New Orleans' fastest-growing demographic groups
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New Orleans' Hispanic population saw the biggest percentage increase of any single demographic between 2000 and 2022, per a new analysis from Axios' Kavya Beheraj and Alex Fitzpatrick.
Why it matters: Such demographic data is a vital snapshot of how New Orleans' racial and ethnic makeup is changing over time, helping to inform policies and programs across the city.
By the numbers: The number of Hispanic residents grew 102.6% to more than 120,000.
- Meanwhile, people claiming two or more races jumped 115.5% to more than 24,000, and the city's Asian population jumped 30.3% to 38,400.
Between the lines: New Orleans spent much of the first quarter of this century rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina, a population-altering event that forced an estimated 1.5 million residents from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to leave.
- New Orleans' overall population has fallen by 7% since 2000, according to the new analysis.
- The Black population drop was particularly steep, at 12.7% to about 442,000.
- The white population fell 6.8% to 733,2000 over the same period.
Driving the news: Climate refugees aside, demographic trends are driven by a combination of factors, including varied birth, mortality and immigration rates (both internal and external) among different socioeconomic groups.
The big picture: Nationwide, the country's Pacific Islander, Asian and Hispanic populations saw the biggest percentage increases between 2000 and 2022.
- The number of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders grew about 120% to nearly 879,000, while the Asian population grew about 105% to 21 million.
- The Hispanic population grew about 80%, to nearly 64 million.
- The Black population grew 31% to 45.4 million.
Of note: The U.S. is still predominantly white, with growth of 19% between 2000 and 2022 to nearly 252 million.
Zoom in: Some states are seeing far more rapid demographic shifts than others.
- In Texas, for instance, Hispanic residents now officially make up the largest share of the state's population, the Texas Tribune reports.
- "The new population figures show Hispanic Texans made up 40.2% of the state's population last summer, barely edging out non-Hispanic white Texans, who made up 39.8%," per the Tribune.
Meanwhile: The country is also rapidly aging, Axios' Emily Peck recently reported, with the median age reaching a record 38.9 last year.
The intrigue: Politicos have long speculated that a growing Hispanic population could move states toward purple or even blue, as our colleagues at Axios Dallas reported.
- But Latino voters are favoring the Democratic Party less.