The first dump of data from the U.S. Census Bureau was released Thursday and shows some changes in the United States nationally — and an overall drop in the population across the Teche Area.

On the national level, the number of white residents was lower in 2020 than it was in 2010. According to Thursday’s data, whites account for about 57.8 percent of the population, the first time their share has ever dropped below 60 percent. It is the first time the raw number of white residents has dropped in a 10-year period, although the percentage of the population identifying as white has decreased in every census since 1790.

The U.S. population is also growing more slowly, adding 7 percent, or 22.7 million people,climbing to 331,449,281. That’s the second-slowest growth rate ever measured by a decennial census. The only time the population grew more slowly was in the wake of the Great Depression in the 1930.

According to the population data, Iberia Parish saw a 4.5 percent drop in its number of residents over the last decade, from 52,160 in the 2010 Census to 51,767 in the 2020 count. The drop in St. Mary Parish was more severe, going from 54,650 in 2010 to 49,460 in 2020, a 9.6 percent drop.

St. Martin Parish also saw a slight reduction in population, from 52,160 to 51,767, a decrease of 0.8 percent.

The region also saw changes in the demographic makeup of its citizenry. In Iberia Parish, the percent of the population identifying as white dropped from 62.2 percent in 2010 to 56.1 percent in 2020. The Black population rose over that period by one percent, from 32 to 33.1 percent. The Asian population also increased by a little under a half a percent over the decade, from 2.4 percent to 2.8 percent.

In St. Mary Parish, the white population fell from 59.3 percent in 2010 to 54.5 percent in 2020. There, however, the Black population also fell, from 32.5 percent to 30.5 percent. The Asian population also dropped by 0.4 percent.

Although St. Martin Parish saw the smallest population loss of the three, it also showed a loss in white residents, dropping from 65.8 percent in 2010 to 64.2 percent in 2020. The Black populace also dropped a similar amount, from 30.7 percent to 29.2 percent in 2020. The Asian population actually increased, albeit by only a tenth of a percent, from 0.8 percent to 0.9 percent.

Those changes are all going to have an effect on elections across the region for the next decade. The population and racial shifts will be taken into consideration as the entire country goes through the reapportionment process.

Demographer Mike Hefner, who is busy going through the data to redraw voting district maps for several municipalities due to population shifts over the last decade, said he is seeing slightly lower numbers than he expected in some areas.

“I had expected to see growth in some places that I am not seeing, but I do not know if that is because of a change in the population or a low participation rate,” Hefner said. “This census was the easiest ever to complete. But we still saw a 65 percent participation rate, which is about what we saw in 2010.”

Hefner said that lack of participation could mean the difference between keeping or losing federal funding, additional services or even congressional seats.

“It’s close to the median, but when you have other states that have a 70 or 80 percent participation rate, you see a difference,” he said.

The data on participation down to the tract level has not yet been released. Once it is made public, Hefner will compare it in areas that he has questions about to get a better idea of what is really happening on the ground.

The count also showed a slightly older population in the Teche Area than the nation’s average. The portion of the U.S. population over the age of 18 is 77.9 percent. Iberia Parish is more than 2 percent lower, at 75.5 percent, and St. Mary is at 75.9 percent. In St. Martin Parish, the adult population makes up 76.1 percent of the total.

Louisiana

2020 Total Population: 4,657,757

2010 Total Population: 4,533,372

Percent Change: +2.7

Population Density: 107.8/square mile

Population Age 18 and Over: 76.7 percent

Total Population Age 18 and Over: 3,570,548

Iberia Parish

2020 Total Population: 69,929

2010 Total Population: 73,240

Percent Change: -4.5

Population Density: 121.9/square mile

Population Age 18 and Over: 75.5 percent

Population Age 18 and Over: 52,791

St. Martin Parish

2020 Total Population: 51,767

2010 Total Population: 52,160

Percent Change: -0.8

Population Density: 70.2/square mile

Population Age 18 and Over: 76.1 percent

Population Age 18 and Over: 39,404

St. Mary Parish

2020 Total Population: 49,406

2010 Total Population: 54,650

Percent Change: -9.6

Population Density: 88.9/square mile

Population Age 18 and Over: 75.9 percent

Population Age 18 and Over: 37,521