Editing Lecompte, Louisiana

{{Redirect|Lecompte|this town's former high school|Lecompte High School|articles with similar spellings|Le Compte (disambiguation){{!}}Le Compte}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Lecompte, Louisiana
| official_name = Town of Lecompte
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Lecompte, LA,  Town Hall IMG_4257.JPG
| imagesize = 225px
| image_caption = Lecompte Town Hall
| image_map = File:Rapides Parish Louisiana Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Lecompte Highlighted.svg
| map_caption = Location of Lecompte in Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
| image_map1 = Louisiana in United States (US48).svg
| map_caption1 = Location of Louisiana in the United States
<!-- Location ------>
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Louisiana
| subdivision_type2 = Parish
| subdivision_name2 = [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|Rapides]]
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = 
| governing_body = 
| leader_party = 
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = 
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 
<!-- Area ------->
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_22.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 20, 2022}}</ref>
| 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
| area_water_percent = 
<!-- Population ------->
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 845
| population_density_km2 = 306.85
| population_density_sq_mi = 794.92
| population_demonym = 
<!-- General information -->
| timezone1 = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset1 = -6
| timezone1_DST = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft = 72
| coordinates = {{coord|31|05|16|N|92|23|30|W|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code = 
| area_code_type = 
| area_code = [[Area code 318|318]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 22-42800
| blank1_name  = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info  = 2405997<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405997}}</ref>
| website = 
| footnotes = 
}}
[[Image:Lecompte, LA welcome sign IMG_4248.JPG|thumb|Lecompte calls itself "The Pie Capital of Louisiana".]]
[[Image:Lea's Restaurant, Lecompte, LA IMG 4992.JPG|thumb|Lea's Lunchroom is a popular restaurant in Lecompte.]]
[[File:Red River Bank, Lecompte, LA IMG 4253.JPG|thumb|Red River Bank in Lecompte]]
[[Image:Bayou Boeuf at Lecompte, LA IMG 4996.JPG|thumb|Bayou Boeuf in Lecompte]]

'''Lecompte''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ə|'|k|aʊ|n|t}} {{respell|lə|KOWNT}}) is a [[town]] in [[Rapides Parish, Louisiana|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 in the 2010 and had dropped to 845 in the 2020 Census.

==History==
{{unsourced|section|date=March 2025}}
The town of Lecompte, Louisiana, was named after a famous [[horse racing|race horse]] owned by [[James Madison Wells|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.

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

===Major highways===
* [[Image:US 71.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 71]]
* [[Image:Louisiana 112.svg|25px]] [[Louisiana Highway 112]]
* [[Louisiana Highway 457]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 1058
|1920= 1034
|1930= 1247
|1940= 1311
|1950= 1443
|1960= 1485
|1970= 1518
|1980= 1661
|1990= 1592
|2000= 1366
|2010= 1227
|2020= 845
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2019}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Lecompte racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2242800&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 232
| 27.46%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 552
| 65.33%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 5
| 0.59%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 2
| 0.24%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 38
| 4.5%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 16
| 1.89%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 845 people, 416 households, and 236 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,366 people, 516 households, and 330 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,344.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 586 housing units at an average density of {{convert|576.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 24.96% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 74.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.15% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.44% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|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.

==Notable people==
* [[Jackson B. Davis]], [[Lawyer|attorney]] who served in the [[Louisiana State Legislature|Louisiana State Senate]] from 1956 to 1980
* [[Clyde C. Holloway]], The late [[Louisiana Public Service Commission]]er was born in Lecompte in 1943.<ref>[[Michael Barone (pundit)|Barone, Michael]]; and Ujifusa, Grant. ''[[The Almanac of American Politics]] 1988', p. 503. ''[[National Journal]]'', 1987.</ref>

==See also==
*[[James Madison Wells]], 20th Governor of Louisiana

==References==
<references />
{{Portal|Louisiana}}
{{Wikivoyage|Lecompte}}

{{Rapides Parish, Louisiana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Rapides Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Towns in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Alexandria metropolitan area, Louisiana]]