akashic
1876–2024
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Calcasieu Parish·Louisiana

For one hundred four years, Calcasieu Parish voted Democratic. Then it stopped.

Lake Charles anchors a petrochemical corridor that swings reliably Republican

18762024·38 elections
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana · CTtcg · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+40
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
207,088
2024 ACS
Most similar
Jefferson Davis Parish
LA · similarity 1.00
123 precincts · 81,201 votes cast
Trump · R+40
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−39.6%
23,91856,06481,201
2020R
−35.2%
25,98255,06682,663
2016R
−33.3%
26,29654,19183,785
2012R
−28.7%
28,35951,85081,726
2008R
−24.6%
30,24450,44982,131
2004R
−16.6%
32,86446,07579,698
2000R
−5.7%
33,91938,08673,636
1996D
+15.9%
38,23826,49473,661
1992D
+12.5%
33,57024,84769,862
1988D
+6.7%
33,93229,64964,100
1984R
−3.4%
33,21435,56669,210
1980D
+12.1%
35,44627,60064,859
1976D
+31.4%
33,98017,48552,595
1972R
−22.0%
15,33024,77842,925
1968D
+11.4%
14,5939,52044,363
1964R
−15.5%
17,04623,28540,331
1960D
+37.2%
24,23310,24337,627
1956R
−5.6%
12,25513,76026,733
1952D
+17.5%
15,81411,10226,916
1948D
+41.3%
7,0741,94012,438
1944D
+61.6%
7,8611,8679,728
1940D
+66.1%
6,9931,4258,429
1936D
+71.4%
6,2591,0377,309
1932D
+79.8%
6,1056786,805
1928D
+27.7%
3,5321,9975,532
1924D
+37.3%
2,4941,1293,656
1920D
+67.1%
2,4804832,976
1916D
+82.8%
1,7981651,973
1912D
+60.8%
2,1441713,246
1908D
+45.4%
1,9756832,848
1904D
+44.2%
1,1024011,586
1900D
+41.9%
1,5596392,198
1896D
+49.4%
2,6588913,579
1892D
+24.0%
1,0896681,757
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
18.7%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
23.6%
Baptist
18.1%
Other Christian
10.2%
Methodist
4.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.2%
Mainline Protestant
0.8%
Non-Christian
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 39.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Calcasieu Parish is dominated by the refining and liquefied-natural-gas industries clustered around Lake Charles, a economic identity that has correlated with steadily widening Republican margins over the past two decades.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Calcasieu Parish peaked at eighty-three points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of six points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.

The economic and demographic context is severe. Calcasieu Parish's median household income of $67,564 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Jefferson Davis Parish and Marshall County.