State
Land Area
169.4 sq mi
Density
2,292.5/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.22%
Growth Since 2010
12.97%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
1,271,320
New Orleans is a city located in Louisiana. With a 2020 population of 388,424, it is the largest city in Louisiana and the 53rd largest city in the United States. New Orleans is currently declining at a rate of -0.22% annually but its population has increased by 12.97% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 343,829 in 2010. New Orleans reached it's highest population of 627,525 in 1960. Spanning over 350 miles, New Orleans has a population density of 2,292 people per square mile.
The average household income in New Orleans is $71,938 with a poverty rate of 23.65%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $998 per month, and the median house value is $231,500. The median age in New Orleans is 36.8 years, 35.9 years for males, and 37.6 years for females. For every 100 females there are 90.3 males.
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.
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.
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.
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.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of New Orleans was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 1,271,320 | 390 | 0.03% |
2020 | 1,270,930 | 400 | 0.03% |
2019 | 1,270,530 | 400 | 0.03% |
2018 | 1,270,130 | -200 | -0.02% |
2017 | 1,270,330 | 2,720 | 0.21% |
2016 | 1,267,610 | 7,330 | 0.58% |
2015 | 1,260,280 | 11,380 | 0.90% |
2014 | 1,248,900 | 9,320 | 0.75% |
2013 | 1,239,580 | 12,690 | 1.02% |
2012 | 1,226,890 | 12,880 | 1.05% |
2011 | 1,214,010 | 18,690 | 1.54% |
2010 | 1,195,320 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Black or African American | 232,660 | 59.53% |
White | 132,643 | 33.94% |
Asian | 11,361 | 2.91% |
Two or More Races | 7,500 | 1.92% |
Some Other Race | 5,856 | 1.50% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 763 | 0.20% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 62 | 0.02% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 153,819 | 2.45 | 48.3 |
Non Family | 81,572 | 1.28 | 36.8 |
Married | 41,412 | 3.31 | 77.8 |
Female | 25,210 | 4.38 | 37.8 |
Male | 5,625 | 4.33 | 44.4 |
3.66
Average Family Size
2.45
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 10,385 | 3.74% |
9th to 12th Grade | 26,964 | 9.72% |
High School Graduate | 63,287 | 22.81% |
Some College | 59,525 | 21.45% |
Associates Degree | 13,066 | 4.71% |
Bachelors Degree | 58,954 | 21.25% |
Graduate Degree | 45,303 | 16.33% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 155,221 | 125,678 | 30,539 |
White | 96,264 | 93,215 | 63,236 |
Hispanic | 14,306 | 11,580 | 5,142 |
Asian | 8,272 | 6,271 | 3,345 |
Multiple Races | 4,180 | 3,908 | 1,962 |
Other Race | 3,741 | 2,853 | 907 |
Native American | 629 | 544 | 162 |
Islander | 54 | 31 | 22 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.83%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 65.69%.
$35,555
Average Earnings
$40,566
Average Male
$31,646
Average Female
91.66% of New Orleans residents speak only English, while 8.34% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.07% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 225,290 | 70,098 | 31.11% |
White | 115,484 | 12,139 | 10.51% |
Hispanic | 20,703 | 4,468 | 21.58% |
Asian | 10,787 | 1,773 | 16.44% |
Other | 5,710 | 1,589 | 27.83% |
Multiple | 7,262 | 1,300 | 17.90% |
Native | 763 | 214 | 28.05% |
23.65%
Overall Poverty Rate
22.17%
Male Poverty Rate
24.98%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in New Orleans is Black, with 31.11% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in New Orleans is White, with 10.51% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.18%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.45%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.80%.
29.4%
Overall Marriage Rate
31.5%
Male Marriage Rate
27.5%
Female Marriage Rate
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 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
Black | 9,563 | 5.39% |
White | 6,035 | 5.26% |
Hispanic | 437 | 2.72% |
2 or More | 366 | 7.50% |
Asian | 45 | 0.47% |
Other | 34 | 0.79% |
Indian | 27 | 4.15% |
Hawaiian | 5 | 8.06% |
11.32%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.08%
Veteran Disability Rate
62%
Labor Force Participation
56.8%
Employment Rate
7.9%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
94.47%
Native Born
5.53%
Foreign Born
2.93%
Non Citizen
2.60%
Naturalized
94.47% of New Orleans residents were born in the United States, with 71.04% 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.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 388,424 | -860 | -0.22% |
2020 | 389,284 | -860 | -0.22% |
2019 | 390,144 | -860 | -0.22% |
2018 | 391,004 | -489 | -0.12% |
2017 | 391,493 | -350 | -0.09% |
2016 | 391,843 | 2,101 | 0.54% |
2015 | 389,742 | 5,802 | 1.51% |
2014 | 383,940 | 5,303 | 1.40% |
2013 | 378,637 | 8,850 | 2.39% |
2012 | 369,787 | 9,052 | 2.51% |
2011 | 360,735 | 12,963 | 3.73% |
2010 | 347,772 | -136,902 | -3.26% |
2000 | 484,674 | -12,264 | -0.25% |
1990 | 496,938 | -60,989 | -1.15% |
1980 | 557,927 | -35,544 | -0.62% |
1970 | 593,471 | -34,054 | -0.56% |
1960 | 627,525 | 57,080 | 0.96% |
1950 | 570,445 | 75,908 | 1.44% |
1940 | 494,537 | 35,775 | 0.75% |
1930 | 458,762 | 71,543 | 1.71% |
1920 | 387,219 | 48,144 | 1.34% |
1910 | 339,075 | 51,971 | 1.68% |
1900 | 287,104 | 45,065 | 1.72% |
1890 | 242,039 | 25,949 | 1.14% |
1880 | 216,090 | 24,672 | 1.22% |
1870 | 191,418 | 22,743 | 1.27% |
1860 | 168,675 | 52,300 | 3.78% |
1850 | 116,375 | 14,182 | 1.31% |
1840 | 102,193 | 56,111 | 8.29% |
1830 | 46,082 | 18,906 | 5.42% |
1820 | 27,176 | 9,934 | 4.65% |
1810 | 17,242 | 0.00% |