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Louisiana

Population 4,611,961
6 Sources Updated September 10, 2026
4.6M
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$60,756
Median Income
$80,734 national
$329.2B
GDP (current $), change real
4.3%
Unemployment
4.0% national
Community Data / United States / Louisiana

Parish Map

Click a county to view its economic profile

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$60,756
Per Capita
$35,038
Mean Household
$87,038
Poverty Rate
18.9%

Age & Race / Ethnicity

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 16.7% (772,404 residents) 55-64: 12.6% (580,538 residents) 35-54: 24.8% (1,143,234 residents) 18-34: 22.4% (1,032,935 residents) Under 18: 23.5% (1,082,850 residents) 38 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.5%
18-34 · 22.4%
35-54 · 24.8%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 16.7%
Race & Ethnicity
White56.9%
Black or African American30.7%
Two or More Races7.4%
Some Other Race2.5%
Asian1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0.1%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)7.2%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
87.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
2.3 pts
27%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
8.7 pts
10.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
4.0 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
4,611,961
Population
2,148,164
Labor Force
Employed
2,013,003
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
4.3%
2025 is not shown for Louisiana: a state annual average needs all 12 months and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published 11. County pages draw on the separate annual series and may show 2025.
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.1%
Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.
Louisiana's median household income sits 25% below the national median. At 18.9%, its poverty rate runs 6.4 pts above the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 27% trails the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, affecting retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base statewide.
  • Elevated poverty: At 18.9%, the rate supports federal funding narratives across distressed counties (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 8.7 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$329.2B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP2 Regional GDP
88.207
Cost of Living - Below Avg

Top Private-Sector Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual · Private sector only, with government shown below
IndustryEmployment% of Top SectorsAvg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance		 300,083 25.7%
$58,069
2Retail Trade		 212,707 18.2%
$36,845
3Accommodation and Food Services		 197,100 16.9%
$25,205
4Administrative and Support and Waste Management		 104,962 9.0%
$52,880
5Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services		 96,120 8.2%
$90,214
6Transportation and Warehousing		 83,974 7.2%
$73,477
7Finance and Insurance		 56,725 4.9%
$89,813
8Other Services (except Public Administration)		 48,130 4.1%
$51,162
9Educational Services		 35,926 3.1%
$55,419
10Real Estate and Rental and Leasing		 30,247 2.6%
$66,073
Government employment · context only
305,865

Public-sector jobs are not in the table above and are not part of any share or location quotient on this page. Both are measured on the private economy only, 1,622,176 private jobs in 2025: every location quotient divides by that total, and the % of Top Sectors column divides by the sectors listed above. Private employment is the standard basis for measuring industry concentration because government employment mostly serves the resident population rather than an outside market. Nothing on this card is expected to add up with the government figure.

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Key Takeaways
  • Largest private-sector industry: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 300,083 workers (25.7% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $58,069. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 305,865 and is counted separately.
  • Economic scale: State GDP of $329.2B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $90,214 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,205, a 3.6x spread in the same economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP (CAGDP2).

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Chart source: BLS QCEW · broad NAICS supersector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share. The same supersector axes appear on every profile, so the shape can be compared across geographies.
Concentrated Industries
List source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share.
Same source and same private-sector basis as the Top Industries table above. These sit at a finer level than the chart's supersector axes, so the two sets of values are not directly comparable. The sub-sector view surfaces specialization the supersector view masks, such as Water Transportation here.
Water Transportation
11.84x
9,895
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
8.01x
10,673
Support Activities for Mining
6.25x
20,275
Forestry and Logging
3.88x
2,167
Pipeline Transportation
3.78x
2,586
Oil and Gas Extraction
3.59x
5,102
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
3.25x
46,906
Chemical Manufacturing
2.66x
28,918
Rental and Leasing Services
2.14x
14,914
Support Activities for Transportation
2.00x
19,893
+ 3 more sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5, holding a further 38,580 jobs. See the spider chart for the broader picture.

Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries

LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, screened against industrial power cost. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.20x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
2,418 employed
0.24x
Apparel Manufacturing
235 employed
0.25x
Animal Production and Aquaculture
816 employed
0.25x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
2,755 employed
0.26x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
1,211 employed
0.27x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
1,104 employed
0.30x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
4,019 employed
0.34x
Textile Mills
338 employed
Screened on industrial power cost only. Industrial electricity in Louisiana costs 6.23¢/kWh against 8.62¢/kWh nationally (2025). Land area and freight access are not assessed at state level. Source: EIA.
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Water Transportation concentrates at 11.84x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity.
  • Cluster depth: 13 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Industry Employment Composition
Louisiana's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top private supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$216,500
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,064
Rent/Mo
67.4%
Owner-Occ
14.4%
Vacancy
3.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)

Renter-household-weighted average across 64 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070
Studio
$866/mo$580 to $1,032
1 Bedroom
$954/mo$636 to $1,130
2 Bedroom
$1,138/mo$834 to $1,331
3 Bedroom
$1,453/mo$1,000 to $1,724
4 Bedroom
$1,695/mo$1,104 to $1,996
30% of monthly median renter household income (~$890/mo, from a renter median of $35,607) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Measured: 47.7% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 26.2% pay 50% or more.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.6x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Elevated vacancy: 14.4% vacancy rate; potential redevelopment opportunity.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 1 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $35,607 can pay without cost burden (~$890/mo), and 47.7% of renter households are measured as cost-burdened.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
2,756,707
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Labor force participation rate: 61.4% of population aged 18+ 61% Participation (18+)
vs 2019
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.1%

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
27%
HS Diploma+
87.3%
6 Largest Institutions by Credentials Awarded
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College 7,785/yr
Tulane University of Louisiana 4,926/yr
Louisiana State University-Shreveport 3,941/yr
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 3,420/yr
Delgado Community College 2,802/yr
Louisiana Tech University 2,330/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Same cohort is 12.6% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
38.9%
Service
17.8%
Sales & Office
19.9%
Construction / Maint.
10.7%
Production / Transport
12.7%
Bars are drawn on a 0% to 40% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 2,013,003 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Healthy participation: 61.4% of the population aged 18+ is in the labor force, reflecting a steady, available workforce statewide.
Source: ACS workforce data.

Parish Profiles

64 parishes in Louisiana

Acadia Parish FIPS 22001 Allen Parish FIPS 22003 Ascension Parish FIPS 22005 Assumption Parish FIPS 22007 Avoyelles Parish FIPS 22009 Beauregard Parish FIPS 22011 Bienville Parish FIPS 22013 Bossier Parish FIPS 22015 Caddo Parish FIPS 22017 Calcasieu Parish FIPS 22019 Caldwell Parish FIPS 22021 Cameron Parish FIPS 22023 Catahoula Parish FIPS 22025 Claiborne Parish FIPS 22027 Concordia Parish FIPS 22029 De Soto Parish FIPS 22031 East Baton Rouge Parish FIPS 22033 East Carroll Parish FIPS 22035 East Feliciana Parish FIPS 22037 Evangeline Parish FIPS 22039 Franklin Parish FIPS 22041 Grant Parish FIPS 22043 Iberia Parish FIPS 22045 Iberville Parish FIPS 22047 Jackson Parish FIPS 22049 Jefferson Davis Parish FIPS 22053 Jefferson Parish FIPS 22051 Lafayette Parish FIPS 22055 Lafourche Parish FIPS 22057 LaSalle Parish FIPS 22059 Lincoln Parish FIPS 22061 Livingston Parish FIPS 22063 Madison Parish FIPS 22065 Morehouse Parish FIPS 22067 Natchitoches Parish FIPS 22069 Orleans Parish FIPS 22071 Ouachita Parish FIPS 22073 Plaquemines Parish FIPS 22075 Pointe Coupee Parish FIPS 22077 Rapides Parish FIPS 22079 Red River Parish FIPS 22081 Richland Parish FIPS 22083 Sabine Parish FIPS 22085 St. Bernard Parish FIPS 22087 St. Charles Parish FIPS 22089 St. Helena Parish FIPS 22091 St. James Parish FIPS 22093 St. John the Baptist Parish FIPS 22095 St. Landry Parish FIPS 22097 St. Martin Parish FIPS 22099 St. Mary Parish FIPS 22101 St. Tammany Parish FIPS 22103 Tangipahoa Parish FIPS 22105 Tensas Parish FIPS 22107 Terrebonne Parish FIPS 22109 Union Parish FIPS 22111 Vermilion Parish FIPS 22113 Vernon Parish FIPS 22115 Washington Parish FIPS 22117 Webster Parish FIPS 22119 West Baton Rouge Parish FIPS 22121 West Carroll Parish FIPS 22123 West Feliciana Parish FIPS 22125 Winn Parish FIPS 22127

AI Insights

Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 6 federal data sources.

Sample AI Insight

Louisiana shows strong potential for water transportation attraction, with a 11.84x concentration and 9,895 jobs in this sub-sector.

Cluster depth across water transportation, petroleum and coal products manufacturing, and support activities for mining creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Louisiana, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Louisiana?

4,611,961 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Louisiana?

$60,756 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Louisiana?

4.3% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Louisiana?

$329.2B (BEA CAGDP2 (Regional)).