Tensas Parish, Louisiana: commercial real estate data.
Tensas Parish, Louisiana had an estimated 3,844 residents on July 1, 2024, down 7.3 percent since the 2020 census base of 4,148, across 603 square miles. County output reached $160.0 m in 2024, 69 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $46,400 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Tensas Parish
How many people live in Tensas Parish
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,935
- Households1,578
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$36,615
- Median age47.5
- Median gross rent$601 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$86,300
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher14.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,835
- Population under 18843
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over1,106
- Share 65 and over28.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,986
- Civilian labor force1,119
- Unemployment rate11.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over36.2 percent
- Rank by population among Louisiana parishes64th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2968th of 3,222
Tensas Parish is the 64th largest of 64 Louisiana parishes by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 28.1 percent against 21.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Tensas Parish
Is Tensas Parish's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,844
- Census 2020 base population4,148
- Population change since the 2020 census base-7.33 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-4
- Births, 202423
- Deaths, 202444
- Natural change, 2024-21
- Net domestic migration, 202417
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 202417
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-158
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3090th of 3,144
The county has lost 7.33 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Tensas Parish
Where are people moving to Tensas Parish from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving47
- People arriving, from those returns94
- Tax returns filed by households leaving82
- Net household movement-35
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-999,000
- Average income of an arriving household$49,000
- Average income of a leaving household$40,268
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $8,732 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Tensas Parish
What is the Tensas Parish economy?
- County GDP, 2024$160.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$157.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.7 percent
- GDP change over five years33.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Louisiana areas BEA publishes64th of 64
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2961st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$40,667
Output grew 1.7 percent in the latest year and 33.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Tensas Parish
Employment by industry in Tensas Parish
- Covered employment, annual average815
- Establishments reporting132
- Average annual pay$44,513
- Average weekly wage$856
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment136
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$42,051
- Other services, except public administration, employment4
- Other services, except public administration, average annual pay$24,216
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 136 | 27 | $42,051 |
| Other services, except public administration | 4 | 10 | $24,216 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 136 jobs, 16.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Tensas Parish
How many businesses are in Tensas Parish?
- Establishments, all industries69
- Employment at those establishments447
- Annual payroll$16.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Tensas Parish
Building permits in Tensas Parish
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Tensas Parish
SBA loans in Tensas Parish (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$46,400
- Average 7(a) approval$46,400
- Median 7(a) approval$46,400
- Largest single approval$46,400
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4
- Jobs per approval4.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term83 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Tensas Parish
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Tensas Parish
Do SBA loans in Tensas Parish get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Tensas Parish
How large is Tensas Parish?
- Land area603 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Louisiana parishes39th of 64
- Width, east to west32.2 mi
- Height, north to south35.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land7
- Establishments per square mile0.11
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Tensas Parish
Flood risk in Tensas Parish
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Tensas Parish, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 220215
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Tensas Parish, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Tensas Parish (community 220215), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Tensas Parish in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Tensas Parish site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Tensas Parish site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,935
- Households1,578
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$36,615
- Median age47.5
Common questions
Tensas Parish questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Tensas Parish, Louisiana?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,844 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 3,935, in 1,578 households, ranking 64th of 64 Louisiana counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Tensas Parish's population growing?
The population has fallen 7.33 percent since the 2020 census base of 4,148, to 3,844 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 23 births against 44 deaths, with net migration of 17. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Tensas Parish?
$36,615. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $86,300, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $601 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Tensas Parish?
69 establishments, employing 447 people with an annual payroll of $16.6 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Tensas Parish?
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 136 jobs, 16.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 815 jobs at an average annual pay of $44,513, or $856 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Tensas Parish?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $46,400 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $46,400. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Tensas Parish?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Tensas Parish?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Tensas Parish on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Tensas Parish?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Tensas Parish
Cities and places in Tensas.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Tensas Parish. All 3 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newellton | town | 997 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| St. Joseph | town | 603 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Waterproof | town | 576 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |