Ouachita Parish, LA elected officials: parish government, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Ouachita Parish: 42 seats on 12 elected bodies. 14 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Who lives in each of the 2 school districts (Census figures)
School district
People
Median household income
Below the poverty line
Without health insurance
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Monroe City School District
47,004
$40,505
35.9%
6.7%
65.1%
Ouachita Parish School District
111,476
$61,476
18%
7.7%
53.8%
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.
West Monroe· Mayor Staci Albritton Mitchell · 6 seats
How many local governments Ouachita Parish has
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Ouachita Parish. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
4
3
School districts (school boards)
2
2
Special districts (elected boards)
2
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Ouachita Parish
158,480people
36.6median ageU.S.: 38.9
$54,688 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
23.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
28.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$194,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.5%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
2.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
7.4%U.S.: 8.4%
58.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
29.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.7% · White 55.3% · Black 37.2% · Asian 1.1% · Other or more than one race 2.6% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Ouachita Parish
3.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.5%. Louisiana: 3.8%.
68,091people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
70,764in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.8%
2,673
68,091
70,764
August 2026
3.7%
2,632
68,584
71,216
July 2026
4.2%
3,026
69,048
72,074
June 2026
4.8%
3,475
68,739
72,214
May 2026
4.3%
3,123
69,138
72,261
April 2026
3.8%
2,746
69,393
72,139
March 2026
4.6%
3,280
68,388
71,668
February 2026
4.6%
3,264
68,348
71,612
January 2026
4.6%
3,265
67,921
71,186
December 2025
4.0%
2,859
69,368
72,227
November 2025
4.3%
3,095
69,564
72,659
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.5%
3,195
68,079
71,274
August 2025
4.5%
3,218
67,876
71,094
July 2025
4.6%
3,293
68,684
71,977
June 2025
5.0%
3,563
68,032
71,595
May 2025
4.5%
3,215
67,660
70,875
April 2025
4.2%
2,982
67,669
70,651
March 2025
4.5%
3,172
67,072
70,244
February 2025
4.6%
3,183
66,567
69,750
January 2025
4.8%
3,329
66,248
69,577
December 2024
4.3%
3,012
67,115
70,127
November 2024
4.7%
3,345
67,124
70,469
October 2024
4.8%
3,366
67,193
70,559
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.5%
3,191
67,893
71,084
2024
4.5%
3,205
67,442
70,647
2023
3.9%
2,743
67,984
70,727
2022
3.7%
2,634
68,254
70,888
2021
5.2%
3,666
66,709
70,375
2020
7.8%
5,421
64,319
69,740
2019
5.2%
3,653
67,107
70,760
2018
5.1%
3,681
67,823
71,504
2017
5.3%
3,774
67,928
71,702
2016
6.1%
4,393
68,084
72,477
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Louisiana's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.0% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Police in Ouachita Parish
Police staffing
3.07 per 1,000 residents2025, 4 agencies serving 158,445 people.
486sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
112civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (4), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office
284
81
97,012
Monroe Police Department
131
30
46,376
West Monroe Police Department
66
0
12,336
Sterlington Police Department
5
1
2,721
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
486
3.07
112
4
2024
484
3.06
153
4
2023
550
3.50
50
4
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Ouachita Parish Assessor?
Stephanie Smith (Republican) is the Assessor of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
Who is the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court?
Dana Benson (Independent) is the Clerk of Court of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
Who is the Ouachita Parish Coroner?
Marshall V. Sanson (Republican) is the Coroner of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
Who is the Ouachita Parish Sheriff?
Marcus "Marc" Mashaw (Republican) is the Sheriff of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana.
Who are the Ouachita Parish commissioners?
Toni Bacon (Police Juror, District A); Jimmy Tyson (Police Juror, District B); Larry Bratton (Police Juror, District C); Michael Thompson, Sr. (Police Juror, District D); Shane Smiley (Police Juror, District E); Lonnie Hudson (Police Juror, District F).
Who is on the Ouachita Parish School Board?
Michael Sampognaro (District 1); Jennifer Haneline (District 2); William E. "Bill" Willson (District 3); Daryll Berry (District 4); Betty Ward-Cooper (District 5); Brandon "BJ" Johnson (District 6); Brenda Shelling (District 7); Tommy Comeaux (District A); Shere May (District B); Michael Batey (District C); Jerry Hicks (District D); Harold McCoy (District E); Dabo Graves (District F); "Greg" Manley (District G).
What is the population of Ouachita Parish?
About 158,480 people, with a median age of 36.6; the median household income is $54,688 and 23.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ouachita Parish?
3.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,673 people unemployed in a labor force of 70,764, against 4.5% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Ouachita Parish?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 2 school district and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Ouachita Parish?
5: Monroe, Richwood, Richwood, West Monroe, West Monroe. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Louisiana Secretary of State's official list of elected officials; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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