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NEWS RELEASE: FACTS FOR FEATURES
“Who Dat” Data: Facts about New Orleans’ recovery from Katrina
Allison Plyer‚ Chief Demographer‚ Greater New Orleans Community Data Center
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NEW ORLEANS – January 28‚ 2010 – Like the Saints, the people of New Orleans have overcome significant adversity since the levees failed and flooded the city. Four and a half years after Katrina‚ how is the city doing…according to the stats?
- The population of New Orleans continues to grow‚ reaching 79 percent of pre–Katrina households receiving mail as of January 2010. Population recovery has been even faster for the metro area‚ now at 91 percent of pre–Katrina.
- The city has repopulated with a mix of returning and new residents‚ making the city more diverse than it was before the disaster. The Latino population has grown from 3.1 percent pre–Katrina to 4.5 percent. Likewise the Asian population has increased from 2.3 percent pre–Katrina to 2.9 percent.
- New Orleans has also seen an influx of young people eager to help rebuild the city. 41 percent of the households in New Orleans are now singles‚ up from 33 percent before the storm.
- Substantial rebuilding activity has helped shield New Orleans from the national recession. The metro area unemployment rate was only 6.8 percent in December 2009‚ compared to 10 percent nationwide.
- Job losses since the recession began in December 2007 have also been relatively small. New Orleans metro area jobs are down 1 percent compared to a 5 percent loss for the nation.
- Enrollment in New Orleans schools has rebounded to 61 percent of pre–Katrina, and significant public school reforms are underway. Now more than 60 percent of all New Orleans public school students attend charter schools — the highest percentage of any city in the country.
- Despite‚ and perhaps because of‚ the adversity they’ve faced‚ New Orleanians passionately support their team. For four straight years‚ the franchise has sold out the entire 70,000–seat Superdome before the season has begun‚ and New Orleans Saints merchandise ranks number 6 in the nation in sales!
Be sure to cite the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center: your source for the most up–to–date‚ reliable data.
For further analysis and recommendations from the Brookings Institution and GNOCDC‚ sign–up for our Numbers Talk Newsletter and look for The New Orleans Index, special 5th anniversary edition this summer.
Sources: USPS Delivery Statistics Product‚ U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey‚ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics‚ Louisiana Department of Education‚ Associated Press “Saints sell out whole season again‚” Times Picayune “New Orleans Saints merchandise a big seller.”
Note: The New Orleans MSA unemployment rate is not seasonally adjusted.
About the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center
The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center gathers‚ analyzes and disseminates data to help nonprofit and civic leaders work smarter and more strategically. Operating since 1997‚ the GNOCDC is New Orleans’ sustainable data source – before the storm‚ throughout recovery and in the years to come.
