Dear friends and colleagues,
In late June, the Census Bureau released updated demographic estimates for our metro area.
The Census Bureau's 2020 estimates can provide clues about what we might find when the 2020 Census headcount data is released this fall.*
The estimates suggest a number of notable findings:
- The total population of the metro New Orleans area decreased for the first time in 10 years. From 1,273,979 residents in July of 2019 to 1,272,258 residents as of July 2020.
- All parishes in the metro region are estimated to have lost residents from 2019 to 2020 except St. Bernard and St. Tammany.
- As of 2020, the number of African Americans in Orleans Parish was estimated at 229,116 residents, 94,276 fewer than pre-Katrina. In 2000, New Orleans had 323,392 Black residents, which fell to 133,015 in 2006 right after Hurricane Katrina. This group reached a post-Katrina peak in 2017 at 232,189 but has since declined year-over-year.
You can find the most recent demographic estimates in "Who Lives in New Orleans and Metro Parishes Now?" at:
Bringing you the data you need to make informed decisions,
The Data Center Team
Ellen Kujawa, Katrina Andry, Allison Plyer, Thomas Wilson, Dabne Whitemore, Jenna Losh, Don Asay, Robby Habans, Lamar Gardere, Cody Brumfield, and Rachel Weinstein
* The 2020 Census data will be released in a difficult-to-use legacy format on August 16th, at which time The Data Center will begin examining the data. (The Census Bureau will release it in a user-friendly format on September 30th.) The impacts of the pandemic, college students being away from college campuses, and hurricanes displacing Louisianans may all contribute to unexpected results in the 2020 Census. In addition, the Census Bureau’s Differential Privacy method for protecting the privacy of the data may mean it is less reliable for smaller geographies and demographic groups. You can count on The Data Center to provide the expertise needed to navigate the uncertainties in the 2020 Census data and provide you the data you need to make informed decisions.
