River.
What is the population of Richland Parish?
20,043, per the 2020 census.
How big is Richland Parish?
576 square miles (1,491 km2), including about 9 square miles of water.
What is the Richland Parish seat?
Rayville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Richland Parish?
Two incorporated towns (Rayville and Delhi), one village (Mangham), and one census-designated place (Start), plus roughly 18 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Richland Parish?
71269 (Rayville), 71232 (Delhi), 71259 (Mangham), 71279 (Start), and 71218 (Archibald).
What river runs through Richland Parish?
The Boeuf River crosses the parish from north to south; Bayou Macon runs through its eastern side.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Louisiana.