Tensas Parish, Louisiana

Tensas Parish
Parish
Tensas Parish Courthouse at St. Joseph
Location within the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°00′N 91°20′W / 32°N 91.33°W / 32; -91.33
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Founded	March 17, 1843
Named for	Taensa people
Seat	St. Joseph
Largest town	Newellton
Area
• Total	641 sq mi (1,660 km2)
• Land	603 sq mi (1,560 km2)
• Water	38 sq mi (100 km2)  6.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,147
• Density	6.5/sq mi (2.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	louisiana.gov/Government/Parish_Tensas/

Tensas Parish (French: Paroisse des Tensas) is a parish located in the northeastern section of the State of Louisiana; its eastern border is the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,147.^[1] It is the least populated parish in Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Joseph.^[2] The name Tensas is derived from the historic indigenous Taensa people.^[3] The parish was founded in 1843 following Indian Removal.^[4]

The parish was developed for cotton agriculture, which dominated the economy through the early 20th century. There has also been some cattle ranching in the 1930s and timber extraction.