| County: | Franklin Parish |
| State: | Louisiana |
| Founded Year: | 1843 |
| Seat Wl: | Winnsboro |
| Largest City Wl: | Winnsboro |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 635 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 625 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 11 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.7 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 19774 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Ex Image: | Franklin Parish Courthouse in Winnsboro, LA.jpg |
| Ex Image Size: | 250px |
| Ex Image Cap: | Franklin Parish Courthouse in Winnsboro |
| District: | 5th |
Franklin Parish (French: Paroisse de Franklin, Spanish; Castilian: Parroquia de Franklin) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020, its population was 19,774. The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Winnsboro.[1] The parish was founded in 1843 and named for Benjamin Franklin.[2] [3]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of, of which is land and (1.7%) is water.[4]
| White (non-Hispanic) | 12,430 | 62.86% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,508 | 32.91% | |
| Native American | 26 | 0.13% | |
| Asian | 38 | 0.19% | |
| Other/Mixed | 496 | 2.51% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 276 | 1.4% |
Franklin Parish School Board operates local public schools.[6] Franklin Parish High School is the sole public high school in the parish.
The parish also hosts two private schools. One of them, Franklin Academy in Winnsboro, was opened as a segregation academy on September 14, 1970, three weeks after parish schools were ordered by a federal judge to desegregate.[7] [8] Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.[9] [10]
Franklin Parish hosts the annual Franklin Parish Catfish Festival with music, attractions and hundreds of vendors. The 2018 festival was attended by over 10,000 people in bad weather but usually the draw is between 15,000 and 20,000. People from across the region are attracted by the relatively high vendor count and this has an important economic contribution for local businesses. In past years the festival has included an antique car show, a zoo exhibit for children and an exhibit about Louisiana's contributions during World War II, along with performances from Grammy-winning artists Jo-El Sonnier and Jason Crabb.[11]