Louisiana among nation's fastest shrinking states
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It's not just Louisiana's land mass that's shrinking: The state's population is also declining among the fastest in the nation, according to a new Axios analysis of the latest census data.
Why it matters: City leaders are closely watching population data as concerns rise over how public policy helps — and hurts — peoples' decisions around staying in, returning to or moving to the area.
The big picture: Only three states marked larger population decreases in Axios' comparison of American Community Survey data in the periods between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.
- West Virginia (-2.4%) was the nation's loss leader, followed by Mississippi (-1.3%) and (-1%). Louisiana landed at No. 4 with a population loss of -.9%.
Zoom in: Most Louisiana parishes clocked population decreases, led by Cameron Parish, which saw a 24% drop across that timespan.
- All coastal parishes also had population decreases, with a 3.5% drop in Orleans and .6% drop in Jefferson parishes.
Yes, but: Not every Louisiana parish is losing people.
- North Shore parishes noted population increases, as well as East and West Baton Rouge, Calcasieu and Bossier parishes.