Louisiana's growing reliance on federal aid
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About one in five Louisianans got at least 25% of their personal income from the government in 2022, according to an Economic Innovation Group analysis.
Why it matters: America's reliance on government programs has soared in the past half-century — with a stunning acceleration in the past 25 years.
The big picture: Residents in more than half of America's counties and parishes drew a substantial share of their total income from the government in 2022, the data shows.
- In 2000, that was the case in just 10% of counties and parishes.
Zoom in: 20.78% of Louisianans got at least 25% of their personal income from government aid, based on 2022 data.
- Orleans was 20.75% in 2022, compared with 10.72% in 1972.
- Jefferson was 21.75%, compared with 5.27% in 1972.
- The highest in 2022 was Franklin (43.36%), and the lowest was Ascension (15.54%).
Between the lines: Government aid includes Social Security, Medicare, SNAP and other benefits programs.
Go deeper: Economic distress fuels growing reliance on government aid