† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupOpelousasLouisianaUnited States
African American†77.8%29.3%9.9%
French3.7%9.6%1.6%
French Canadian2.3%1.6%—
English1.5%7.3%9.5%
American1.4%7.4%5.3%
German1.1%6.9%12.5%
Irish1.1%6.6%9.4%
Italian0.5%4.3%4.8%
Mexican1.5%2.1%11.3%
Honduran0.4%1.6%0.3%
Spanish0.3%0.7%—
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Opelousas
Louisiana
United States
Median age
37.1
38
39.1
Age 18–24
8.1%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.7%
16.8%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Opelousas
Louisiana
United States
Median household income
$32,964
$60,756
$84,427
Poverty rate
37.4%
19.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
10.7%
27.1%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Opelousas
Louisiana
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.1%
8.5%
22.3%
Spanish
1.5%
4.7%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
2.2%
1.5%
0.7%
Religious landscape
Measure
Opelousas
Louisiana
United States
Catholic
—
26.8%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
25.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
36.8%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Opelousas, Louisiana
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+49.3%
2008
+46.8%
2012
+53.3%
2016
+52.1%
2020
+53.4%
2024
+49.6%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
73.9%Harris4,106
24.3%Trump1,349
1.9%
D+49.6
R+3.8
D+51.1
5,558
D
75.3%Biden5,029
21.9%Trump1,464
2.8%
D+53.4
D+1.2
D+48.9
6,677
D
75.0%Clinton5,214
22.8%Trump1,587
2.2%
D+52.1
R+1.2
D+50.1
6,955
D
76.1%Obama6,138
22.7%Romney1,834
1.2%
D+53.3
D+6.5
D+49.5
8,070
D
72.7%Obama6,088
25.9%McCain2,170
1.3%
D+46.8
R+2.5
D+39.5
8,371
D
74.6%Kerry5,426
25.3%Bush1,841
0.1%
D+49.3
—
D+51.7
7,275
Opelousas anchors St. Landry Parish as one of Louisiana's older Creole and African American cultural centers; its electorate skews heavily Democratic in federal races while local offices regularly draw competitive, personality-driven contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 53.4 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 3.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 49.6 points.
A population of 15,495, a 16% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $32,964 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Forrest City and Yazoo City.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Opelousas, Louisiana voted Democratic by 49.6 points (D+49.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 5,558 votes cast, 4,106 went Democratic and 1,349 went Republican.
How many people live in Opelousas, Louisiana?
Opelousas, Louisiana has a population of 15,495 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Opelousas, Louisiana?
Median household income in Opelousas, Louisiana is $32,964 — below the national median of $80,734. The Louisiana state median is $60,756.
What is the political history of Opelousas, Louisiana?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Opelousas, Louisiana from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
