Mounting evidence suggests that U.S. cities and regions that offer greater equality of opportunity experience greater economic growth. How is New Orleans doing in this regard? This is an important question because certainly only in the last 50 years have black New Orleanians had the possibility of becoming part of the city’s economic mainstream. New Orleans’ first 300 years included roughly 150 years of slavery followed by 100 years of Jim Crow. While economic inclusion was not the focus of the city’s first 250 years, economic inclusion is increasingly important for fostering growth in developed economies.
Today we release a report entitled, The New Orleans Prosperity Index which asks the question: Have black New Orleanians experienced increased economic inclusion since the end of the Civil Rights era? Because many systems work together to support economic growth, The Prosperity Index also examines the most up-to-date data across education, housing, health, democracy, and criminal justice to assess which systems have produced good or poor outcomes for people of color in New Orleans since 1970.
