More New Orleanians are living in poverty
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More New Orleanians were living below the poverty level last year than five years before, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Why it matters: Poverty remains one of New Orleans' most enduring and persistent challenges.
The big picture: The most recent data shows 18.1% of residents were below the poverty level in 2024, up from 16.4% in 2019.
- Childhood poverty saw the largest increase, jumping to 26%.
- Houston (21%), Philadelphia (20%) and New York City (18%) have the highest poverty rates among the country's most populous cities.
By the numbers: The federal poverty income threshold is $15,940 for an individual and $31,812 for a four-person household with two children.
- The national poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, per the Supplemental Poverty Measure, a different metric more useful for national-level analysis.
Stunning stat: While white households make up about 54% of households in the metro area, they hold 83% of total net worth, according to a Data Center report.
- Black households represent 34% of all households in the metro area and hold about 10% of total net worth — reflecting generational differences in asset-building and access to capital.
Zoom out: New Orleans has "some of the widest racial wealth gaps in the nation," the Brookings Institution says in a new report about economic mobility for children.
- The city faces significant economic and racial inequalities, which are combined with pronounced neighborhood segregation and a unique vulnerability to "climate shocks and disinvestment," the report says.
- Children who grow up in the city are predicted to earn 13.4% less than the national average as adults, the report found.
- The city ranks at the bottom among the 50 largest U.S. commuting zones for upward economic mobility.
What's next: Brookings researchers suggested the following options to improve upward mobility in New Orleans:
- Municipal baby bonds and child trust accounts to act as seed capital for children from low-income families to use in adulthood.
- Land banking to stabilize neighborhoods with declining property values.
- More business incubators and investment in high-growth, AI-resilient career paths.
Go deeper: Poverty rates by neighborhood circa 2010