The Contributions of New Americans in Louisiana

While today only 4 percent of Louisiana’s population is made up of immigrants, the state’s immigrant population has been growing in recent decades. In 1990, Louisiana was home to roughly 87,000 immigrants, a group that made up 2.1 percent of the state’s population overall. By 2010, that share had almost doubled, rising to 3.7 percent. Such growth has only continued in more recent years. Between 2010 and 2014, Louisiana’s immigrant population increased by more than 17,000 people. Many news stories described thousands of immigrants choosing to move to the state in the months after Hurricane Katrina, many taking on jobs helping New Orleans and the surrounding communities rebuild. In many cases, such immigrants have since settled in the state long term and made a large impact on their new communities as taxpayers, consumers, and entrepreneurs. The more than 184,000 immigrants living Louisiana today serve as everything from civil engineers to physicians to welders, making them critical contributors to the state’s economy overall.

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