U.S. Census: Louisiana Grew Faster Than U.S. Over Last Three Years
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The U.S. Census Bureau today released the population figures from its decennial census, revealing that from July 1, 2007 to April 1, 2010, Louisiana's population grew by more than 157,000. This ranks Louisiana as the 17th fastest-growing state in the U.S. during that period of time. If Louisiana had grown at the same rate since the 2000 census, its growth rate would have been faster than the U.S. overall, and it would have retained its seven congressional seats.
Louisiana's economy also has continued to outperform the South and the U.S. For example, Louisiana's nonfarm employment grew by 23,100 jobs from November 2009 to November 2010 (latest available data), marking the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year employment growth in the state. This job growth rate was nearly 90 percent faster than the U.S. and about 40 percent faster than the South. Louisiana's unemployment rate has remained well below the South and the U.S. every month since the beginning of the national recession. For example, Louisiana's unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in November 2010, well below the 9.2 percent Southern average and 9.8 percent national average.
"Although our state unfortunately experienced slow population growth early in the decade followed by the devastating impacts of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our state's population nevertheless grew about 50 percent faster than the U.S. over the last three years," said Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret. "Since the beginning of the national recession, our economy has outperformed the South and the U.S., which is the primary reason why Louisiana recently has experienced population growth substantially faster than the U.S. overall."
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