Shreveport is a city located in Bossier Parish and Caddo Parish Louisiana. Shreveport has a 2023 population of 177,562. It is also the county seat of Caddo Parish.Shreveport is currently declining at a rate of -1.77% annually and its population has decreased by -5.22% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 187,338 in 2020.
The average household income in Shreveport is $70,384 with a poverty rate of 24.46%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Shreveport is 36.4 years, 34.8 years for males, and 38.1 years for females.
Shreveport is located in Caddo Parish, Louisiana along the Red River and into part of Bossier Parish. Shreveport is part of the Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area and it's currently the third largest city in Louisiana behind New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
The predominant religion in Shreveport is Christian. In the 19th century, Shreveport was largely Protestant but Baptists now account for most Christians followed by Methodists and Catholics. Shreveport also has a sizable Jewish community made up of German Jewish immigrants from the mid-19th century. About 14% of Louisiana's total Muslim community lives in the Shreveport-Bossier metro area.
Shreveport's population has been in a slow decline for years due to issues like poverty, a high unemployment rate, and crime. According to Census data, Louisiana was one of eight states in the U.S. to see a population drop between 2016 and 2017. While the state as a whole experienced a net decrease of fewer than 2,000 people, the trend was most significant in Northwest Louisiana which includes Shreveport and Bossier City. In Northwest Louisiana, the population declined by 4,200 from 2014 to 2017.
Shreveport was founded to create a meeting point where the Texas Trail and the Brown Bricks meet. In honor of Captain Henry Miller Shreve, who made the Red River navigable, the town was called Shreve Town and the town company was known as the Shreve Town Company. By 1839, the town was incorporated as Shreveport.
In its early days, Shreveport was a center for steamboat commerce and it had a slave market. It became the capital of Louisiana briefly during the Civil War and served as a Confederate stronghold. Shreveport's Trans-Mississippi was even the last Confederate command to surrender after Robert E. Lee surrendered thanks to their isolation. It took weeks for news of the end of the war to reach the area.
Due to economic problems in recent decades, Shreveport has struggled with poverty, crime, unemployment, and a declining population.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Shreveport was:
Black or African American
White
Two or more races
Asian
Other race
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 74,949 | 2.46 | 52.9 | 47.1 |
| Non Family | 31,817 | 1.16 | 39.8 | 60.2 |
| Married | 24,347 | 3.18 | 78.1 | 21.9 |
| Female | 14,985 | 3.83 | 39.1 | 60.9 |
| Male | 3,800 | 3.41 | 55.4 | 44.6 |
3.34
Average Family Size
2.46
Average Household Size
52.9%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
95.99% of Shreveport residents speak only English, while 4.01% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 1.97% of the population.
rate
24.46%
Overall Poverty Rate
22.52%
Male Poverty Rate
26.18%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Shreveport is Black, with 33.91% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Shreveport is Islander, with 6.73% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 6.26%. Among those working part-time, it was 28.38%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 32.05%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
35.4%
Overall Marriage Rate
38.6%
Male Marriage Rate
32.6%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
12.33%
Veteran Poverty Rate
27.31%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
58%
Labor Force Participation
52.4%
Employment Rate
9%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
78.87%
Born in Shreveport
99.8%
Native Born
2.45%
Foreign Born
1.25%
Non Citizen
1.2%
Naturalized
99.8% of Shreveport residents were born in the United States, with 78.87% having been born in Louisiana. 1.25% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,700 | -157,814 | 2.57% |
| 1860 | 2,200 | 500 | 2.61% |
| 1870 | 4,607 | 2,407 | 7.67% |
| 1880 | 8,009 | 3,402 | 5.69% |
| 1890 | 11,979 | 3,970 | 4.11% |
| 1900 | 16,013 | 4,034 | 2.94% |
| 1910 | 28,015 | 12,002 | 5.75% |
| 1920 | 43,874 | 15,859 | 4.59% |
| 1930 | 76,655 | 32,781 | 5.74% |
| 1940 | 98,167 | 21,512 | 2.5% |
| 1950 | 127,206 | 29,039 | 2.63% |
| 1960 | 164,372 | 37,166 | 2.6% |
| 1970 | 182,064 | 17,692 | 1.03% |
| 1980 | 206,989 | 24,925 | 1.29% |
| 1990 | 198,525 | -8,464 | -0.42% |
| 2000 | 200,145 | 1,620 | 0.08% |
| 2010 | 199,311 | ||
| 2011 | 198,139 | -1,172 | -0.59% |
| 2012 | 196,967 | -1,172 | -0.59% |
| 2013 | 195,795 | -1,172 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 194,623 | -1,172 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 193,451 | -1,172 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 192,279 | -1,172 | -0.61% |
| 2017 | 191,107 | -1,172 | -0.61% |
| 2018 | 189,935 | -1,172 | -0.61% |
| 2019 | 188,763 | -1,172 | -0.62% |
| 2020 | 187,338 | -1,425 | -0.75% |
| 2021 | 184,021 | -3,317 | -1.77% |
| 2022 | 180,763 | -3,258 | -1.77% |
| 2023 | 177,562 | -3,201 | -1.77% |
| 2024 | 174,418 | -3,144 | -1.77% |
| 2025 | 171,330 | -3,088 | -1.77% |
| 2026 | 168,296 | -3,034 | -1.77% |
| 2027 | 165,316 | -2,980 | -1.77% |
| 2028 | 162,389 | -2,927 | -1.77% |
| 2029 | 159,514 | -2,875 | -1.77% |