Which Metro Areas Send the Most New Residents to New Orleans?

by Michael Lathrop

November 15, 2016

When you think of New Orleans, what comes to mind? A parade? Voodoo? Cajun food? For many others, when they think of New Orleans what comes to mind is the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. August 29, 2005. The day that the music stopped. The parades came to a halt. Restaurants, homes, and lives forever destroyed.

Photo: Gilbert Mercier



It has taken over a decade, but finally New Orleans has 94% of its population back to where it was pre-Katrina. As the proud and loud Big Easy has worked hard to rebuild its infrastructure, jobs, and spirit, the liveliness is back once again on Bourbon Street.

Perhaps the biggest contributing factor? Millennials. The Crescent City boasts numerous schools of higher learning to choose from such as Tulane, Loyola, Xavier, and the University of Louisiana. With living costs being much cheaper than cities like New York and LA, students are splitting cheap rental houses rather than splurging their savings on one-bedroom apartments.

Photo: Ryan Dickey



New Orleans has also gained the moniker of “Silicon Bayou.” NOLA become an emerging juggernaut in the tech world. With generous tax credits, companies like GE Capital have moved to New Orleans to develop their apps and other software. 3D upstarts such as Kickboard have begun developing 3D models to help teach students in classrooms.

What else is attracting this younger demographic? The entertainment industry. Not only is jazz back out in full force on the streets of New Orleans, but The Big Easy has become a major hub of television and movie production. Popular shows like True Detective, movies such as The Expendables 2, Jurassic World, and numerous others have all been filmed in New Orleans.

When you combine tech, music, and entertainment, the people will come. And New Orleans has opened up Bourbon Street to its newest residents. Let’s check out the top 15 metro areas from which residents are moving to New Orleans, as according to the US Census Bureau.

Photo: Bluepoint951



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 4,759



Photo: Horacio Maria



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 3,464



3. Lafayette, LA

Photo: Solo J



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 1,597



Photo: Mike Boening Photography



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 1,587



Houma-Thibodaux, LA

Photo: Maciek Lulko



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 1,011



6. New York, NY

Photo: Livability.com



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 1,010



Photo: Daxis



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 1,009



Photo: Tony Brooks



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 977



9. Hammond, LA

Photo: Shugo Nozaki



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 966



Photo: Ta'Von M. Jackson



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 926



11. Shreveport, LA

Photo: Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 834



12. Chicago, IL

Photo: Christopher



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 782



13. Monroe, LA

Photo: Finchlake2000



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 552



14. Los Angeles, CA

Photo: Aydin Palabiyikoglu



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 542



15. Philadelphia, PA

Photo: Tony Brooks



Average number of people who relocated to New Orleans per year: 517

Top Photo: Antrell Williams