New Orleans, Louisiana Population 2023

396,048

New Orleans is a city located in Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish Louisiana. It is also the county seat of Orleans Parish. With a 2023 population of 396,048, it is the largest city in Louisiana and the 52nd largest city in the United States.New Orleans is currently growing at a rate of 1.02% annually and its population has increased by 3.14% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 383,997 in 2020. Spanning over 350 miles, New Orleans has a population density of 2,337 people per square mile.

The average household income in New Orleans is $71,938 with a poverty rate of 26.74%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in New Orleans is 37.2 years, 36.4 years for males, and 38 years for females.

New Orleans is the largest city and metro area of Louisiana, and its name comes from Orléans, a city on the Loire River in France. Known for its French Creole architecture and multilingual and cultural heritage, New Orleans is often called the most unique city in the United States.

The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1.167 million, which makes it the 46th largest in the country, and the New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area has a population of 1.2 million.

Impact of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina had a significant impact on New Orleans, and it was called the "worst engineering disaster in the world since Chernobyl" by Dr. Raymond B. Seed of the University California Berkeley after the Federal levee system failed. The hurricane approached the city in August 2005 and, while most residents were evacuated, the federal flood protection system failed, and 80% of New Orleans was flooded.

Tens of thousands of residents who were left in the city were rescued, but many stayed in shelters -- including the Louisiana Superdome -- for days. Officially, 1,500 people died in Louisiana, but there were many more never accounted for.

Tens of thousands of people left New Orleans and never returned, and in 2006, the Census Bureau estimated the population was just 223,000. A year later, 32,000 people returned, which brought the city's population to only 56% of pre-Katrina levels.

In 2013, the US Census Bureau estimated the population of New Orleans at 369,000, which is 76% of its 2000 population, while the metro area has 92% of its 2000 population. Another survey in June 2013 found that more than half of the 72 neighborhoods of New Orleans had recovered 90% of their pre-Katrina population.

While African Americans still represent a majority in the city, their numbers dropped significantly after the hurricane.

New Orleans Diversity and Religion

In 2006, it was estimated that there are about 10,000 to 14,000 illegal immigrants in New Orleans, mostly from Mexico. Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza, said there might be about 120,000 Hispanic workers in the city.

New Orleans has become more diverse over the last decade, and its Latino population in the metropolitan area has jumped 69% from 2000 to 2012, which is much higher than the national 50% growth.

The French and Spanish colonial history of New Orleans gives its population a strong Catholic traditional, and Catholicism is still the predominant religion. 35.9% of its population is Roman Catholic. There is also a strong presence of Louisiana Voodoo, which is a syncretism with African and Afro-Caribbean Roman Catholic beliefs. While this Voodoo image is promoted a great deal by the tourism industry, there are very few true adherents in New Orleans.

New Orleans Population Growth

In 2012, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 largest cities with the fastest growing populations in the US based on Census Bureau data. New Orleans ranked #1, with 4.9% growth from 2010 to 2011. This is more than six times the national average of just 0.73%, although New Orleans remains at 80% pre-Katrina levels.

The good news is that New Orleans is on the rise again, eight years after Hurricane Katrina. In recent years, the population has started to grow, and the city recovered all the jobs it lost as of 2012 with new growth in knowledge-based industries. This is good news for The Big Easy, and it's a trend that is expected to continue.

There's no doubt that Hurricane Katrina was a terrible disaster and tragedy, but it gave New Orleans the money and opportunity to rebuild and reinvent itself. The city was saved by the once-imminent fate of Detroit and its real estate market has seen a rebirth.

If current trends hold, New Orleans should have no trouble making its way back to pre-Katrina levels and possibly beyond before the next census in 2020.

La Nouvelle-Orleans (New Orleans) was founded in 1718 by the French Mississippi Company on land inhabited at the time by the Chitimacha. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ceded this French colony to the Spanish Empire, and it became a port to smuggle aid to rebels during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1779, a successful campaign pushed the British from the city, and New Orleans stayed under Spanish control until 1801, when it reverted to France. Napoleon then sold the territory to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, and it grew quickly as French, Creoles, Americans, Africans, Germans, and Irish moved to the region.

The end of the Haitian Revolution in 1804 brought a massive wave of refugees to New Orleans, both white and free people of color, many of which brought African slaves. New Orleans went on to have the largest slave trade for many years. After the Civil War, Louisiana was readmitted to the Union in 1868, and the city of New Orleans continued to grow in size and economic power through the 20th century.

New Orleans Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Orleans was:

  • Black or African American: 59.22%
  • White: 33.4%
  • Asian: 2.89%
  • Two or more races: 2.55%
  • Other race: 1.75%
  • Native American: 0.18%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%
The current population of New Orleans, Louisiana is 396,048 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 383,997.

New Orleans, Louisiana Population 2023

New Orleans Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

Black or African American

White

Asian

Two or more races

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

New Orleans Population by Race

New Orleans Population Pyramid 2023

New Orleans Median Age

37.2

Total

36.4

Male

38

Female

New Orleans Adults

There are 313,190 adults, (57,867 of whom are seniors) in New Orleans.

New Orleans Age Dependency

53.2

Age Dependency Ratio

22.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

30.6

Child Dependency Ratio

New Orleans Sex Ratio

Female205,99752.65%
Male185,25247.35%

New Orleans Population by Age

New Orleans Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.66

Average Family Size

2.43

Average Household Size

49.8%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

New Orleans Households and Families

Male

Female

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

New Orleans Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

New Orleans Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 74.19%.

New Orleans Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

$36,148

Average Earnings

$41,948

Average Male

$31,603

Average Female

New Orleans Earnings by Educational Attainment

New Orleans Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

New Orleans Language

91.45% of New Orleans residents speak only English, while 8.55% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 3.94% of the population.

New Orleans Language

New Orleans Poverty by Race

rate

26.74%

Overall Poverty Rate

21.23%

Male Poverty Rate

24.64%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in New Orleans

The race most likely to be in poverty in New Orleans is Other, with 38.37% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in New Orleans is White, with 10.64% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.84%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.72%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.81%.

New Orleans Poverty

New Orleans Poverty Rate by Education

New Orleans Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

New Orleans Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

mean

median

Income by Household Type

New Orleans Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

28.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

30.8%

Male Marriage Rate

26.6%

Female Marriage Rate

New Orleans Married by Age and Sex

male

female

New Orleans Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

New Orleans Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

New Orleans Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

16,262

Number of Veterans

14,479

Male Veterans

1,783

Female Veterans

New Orleans Veterans by War

New Orleans Veterans by Age

count

New Orleans Veterans by Race

New Orleans Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

10.99%

Veteran Poverty Rate

23.74%

Veteran Disability Rate

New Orleans Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

61.3%

Labor Force Participation

55.7%

Employment Rate

8.5%

Unemployment Rate

New Orleans Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

New Orleans Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

New Orleans Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

71.83%

Born in New Orleans

96.34%

Native Born

5.55%

Foreign Born

2.93%

Non Citizen

2.62%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.34% of New Orleans residents were born in the United States, with 71.83% having been born in Louisiana. 2.93% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

New Orleans Place of Birth

Note: data after 2020 is projected based on recent growth

New Orleans Population by Year