Louisiana’s population is shrinking.
Large cities — with the exception of Lafayette — and parishes hammered by Hurricane Ida have taken the hardest hits, leading to an overall population decline statewide of nearly 37,000 people.
Four Louisiana parishes: St. John the Baptist, Terrebonne, Plaquemines and St. Charles all ranked in the top 10 of counties nationwide that lost the greatest percentage of their population, according to Census estimates that studied counties with more than 20,000 population.
The estimates studied the period between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022.
In addition, large metropolitan areas like Orleans, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge and Caddo parishes saw bigger declines in terms of raw numbers, but their larger populations meant their percentages were lower.
Some parishes, such as Lafayette Parish and St. Tammany Parish, gained population, though they grew far slower than the 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States, five of which were in Texas.
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