Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Louisiana

The map below shows majority race by area in Louisiana, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Louisiana racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.

Louisiana map of race and ethnicity
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White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Multiple/Other
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area

The majority race in Louisiana overall is white, making up 55.8% of residents. The next most-common racial group is black at 30.3%. There are more white people in the southwest areas of the state. People who identify as black are most likely to be living in the central places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:

Race in Louisiana

 
Self-Identified Race
Louisiana Population
White
55.8%
Hispanic
7.3%
Black
30.3%
Asian
1.7%
Native American
0.4%
Other
4.4%
   

Diversity and Diversity Scores for Louisiana

The map below shows diversity in Louisiana. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the state would both be considered lacking diversity.

Louisiana map of race and ethnicity
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Louisiana Diversity Score

58.9

More diverse than 69% of US states

Louisiana has a diversity score of 58.9: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Louisiana is more diverse than other US states, more diverse than 69% of them. Within Louisiana's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is southeast Louisiana, and the least diverse areas are in southwest Louisiana.

Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.