County outline
Where Jefferson Davis Parish is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.9% of Jefferson Davis Parish’s measured area and water for 1.1%. Its combined area converts to 1,706.1 square kilometers or approximately 421,585 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 651.52 | 1,687.429 | 416,972.8 |
| Water | 7.207 | 18.666 | 4,612.5 |
| Total | 658.727 | 1,706.095 | 421,585.3 |
How Jefferson Davis Parish compares
By original Census land area, Jefferson Davis Parish ranks #31 of 64 in Louisiana and #1447 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.009 times the Louisiana county-equivalent median of 645.9 square miles. It accounts for 1.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Louisiana ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Jefferson Davis Parish
The Census Bureau estimates that 31,471 people lived in Jefferson Davis Parish on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,443 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #33 of 64 in Louisiana. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 32,272, the population has declined by 801 (−2.5%), compared with −0.9% for Louisiana as a whole.
With 651.5 square miles of land, that is 48 people per square mile (19 per km²), placing Jefferson Davis Parish #1,586 nationally for density and #31 in Louisiana. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Louisiana median is 48. Put another way, there are about 13 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 32,237 | 32,417 | 32,012 | 31,670 | 31,527 | 31,471 |
| Change | — | +180 | −405 | −342 | −143 | −56 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Jefferson Davis Parish
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Jefferson Davis Parish. Together they are home to 16,281 people (51.7%); the other 15,190 (48.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Jennings city, with 9,235 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennings cityCounty seat | 9,235 | −6% | 10.6 |
| Welsh town | 3,286 | −1.4% | 6.322 |
| Lake Arthur town | 2,569 | −0.9% | 1.908 |
| Elton town | 974 | −2% | 1.661 |
| Fenton village | 217 | −6.9% | 0.485 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Jefferson Davis Parish. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Jefferson Davis Parish is an outlying county of the Lake Charles, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 244,655 residents on 3,006.4 square miles of land; Jefferson Davis Parish accounts for 21.7% of the land and 12.9% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #99 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #201 by population. It belongs to the Lake Charles-DeRidder, LA Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish | 208,466 | 1,064.2 |
| Jefferson Davis Parish | 31,471 | 651.5 |
| Cameron Parish | 4,718 | 1,290.7 |
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jefferson Davis Parish; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
70532705467054970581705917064070647706487065070657
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Jefferson Davis Parish
Jefferson Davis Parish shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Jefferson Davis Parish. The largest neighbor is Cameron Parish (1,290.7 mi²) and the smallest is Acadia Parish (655.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Jefferson Davis Parish forms a block of 7,415.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 8.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Jefferson Davis | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Parish | 1,290.7 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Vermilion Parish | 1,172.1 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Beauregard Parish | 1,157.5 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Calcasieu Parish | 1,064.2 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Allen Parish | 762.1 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Evangeline Parish | 662.4 | about the same | Compare |
| Acadia Parish | 655.2 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Jefferson Davis Parish compared with U.S. states?
Jefferson Davis Parish has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Louisiana’s county land could hold about 66 areas the size of Jefferson Davis Parish.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.5 miles (41.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Jefferson Davis Parish?
Jefferson Davis Parish has more land than 1,775 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Jefferson Davis Parish at #1,542 nationally by total area, 95 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2%. The two percentages are within 0.1 percentage points of each other. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Jefferson Davis Parish in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1446 | Randolph County, Arkansas | 651.9 | Compare |
| #1447 | Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana | 651.5 | This county |
| #1448 | Coosa County, Alabama | 650.9 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 30.269529, -92.816221. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,687,430,131 m²; AWATER: 18,666,916 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Jefferson Davis Parish?
Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana has 651.5 square miles (1,687.4 km²) of land and 7.207 square miles of water, for a total area of 658.7 square miles. It ranks #1447 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Jefferson Davis Parish the largest county in Louisiana?
No. Jefferson Davis Parish ranks #31 of 64 in Louisiana by land area. The largest is Vernon Parish, with 1,326.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Jefferson Davis Parish?
Jefferson Davis Parish shares a land border with Calcasieu Parish, Allen Parish, Acadia Parish, Cameron Parish, Vermilion Parish, Beauregard Parish, and Evangeline Parish.
What is the population of Jefferson Davis Parish?
The Census Bureau estimates Jefferson Davis Parish had 31,471 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,443 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 48 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Jefferson Davis Parish?
The county seat of Jefferson Davis Parish is Jennings.
What cities and towns are in Jefferson Davis Parish?
Jefferson Davis Parish has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Jennings city, Welsh town, Lake Arthur town, Elton town, and Fenton village; 15,190 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Jefferson Davis Parish part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Lake Charles, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 244,655 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Jefferson Davis Parish?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Jefferson Davis Parish, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Jefferson Davis Parish compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Jefferson Davis Parish?
The land measurement converts to approximately 416,973 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 421,585 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.