Louisiana Parishes: Land vs. Water
The first part of this story about Louisiana’s parishes was focused on their origins through a governmental and political sense. But at the core, parishes are fundamentally defined by the physical land.
The second part of the story was a deep dive breakdowns of Louisiana’s regions and parishes by total area.
As of 2025, Louisiana’s physical footprint comprises approximately 52,380 square miles of total area.
Largest Three Regions
Three of Louisiana’s regions account for an oversized share of the state’s total area. The Northwest, Central and Northeast regions constitute much of what can be described as North Louisiana and account for 22,196 square miles (42%) of the state’s total area. But the three regions’ geographic profiles, in terms of water share, vary drastically from those in South Louisiana.
Northwest
The Northwest regions is made up of 13 parishes, with a collective area of 7,616 square miles. Only 355 square miles of that overall footprint consists of water.
Sabine parish, which hugs the Louisiana-Texas border and is southernmost parish in the Northwest regions contains the most water. It’s the second largest overall, with a 1,012 square mile footprint. Fourteen percent of that area is water and the parish accounts for 41% of the Northwest’s overall water area.
Caddo parish is the Northwest’s region second largest jurisdiction, with 937 square miles of total area. Six percent of the parish is water and Caddo’s water represents 16% of all of the region’s water area. The parish sits in the state’s furthest northwest corner and hugs both the Arkansas and Texas borders.
Natchitoches parish immediately borders Sabine parish to the east and is the Northwest’s largest jurisdiction with 1,299 square miles of total area. Approximately 4% of the parish is made up of water and it accounts for 13% of the region’s total water area.
Bossier parish immediately borders Caddo parish to the east and has a total area footprint of 867 square miles. Three percent of Bossier parish’s overall area is made up of water and that represents 8% of all water in the Northwest region.
The Northwest region’s remaining five parishes account for 22% of overall water area.
Central
Louisiana’s Central region is made up of eight parishes. It’s the second largest region in the state with 7,339 square miles of total area but only 239 square miles of that is water.
Rapides parish sits almost in the dead center of Louisiana. It’s the Central region’s largest jurisdiction with 1,362 square miles of total area. Approximately 3% of the parish’s total area is made up of water but that portion accounts for 18% of the Central region’s total water footprint.
Vernon parish occupies the Central region’s most southern and western corner. It is bordered by Sabine parish (14% water) to the north, Rapides parish (3% water to the east and Louisiana’s Southwest region to the south. It’s the second largest jurisdiction in the region, with 1,342 square miles of total area. Approximately 1% of that total area is water.
The Central region’s smaller parishes are where the bulk of the water can be found.
Concordia parish’s total area footprint is 747 square miles. Seven percent of that is water and the parish accounts for 21% of the region’s overall water area.
LaSalle parish’s total area footprint is 663 square miles. Six percent of that is water and the parish accounts for 16% of the region’s overall water area.
Avoyelles parish’s total area footprint is 865 square miles. Four percent of that is water and the parish acocunts for 14% of the region’s overall water area.
The Central regions remaining three parishes represent 31% of all water area.
Northeast
Louisiana’s Northeast region is made up of 7,241 square miles of total area. It’s the third largest region in the state, accounting for 13% of Louisiana’s overall area. Twelve parishes fall within the region’s footprint and collectively, they contain 190 square miles of water area.
Tensas parish is the jurisdiction with the largest share of water. Six percent of Tensas’ 641 square miles of total are consists of water. That 6% translates to 20% of the region’s overall water footprint.
Only 3% of Union parish’s 905 square mile area is water. But that small sliver represents 15% of the Northeast region’s total water area. The jurisdiction is an outlier, int terms of its geographic position in the region. It’s one of the state’s northernmost parish shares a long northern border with Arkansas. The other three parishes that stand out in terms of water share are all located along the region and state’s eastern border.
Madison parish’s water area accounts for 14% of the region’s gross water area. The parish has a total area of 650 square miles and 4% of that is water.
East Carroll parish is one of the smallest jurisdictions in the Northeast region, with only 443 square miles of total area. Five percent of the parish’s area is water and that share represents 12% of the region’s overall water footprint.
Middle Four Regions
Four of Louisiana’s regions account for 44% of the state’s total area. The River Parishes, Acadiana, New Orleans Core and Southwest regions constitute much of what can be described as South Louisiana. They account for much of the state’s water share.
River Parishes
The River Parishes regions is made up of seven parishes and a total area of 6.055 square miles. Thirty-five percent, 2,129 square miles, of that overall footprint is water.
Terrebonne parish os one of the state’s most southernmost jurisdictions. From a big picture perspective, it is massive with 2,082 square miles of total area. Forty-one percent of that footprint consists of water and that translates to 40% of the River Parishes region’s overall water share.
St. Mary parish is the third largest parish in the River Parishes region. It has 1,119 square miles of total area and 50% of that is water. The jurisdiction represents 26% of the region’s total water area.
Lafourche parish is the second largest parish in the region, with 1,474 square miles of total area. Twenty-eight percent of the parish’s footprint is water and that portion accounts for 19% of the region’s total water footprint.
St. John the Baptist parish only has 348 square miles of total area. Thirty-nine percent of that footprint is made up of water and the parish’s water represents 6% of the region’s share. The jurisdiction stands out from Terrebonne, St. Mary and Lafourche as being one of the region’s northernmost parishes.
Acadiana
The Acadiana region is comprised of 5,934 square miles of total area and seven parishes. There are 938 square miles of water area.
Iberia parish is the second largest jurisdiction in the Acadiana region. It’s made up of 1,030 square miles of total are and 44% of that is water. Iberia’s water represents 49% of the region’s overall water footprint.
Vermillion parish is the largest jurisdiction in the Acadaiana region with an overall fottprint of 1,542 square miles. Twenty-four percent of that is water and the parish’s share represents 39% of all water in the Acadiana region. Both Iberia and Vermillion parishes sit in the southernmost portion of the region and state.
St. Martin parish is entirely inland and has a total area of 817 square miles. Ten percent of that area consists of water and the parish’s water accounts for 8% of Acadiana’s water.
Evangeline parish is the Acadiana region’s most northern jurisdiction. It’s total area is 679 square miles. Three percent of that is water and that small portion represents 1.8% of the region’s total water area.
St. Landry, Acadia and Lafayette parish account for the remaining 1.9% of the Acadiana region’s water area.
New Orleans Core
There are four parishes located in the New Orleans Core region. Those parishes are comprised of 5,739 square miles, in total area. Within that overall footprint, 72%, 4,118 square miles, is water.
Plaquemines parish is the largest jurisdiction in the New Orleans Core region, with 2,567 square miles of total area. Seventy percent of that is water and the parish’s water accounts for 43% of all water in the New Orleans Core region.
St. Bernard parish is the second largest jurisdiction in the region, with 2,159 square miles of total area. the vast majority of the parish’s overall footprint, 82%, is water. It is roughly equivalent to Plaquemine’s share of the New Orleans Core region’s water share.
Jefferson parish’s overall footprint is 666 square miles and 56% of that is water. The jurisdiction represents 9% of all water in the region.
Orleans’ parish accounts for approximately 4.4% of the region’s water footprint. Fifty-two percent of its total 349 square miles is water.
Southwest
Louisiana’s Southwest region is made up of five parishes and 5,622 square miles of total area. Twelve percent, or 703 square miles of that is water.
Cameron parish is the largest jurisdiction in the Southwest region with 1,937 square miles of total area. Thirty-four percent of that area is water and the parish’s water accounts for a drastic 93% of the region’s total water footprint. The parish makes up the region’s most southernmost tip and is border by teas to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Calcasieu/Jefferson Davis parishes to the north and the Acadiana region’s Vermillion parish to the east.
Calcasieu parish is comprised of 1,095 square miles of total area and 3% of that is water.
Jefferson Davis, Beauregard and Allen parishes all have 1% or less of their total area accounted for by water.
Smallest Two Regions
Two of Louisiana’s regions account for only 13% of the state’s total area. The Baton Rouge Core and North Shore regions constitute much of the state’s historical Florida territory.
North Shore
Louisiana’s North Shore region is made up of five parishes and 3,735 square miles of total area. 373 square miles, (10%) of that area is water.
St. Tammany parish is the largest jurisdiction in the North Shore regions by a wide margin. Its total area is 1,125 square miles and 25% of that is water. The parish’s water represents 75% of the region’s overall share.
Eight percent of Livingston parish’s 703 square miles of total area is water. That portion translates to 15% of the region’s overall water footprint.
Approximately 4% of Tangipahoa’s 823 square mile footprint is water. That portion translates to 9% of the North Shore region’s overall water footprint.
One percent or less of Washington and St. Helena parishes’ total footprints are made up of water.
Baton Rouge Core
There are seven parishes and 3,103 square miles of total area in Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Core region. Of that, only 131 square miles, (4%), is water.
Iberville parish’s total footprint is 653 square miles and 5% of that is water. The parish’s water represents 26% of the region’s total water footprint.
Pointe Coupee parish’s total footprint is 590 square miles and 6% of that is water. The parish’s water represents 25% of the region’s total water footprint.
West Feliciana parish’s total footprint is 426 square miles and 5% of that is water. The parish’s water represents 18% of the region’s total water footprint.
East Baton Rouge parish’s total footprint is 470 square miles and 3% of that is water. The parish’s water represents 11% of the region’s total water footprint.
West Baton Rouge, Ascension and East Feliciana parish’s account for the Baton Rouge Core region’s remaining 20% of water area.
Louisiana Parishes: by Total Area
The first part of this story about Louisiana’s parishes was focused on their origins through a governmental and political sense. But at the core, parishes are fundamentally defined by the physical land.
As of 2025, Louisiana’s physical footprint comprises approximately 52,380 square miles of total area.
Largest Three Regions
The state’s Northwest region contains nine parishes with a collective 7,616 square miles of area.
The Central region is made up of eight parishes and 7,339 square miles of total area.
Louisiana’s Northeast region is home to the most individual parishes, 12 and has a total area of 7,241 square miles.
Middle Four Regions
Four groups of parishes hover around the regional average of 4,800 square miles of total area.
The River Parishes region contains seven parishes and 6,055 square miles of total area.
The Acadiana region is not far behind with 5,934 square miles of total area spread across seven parishes.
The four parishes in the New Orleans Core region have 5,739 square miles of total area spread across them.
The Southwest region’s five parishes contain 5,622 square miles of total area.
Smallest Two Regions
The North Shore region is made up of five parishes and 3,735 square miles of total area.
There are seven parishes in the Baton Rouge Core region and they share 3,103 square miles of total area.
Northwest Parishes by Total Area
Natchitoches parish is the largest jurisdiction in the Northwest region by total area as well as the oldest. Sabine and Caddo parishes are ranked #2 and #3, respectively. Red River parish is the smallest within the region with approximately 402 square miles of total area.
Central Parishes by Total Area
Rapides parish is the largest in the Central region with approximately 1,362 square miles of total. Vernon parish was established much later, 1807, but isn’t far behind Rapides with a current footprint of 1,341 square miles of total area. Grant and LaSalle are the region’s smallest parishes with 665 and 662 square miles of total area, respectively.
Northeast Parishes by Total Area
Union and Morehouse parishes are the Northeast region’s largest jurisdictions. Union parish was established in 1839 and has a current footprint of 905 square miles. Morehouse parish was established in 1844 and has a current footprint of 805 square miles. East and West Carroll parishes were the last two jurisdictions to be established in the Northeast region and they’re also the smallest. East has 442 square miles of total area and West has 361 square miles of total area.
River Parishes by Total Area
Terrebonne parish is the largest in the River Parishes by a wide margin. It was established in 1822 and has a current footprint of 2,080 square miles. Lafourche and St. Mary are comparably sized, with 1,474 and 1,119 square miles of total area, respectively.
The remaining four parishes in the region are all significantly smaller. The area footprint for the group is 345 square miles and St. James parish is the smallest with 258 square miles of total area.
Acadiana Parishes by Total Area
Vermillion parish was established in 1844 and is the Acadiana region’s largest jurisdiction. It sits with 1,542 square miles of total area. That is compared with the region’s second largest parish, Iberia, which has 1,031 square miles of total area.
Lafayette parish is tiny compared to its regional counterparts, with only 269 square miles of total area.
New Orleans Core Parishes by Total Area
Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes are the largest jurisdictions in the New Orleans Core region by major margins. Plaquemine’s current footprint is 2,567 square miles and St. Bernard’s footprint is 2,158 square miles. While the region is the smallest in the state, from a total area perspective, these two parishes are the largest individual jurisdictions in Louisiana.
Orleans parish is the smallest jurisdiction in the region, with 349 square miles of total area.
Southwest Parishes by Total Area
Cameron parish was established in 1870 and is the Southwest region’s largest jurisdiction. It sits with 1,937 square miles of total area. That is compared with the region’s second largest parish, Beauregard, which has 1,166 square miles of total area. Allen and Jefferson Davis parishes are the region’s smallest jurisdictions, with 766 and 659 square miles of total area, respectively.
North Shore Parishes by Total Area
St. Tammany parish is one of the North Shore’s oldest jurisdictions and also the largest. It was established in 1810 and has a current footprint of 1,124 square miles of total area. St. Helena parish was established in the same year as St. Tammany but is the region’s smallest jurisdiction with 409 square miles of total area.
Baton Rouge Core Parishes by Total Area
Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes are the Baton Rouge Core region’s largest jurisdictions. Iberville has a current footprint of 653 square miles and Pointe Coupee’s area is 591 square miles. West Baton Rouge parish is the smallest jurisdiction in the region with 204 square miles of total area.
Louisiana Parishes: Origins
Louisiana is one of America’s most unique places. The list of what stands out about the Sportsman’s Paradise is long but the way the that state is divided, from a governance standpoint, is one of the state’s most defining characteristics.
Using federal terminology, once you get below the state the next major governance level is the county. Across the 50 states, there were 3,007 counties included in the 2020 decennial Census. Two of the states, Alaska and Louisiana, do not refer to their “counties” by the technical term. Alaska refers to its county equivalents as boroughs and Louisiana refers to them as parishes.
Louisiana’s county equivalents differ in their name at the high-level but in a whole host of different ways from both their peers throughout the country, but also neighboring jurisdictions within Louisiana’s borders.
As of August 2025, there are 64 parishes in Louisiana. It’s a big number to unravel and the Louisiana Department of Health groups all of the jurisdictions into nine administrative regions which are helpful in telling the parish stories.
The parish system as we currently know it was established in 1807, with 19 original areas being defined by Louisiana’s then territorial legislature. The focus of this article will be charting the path of how we got from 19 to 64 parishes, by region.
Region 1: Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Jefferson
Region 2: Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana
Region 3: Lafourche, Assumption, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, Terrebonne
Region 4: St. Landry, St. Martin, Lafayette, Vermilion, Iberia, Acadia, Evangeline
Region 5: Calcasieu, Cameron, Allen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis
Region 6: Rapides, Avoyelles, Concordia, Catahoula, Winn, Grant, Vernon, LaSalle
Region 7: Natchitoches, Claiborne, Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto, Sabine, Bienville, Webster, Red River
Region 8: Ouachita, Madison, Caldwell, Union, Franklin, Tensas, Morehouse, Jackson, Richland, Lincoln, East Carroll, West Carroll
Region 9: St. Tammany, St. Helena, Washington, Livingston, Tangipahoa
Region 1: New Orleans Core.
Three of the four current parishes in the New Orleans Core area were apart of Louisiana’s original 19 jurisdictions. Those original parishes were Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard.
Jefferson parish was carved out of the original Orleans parish in 1825.
Region 2: Baton Rouge Core.
Four of the seven current parishes in the Baton Rouge Core area were apart of Louisiana’s original 19 jurisdictions. Those original parishes were Ascension, Iberville, Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge.
East Baton Rouge was born out of the former West Florida Territory in 1810.
East and West Feliciana were established in 1824 when the original Feliciana parish was partitioned.
Region 3: River Parishes.
Five of the seven current parishes in the River Parishes area were apart of Louisiana’s original 19 jurisdictions. Those original parishes were Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist.
St. Mary parish was created in 1811 and made up of parts of St. Martin parish (to the north in the Acadiana region).
Terrebonne was established in 1822 and the last parish to be created in today’s River Parish region.
Region 4: Acadiana.
Only two of the seven parishes currently in the Acadiana region were apart of Louisiana’s original 19 jurisdictions. Those original parishes were St. Landry and St. Martin. The remaining five parishes were created over an extended timeline.
Lafayette was the first. Lafayette parish was established in 1823 and carved out of St. Martin parish. Twenty-one years passed before Vermilion was carved out of Lafeyette in 1844.
And the Acadiana regions three remaining parishes were created in the post-Civil War period. Iberia appeared in 1868, having been created from parts of St. Martin and St. Mary (River Parishes). Acadia parish was established in 1886 and then Evangline parish in 1910. Both were partitioned from St. Landry parish.
Region 5: Southwest.
Zero the five parishes currently in Louisiana’s Southwest region were apart of state’s original 19 jurisdictions.
Calcasieu was the first to be created in 1840 and comprised of parts of St. Landry parish (Acadiana).
The remaining four parishes were created in the post-Civil War era. Cameron parish was carved out of Calcasieu and Vermillion (Acadiana in 1870. The remaining three: Allen, Beauregard and Jefferson Davis were all created from remaining parts of Calcasieu Parish in 1912.
Region 6: Central.
Three of the eight current parishes in Central Louisiana were a part of the state’s original 19 jurisdictions. Those original parishes were Avoyelles, Concordia and Rapides. Catahoula parish was established in 1808, from parts of Ouachita (Northeast) and Rapides.
Forty-four years passed before Winn parish was created. Winn was carved out of Catahoula, Natchitoches (Northwest) and Rapides parishes.
The remaining three parishes were created in the post-Civil War period. Grant was created out of Rapides and win parishes in 1869. Then pieces of Natchitoches (Northwest), Rapides and Sabine (Northwest) were used to establish Vernon parish in 1871. Thirty-nine years would pass before LaSalle parish was created from Catahoula in 1910.
Region 7: Northwest.
One of the nine current parishes in Northwest Louisiana were a part of the state’s original 19 jurisdictions. That original parish was Natchitoches.
Claiborne parish was established in 1828, created from a piece of Natchitoches parish. Then came Caddo in 1838, also from a piece of Natchitoches parish.
Three parishes in the Northwest region were created in 1843. DeSoto and Sabine perishes were both created from portions of Caddo and Natchitoches parishes. Bienville parish was created from a part of Claiborne parish.
Two parishes were added in the post-Civil War period. Red River parish came in 1871 and was created from portions of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo and Natchitoches parishes. Webster parish also came in 1871 and was created from portions of Bienville, Bossier and Claiborne parishes.
Region 8: Northeast.
One of the twelve current parishes in Northeast Louisiana were a part of the state’s original 19 jurisdictions. That original parish was Ouachita.
Caldwell and Madison parishes were established in 1838. Catahoula (Central) and Ouachita were partitioned to create Caldwell. Madison was made from parts of Concordia parish (Central). Union parish was created shortly afterwards in 1839, from parts of Ouachita parish.
Franklin and Tensas parishes were established in 1843. Carroll, Catahoula (Central) Madison and Ouachita parishes were partitioned to create Franklin. Tenses was created form parts of Concordia parish (Central).
Morehouse parish was created from parts of Carroll and Ouachita parishes in 1844. Jackson parish was created from parts of Claiborne (Northwest), Ouachita and Union parishes in 1845.
The regions remaining four parishes were established in the post-Civil War period. Carroll, Franklin, Morehouse and Ouachita parishes were partitioned to create Richland parish in 1868. Then came Lincoln parish in 1873. Lincoln was created from parts of Bienville (Northwest), Claiborne (Northwest) Jackson and Union parishes in 1873. Carroll parish was split into East Carroll and West Carroll parishes in 1877.
Region 9: North Shore.
Zero the five parishes currently in Louisiana’s North Shore region were apart of state’s original 19 jurisdictions.
St. Helena and St. Tammany were the first parishes to be established in 1810. Both were created from the West Florida Territory.
Washington parish came about in 1819 and was made up of portion of St. Tammany parish.
Thirteen yeas later Livingston parish was carved out of St Helena in 1832. Tangipahoa was the only North Shore parish to be established in the post-Civil War era. It was created in 1869 and made up of portions of Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany and Washington parishes.
America’s Waterways: Bonne Carre Spillway
What is a spillway?
Britanica defines a spillway as a “passage for surplus water over or around a dam when the reservoir itself is full.” The tools are used throughout the world and range widely when it comes to specific purposes, designs and functions.
One of America’s most important spillways, the Bonnet Carre, is located in Louisiana.
Construction on the Bonnet Carre’ project began in 1929 and was a response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. To date, that event is identified as the country’s most destructive river flood. Around 27,000 square miles of land were overrun by the waters, with maximum depths reported to have reached 30 feet. The flooding took place over the course of several of 1927’s early months and the full price tag is pegged between $3.5 billion and $14.1 billion, in 2023 dollars.
The devastation prompted the U.S. Congress to pass the Flood Control Act of 1928. The legislation was ratified on May 18 and we’re quickly approaching its 97th anniversary. The Flood Control Act tasked the Army Corps of Engineers with the beefing up the nation’s flood control and mitigation systems, particularly in the South. One of the largest undertakings of the new effort was the Mississippi River and Tributaries project, which included the construction of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Geographic Context
Before digging deep into the numbers surrounding the Spillway, let’s lay out some more context. The project is located in Louisiana’s St. Charles parish. The parish is nestled between Jefferson parish to the east and St. John the Baptist parish to the west. It’s establishment dates back to 1807 with its primary focus being sugarcane cultivation during the early days. Presently, the St. Charles parish community is dominated by the energy industry and other activities that make use of its unique geographic placement along some of the country’s most important waterways and roadways.
Its total land area is 411 square miles, with 279 square miles (67%) being land and 132 square miles (33%) being water. Its 2020 Census population estimate is 52,549 residents.
In the larger scheme of things, the Bonnet Carre Spillway sit in the heart of Louisiana’s population and economic centers. It is 62 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capitol and second largest city. The Spillway is approximately 27 miles west of New Orleans and just on the edge of what most consider the New Orleans metro area.
Recreational Uses
And while the Bonnet Carre Spillway’s primary purpose is flood control it serves many other important purposes when not fulfilling its official duties. The Spillway fully embodies Louisiana’s “Sportsman’s Paradise” nickname. The Corps of Engineers estimates that 400,000 folks visit the Spillway every year to take advantage of the natural environment. They flock to the area for a bunch of different reasons, ranging from crawfishing to flying model airplanes.
Current State
In the April 2025, The Mississippi River was projected to reach 16.5 feet in New Orleans. The Corps scheduled a test opening on Monday, to prepare for a partial opening of the structure.
The Spillway’s primary control structure was completed in 1931. The system of levees that support the flood mitigation activities was completed in 1932 and the highway and railroad accommodations were finished in 1936.
The structure is 7,000 feet long and consists of 350 bays, with each being about 20 feet wide. Two-foot wood concrete piers provide the structure with a lot of its strength and the 20 timber needles per bay are the “toggle switches” for the flood control mechanism. During a full removal of all the needles in the bays, the Bonnet Carre Spillway can facilitate the movement of 250,000 cubic feet of water per second. The Army Corps of Engineers is only prepping for a partial opening but there have been many occasions when the Spillway was called up to full duty.
Between 1937 and today, the Bonnet Carre has been opened 15 times for flood control.
America’s Waterways: Focus on the South
America’s waterways play important roles in all of our lives. They provide venues for recreation, cultural connection and just general well-being. For most people in the country, these are probably the biggest things that come to mind when they think of waterways
But the waterways also serve very critical commercial and economic purposes. And depending on where you live in the country, understandings of those parts can vary significantly.
The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the country’s inland waterway system contains close to 25,000 miles, with approximately 12,000 being commercially navigable. The system components that the agency are responsible for carry a sixth of intercity cargo volume and account for 25% of the nation’s foreign trade.
I’ve spent most of my life living in close proximity to the U.S. waterway system but rarely ever think about it in the big picture. So I’m going to spend some time trying to paint a more comprehensive quant picture. And of course with a focus on the South.
Picking up photography and spending a lot of the last few months along Texas’ Trinity River and the Mississippi River back in Louisiana is also a big reason for this series.
Regional Context
The U.S. Census Bureau breaks the country up into four regions. And because it’s particularly relevant for this analysis, I include the Territories into the dataset as a fifth group.
The South has the most states (including the District of Columbia), 17. The West has 13, the Midwest sits in the #3 slot with 12 states and the Northeast has nine states.
Total Area
The West
The Western states dominate in terms of total area. The group contains approximately 1,873,253 square miles of total area and Alaska is the giant outlier both within the region and nationally. Alaska’s total area sits at around 665,384 square miles. That translates to 35% of the West’s total area and 17% of nation’s area. Even removing Alaska, though, the West still has the largest collective area footprint, with 1,207,869 square miles.
Everyone Else
The Southern states are #2 in terms of total area with 920,446 square miles and Texas accounts for 29% of that total. The Midwest isn’t far behind with 821,726 square miles of total area. There’s a significant drop-off before you get to the Northeast. Those nine states only have 181,319 square miles of total area. And the five U.S. territories included in this dataset possess 9,186 square miles of total area.
Water Area
The West
The regional distribution changes slightly when you drill down to water area. The West sits at the top again, with 122,199 square miles of water area. And Alaska accounts for 94,743 square miles (77%) of that collective water area.
Everyone Else
The Midwest jumps to the #2 spot, mostly due to Michigan. The 12 Midwest states possess around 71,204 square miles of water area and the peninsular state of Michigan accounts for 40,175 square miles (56%) of that total.
Definition: Peninsular - a portion of land nearly surrounded by water and connected with a larger body by an isthmus.
The South has 52,029 square miles of water area, the Northeast has 19,409 miles and the Territories have 5,159 square miles.
Water Area Share
Things look drastically different from a water area share perspective. And by that I mean the percentage of state’s total area that is water. The five Territories are significant outliers, occupying five of the seven top state spots.
Territories
Northern Mariana Islands: 90.7%
American Samoa: 86.9%
U.S. Virgin Islands: 81.7%
Guam: 63.2%
Puerto Rico: 35.7%
The Northeast
And the Northeast leaps to the front among the contiguous regions. Fourteen percent of the group’s total area is water, with Rhode Island (33.1%) and Massachusetts (26.1%) sitting at the top of the group.
Everyone Else
The South again occupies the #2 regional spot, excluding the Territories, with 8% of states’ total area being water. The Midwest group is not far behind, with a 7.4% water share and the West sits at the bottom with a 6% water share.
Southern Context
The South’s waterways are an extremely important part of the the nation’s economy. The region’s 17 states account for the entirety of the Gulf Coast as well as much of the commercially important Eastern Seaboard. The Census Bureau breaks the area into three divisions which can be helpful in understanding the waterway perspective.
West South Central (West)
Arkansas
Louisiana
Oklahoma
Texas
East South Central (East)
Alabama
Kentucky
Mississippi
Tennessee
South Atlantic (East Coast)
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Maryland
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Total Area
The south’s Western portion accounts for the bulk of the region’s total area. Texas is the big outlier but the four states in the West contain 444,052 square miles (48%) of the South’s total area.
Water Area
In terms of gross water area, Florida is the South’s standout state. There is an estimated 12,133 square miles of water area in Florida. Louisiana and Texas, over in the Western section, occupy the #2 and #3 spots. Louisiana has 9,174 square miles of water area and Texas has 7,365 square miles of water area. The East Coast’s North Carolina is another outlier, with 5,201 square miles of water area.
Overall, though, the East Coast is where you can find most of the South’s water area.
Water Area Share
East Coast
The water area share ranges from 0.8% to 21.8% at the state level for the East Coast division. West Virginia is the big outlier on the low end with only 192 square miles (0.8%) of its total area being water. Georgia (3.2%), South Carolina (6.1%) and Virginia (7.7%) are also on the low end of the spectrum. North Carolina and D.C. sit in a middle bucket with 9.7% and 10.3 of their respective area’s being water.
Florida has the most gross water area of all the Southern region and East Coast division’s states. But it’s third in terms of water share, with 18.5% of total area being water. Delaware (21.7%) and Maryland (21.8%) are almost dead even in terms of water share. But the two states are very different from a footprint perspective. Maryland has 2,699 square miles of water area and Delaware has 540 square miles of water area.
East
The South’s East division is notably lacking in water area. Alabama has the most 1,775 square miles followed by Mississippi with 1,509 square miles. These gross footprints account for between 3.1 and 3.4% of each state’s total area.
Kentucky and Tennessee have between 909 and 921 square miles of water area, representing approximately 2.3% of each state’s total area.
West
Louisiana is one of the South’s most interesting states in terms of waterways. It is the main reason that the region’s Western division accounts for such a large share of water area. The Sportsman’s Paradise has 9,714 square miles of water area, accounting for 17.5% of the state’s total area. Texas has 7,365 miles of water area but that only translates to 2.7% of the Lone Star State’s total area. The water area in Arkansas and Oklahoma ranges between 1,143 square miles and 1,304 square miles. Across both states, the rolls up to around a 2% water share.
And this context is particularly important as big events related to inland waterways, wetlands and maritime trade continue to unfold in Louisiana and the South more broadly.
Balancing Preservation and Economics
Last week the state government paused Louisiana’s work on the largest coastal restoration project, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The project received federal permits in 2022 but funding mechanisms date back to the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The pause is work is very nuanced and based in what I believe are legitimate concerns about the means in which the long-delayed project will be funded given how much the economic, not considering environmental, landscape has changed.
In the same week, a judge ordered a historic $744 million in damages from Chevron to Louisiana’s Plaquemines parish for coastal wetland destruction. There are a lot of moving pieces that led up to the judgement and the puzzle will get even more complicated moving forward. But at a high-level, the court found that the oil company violated restoration regulations as it went about the business of dredging, drilling and conducting other activities related to making the waterways economically viable.
This is a particularly big deal for Louisiana. But the balance of preservation/restoration and the economic importance of America’s waterways is a topic with far-reaching implications.