| Lecompte, Louisiana | |
| Official Name: | Town of Lecompte |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Image Map1: | Louisiana in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Louisiana in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 31.0947°N -92.4003°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Louisiana |
| Subdivision Type2: | Parish |
| Subdivision Name2: | Rapides |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Craig Phillips (No Party) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.75 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.06 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.75 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.06 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Elevation Ft: | 69 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 845 |
| Population Density Km2: | 306.85 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 794.92 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Area Code: | 318 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 22-42800 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
Lecompte is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. Lecompte is situated along the banks of Bayou Boeuf in central Louisiana. US Highway 71, Louisiana’s major north-south route which connects Baton Rouge and Shreveport, runs through Lecompte.Lecompte is named after the famous race horse called LeComte, which was named after horse breeder Ambrose LeComte. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana metropolitan area. The population was 1,227 at the 2010 and had dropped to 845 at the 2020 Census.
Lecompte is located at (31.091135, -92.400397).[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1sqmi, all land.
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 232 | 27.46% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 552 | 65.33% | |
| Native American | 5 | 0.59% | |
| Asian | 2 | 0.24% | |
| Other/Mixed | 38 | 4.5% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16 | 1.89% |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,366 people, 516 households, and 330 families residing in the town. The population density was 1344.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 586 housing units at an average density of 576.9sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 24.96% White, 74.30% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.15% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 516 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,708, and the median income for a family was $23,897. Males had a median income of $22,361 versus $15,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,210. About 32.9% of families and 35.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.8% of those under age 18 and 32.6% of those age 65 or over.
The town of Lecompte, Louisiana, was named after a famous race horse owned by the Wells family who lived on a plantation south of the town. The horse's name was LeComte. He won races at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. During the days of the Lecompte High School, the yearbook was named The LeComte with a picture of the horse on the first page. When the railroad company painted a sign for the town on the side of the train depot, a "p" was accidentally added to the name and it has remained there ever since. The horse was named after horse breeder Ambrose LeComte who lived in the area and was a great lover of fine stock and owner of a fine string of race horses.
Shreveport attorney Jackson B. Davis, who served in the Louisiana State Senate from 1956 to 1980, was born near Lecompte. One of Davis's state Senate colleagues, Cecil R. Blair of Rapides Parish, who served from 1960 to 1964 and 1966–1976, resided and operated a business in Lecompte.
The late Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Clyde C. Holloway, a resident of nearby Forest Hill, was born in Lecompte in 1943.[4]