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Houma was founded in 1810. It was incorporated in 1848 and again in 1898.
Houma and the surrounding area are is the setting for the fictional Swamp Thing comic books.
Houma is located at 29°35'15" North, 90°42'58" West (29.587614, -90.716108) 1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.7 km² (14.2 mi²). 36.3 km² (14.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.92% water.
As of the census 2 of 2000, there are 32,393 people, 11,634 households, and 8,283 families residing in the city. The population density is 891.4/km² (2,308.5/mi²). There are 12,514 housing units at an average density of 344.4/km² (891.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.46% White, 26.12% African American, 3.45% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other racesThe United States Census Bureau uses the federal government's definitions of race when performing a census. These definitions have and may change between each census. The racial categories are officially described as follows:¹ The categories represent a s, and 1.57% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,634 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% are married couples living together, 16.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.24.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,471, and the median income for a family is $40,679. Males have a median income of $35,897 versus $22,202 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,720. 20.8% of the population and 16.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.7% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.