Louisiana

:For other senses of this word, see Louisiana (disambiguation).

Demographics

See also: List of famous people from Louisiana; List of Louisiana musicians; Music of Louisiana

Related Topics:
List of famous people from Louisiana - List of Louisiana musicians - Music of Louisiana

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As of 2003, the state's population was 4,496,334, including approximately 215,000 native French-speakers.

Related Topics:
2003 - French-speakers

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The racial makeup of the state is:

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• 62.5% White
• 32.5% Black
• 2.4% Hispanic
• 1.2% Asian
• 0.6% Native American
• 1.1% Mixed race

The five largest ancestries in the state are: African American (32.5%), French/French Canadian (16.2%), American (10.1%), German (7.1%), Irish (7%).

Related Topics:
African American - French/French Canadian - American - German - Irish

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Blacks, who long made up the majority of the state's population, dominate much of the southeast, central, and northern parts of the state, particularly those parishes along the Mississippi river valley. Creoles of French and Spanish ancestry and Cajuns of French-Canadian ancestry are dominant in much of the southern part of the state. Whites of Southern U.S. background predominate in the hillier areas of northern Louisiana.

Related Topics:
Creole - French - Spanish - Cajuns - French-Canadian - Southern U.S.

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As of 2000, 91.2% of Louisiana residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 4.8% speak French. Spanish is the third most spoken language at 2.5%, followed by Vietnamese at 0.6% and German at 0.2%.

Related Topics:
English - French - Spanish - Vietnamese - German

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Religion

Like the other Southern states, Louisiana is mostly Protestant; however there is also a large native Catholic population in the state, particularly in the southern part of the state, which makes Louisiana unique among Southern states. The current religious affiliations of the people of Louisiana are shown in the table below:

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• Christian ? 90%
• Protestant ? 60%
• Baptist ? 38%
• Methodist ? 4%
• Pentecostal ? 2%
• Other Protestant – 16%
• Roman Catholic ? 30%
• Other Christian ? 1%
• Other Religions ? <1%
• Non-Religious ? 10%

The New Orleans area has a small but significant Jewish community.

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