New Orleans population is still about 100,000 people smaller than it was pre-Katrina, but a Nola.com analysis of Census data shows the population loss has been almost exclusively felt in Black communities.
Alison Plyer with the Data Center told WWL’s Tommy Tucker there’s a massive disparity in the post Katrina population loss along racial lines. She compared pre-Katrina population numbers in 2000 to the 2020 Census results.
“We’ve got many fewer African American residents than we did, more than 100,000 fewer than in 2000 right,” said Plyer. “The Hispanic population has doubled, and the White population, actually, is not as high as it was pre-Katrina, it’s down about 7,000 people.”
That massive disparity in population loss is changing the face of the city, with Black residents now only comprising 54% of New Orleans compared to 66% pre-Katrina.
The Nola.com article also noted that New Orleans’ post-Katrina population peaked at about 392,000 in 2016, and has declined since then.
“The best data we have suggests that our population growth has stalled out,” said Plyer.
According to the 2020 US Census New Orleans is home to 383,997 people.