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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

New Orleans Metro

New Orleans-Metairie, LA · 7 counties · 1,140,762 residents · 2,359 sq mi
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The short version

New Orleans is home to 1,140,762 people. The poverty rate is 22.4%, above the 13.2% national rate. Owners hold 57% of the housing stock. Median home value sits at $68,524. The median household earns $23,671, about 21% below the national median. 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 31.8
US median: 33.0
Average education
19% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,140,762
Unchangedvs 2000
vs 1,146,458 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
484 / sq mi
Unchangedvs 2000
vs 486 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
31.8
−8%vs 2000
vs 34.5 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
2,359 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
908K973K1.0M1.1M1.2M19902000201020202024New Orleans
2024982K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.7%(87,975)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 98%(91,392)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 147.6%(86,947)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 197.5%(85,326)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.4%(84,038)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3417.6%(201,169)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4414.9%(170,521)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 549.9%(113,229)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.1%(92,725)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 746.7%(76,735)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 843.5%(39,773)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1%(10,932)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$23,671
−8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $33,766 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$11,802
−35%vs 2000
vs $18,220 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
22.4%
+2.5 ptsvs 2000
vs 19.9% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$68,524
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $92,841 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$394
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $509 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
57.1%
−2.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 59.3% in 2000
42.9% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic49.6%(568,453)
Black41.8%(479,781)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(53,808)
Asian2.3%(26,932)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic59%(672,620)
Black37.8%(431,309)
Hispanic / Latino4.3%(49,360)
Asian1.8%(20,743)
Other1.4%(16,090)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Central American6.4%(63,136)
Honduran4.3%(41,785)
Mexican2%(19,478)
Cuban0.9%(8,746)
Nicaraguan0.7%(7,199)
Guatemalan0.7%(6,616)
Dominican0.6%(5,963)
Puerto Rican0.6%(5,850)
South American0.6%(5,615)
Salvadoran0.4%(4,115)
Spaniard0.3%(3,408)
Colombian0.2%(2,211)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Costa Rican0.2%(1,713)
Ecuadorian0.1%(960)
Peruvian0.1%(783)
Venezuelan0.1%(598)
Panamanian0.1%(569)
Argentine0%(361)
Chilean0%(331)
Bolivian0%(145)
Paraguayan0%(140)
Uruguayan0%(35)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.5%(14,699)
Chinese0.5%(4,551)
Asian Indian0.3%(3,111)
Filipino0.3%(2,973)
Pakistani0.2%(1,558)
Korean0.1%(654)
Japanese0.1%(622)
Cambodian0%(405)
Nepalese0%(362)
Taiwanese0%(267)
Thai0%(194)
Indonesian0%(183)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(135)
Burmese0%(107)
Laotian0%(105)
Uzbek0.1%(35)
Malaysian0%(26)
Kazakh0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(54)
Guamanian0%(26)
Chamorro0%(17)
Ancestry
French9.1%(88,973)
German8.2%(80,075)
Italian6.6%(65,013)
Irish6.6%(64,591)
English5.6%(54,487)
American3.7%(36,665)
Subsaharan African2.6%(25,866)
Arab0.9%(8,859)
Scottish0.9%(8,637)
French Canadian0.8%(8,136)
West Indian0.8%(7,655)
Polish0.6%(5,570)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.4%(4,152)
Haitian0.4%(3,570)
Dutch0.3%(3,423)
Russian0.3%(2,797)
Swedish0.3%(2,629)
British0.3%(2,531)
Norwegian0.3%(2,438)
Welsh0.2%(2,379)
Palestinian0.3%(2,214)
Greek0.2%(2,187)
Croatian0.2%(2,077)
Jamaican0.2%(1,779)
Lebanese0.2%(1,620)
Egyptian0.2%(1,412)
Nigerian0.1%(1,359)
Portuguese0.1%(1,232)
Hungarian0.1%(1,125)
Brazilian0.1%(1,105)
Danish0.1%(969)
Ethiopian0.1%(811)
Romanian0.1%(810)
Iranian0.1%(758)
Jordanian0.1%(729)
Canadian0.1%(699)
Israeli0.1%(692)
Ukrainian0.1%(691)
Austrian0.1%(664)
Czech0.1%(662)
Lithuanian0.1%(584)
Swiss0.1%(552)
Belgian0.1%(510)
Turkish0.1%(501)
Ghanaian0.1%(426)
Slovak0%(329)
Syrian0%(322)
Slovene0%(318)
Finnish0%(246)
Guyanese0%(178)
Armenian0%(177)
Somali0%(174)
Latvian0%(171)
Iraqi0%(166)
Kenyan0%(135)
Bulgarian0%(124)
Serbian0%(114)
Moroccan0%(65)
Barbadian0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
18.8%
−2.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 21.6% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
71.1%
−5.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 76.6% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
6.8%
−1.1 ptsvs 2000
vs 7.9% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.8 min
+28%vs 2000
vs 17.0 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married42.9%(163,916)
Married43.2%(164,863)
Widowed3.1%(11,843)
Divorced10.8%(41,395)
Women 15+
Never married38.5%(162,828)
Married39.2%(165,620)
Widowed8.9%(37,636)
Divorced13.4%(56,476)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
9.3%
−8.4 ptssince 2013
from 17.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
46.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 46.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 11.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.6%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 18.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
30.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 28.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
55.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 57.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
45.6%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 42.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)24.7%(9,496)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.4%(9,002)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.6%(12,539)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4%(1,552)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.4%(548)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 38,442 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

New OrleansCENTRAL362,154MetairieCENTRAL139,729Kenner65,136Marrero32,540Laplace28,343Terrytown24,726Chalmette22,616Harvey20,915Gretna17,360Estelle16,341Luling13,960River Ridge13,312Woodmere11,879Destrehan11,619Waggaman11,330Belle Chasse10,934Timberlane10,886Jefferson9,703Harahan8,916Westwego8,317Meraux7,918Reserve7,791St. Rose7,644Bridge City7,297Elmwood6,077Arabi4,625Avondale4,608Violet4,122Hahnville3,520South Vacherie2,954

The 30 most populous of 69 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

7 component counties

Jefferson ParishCENTRAL431,398Orleans ParishCENTRAL362,154St. Charles ParishCENTRAL50,586St. Bernard ParishCENTRAL45,642St. John the Baptist ParishCENTRAL39,875Plaquemines ParishCENTRAL22,256St. James ParishCENTRAL18,938
Drill deeper

Metros similar to New Orleans

Lakeland
Pop 874,790
El Paso
Pop 881,291
Columbia
Pop 879,918
Bakersfield
Pop 927,068
Places similar to New Orleans
Head to head

Compare New Orleans side by side

NEW ORLEANS VS
Lakeland
Income$65,978+179%
Home value$266,500+289%
Population874,790−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
El Paso
Income$59,762+152%
Home value$179,947+163%
Population881,291−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
Columbia
Income$68,275+188%
Home value$232,186+239%
Population879,918−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
Bakersfield
Income$70,210+197%
Home value$338,300+394%
Population927,068−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?

New Orleans-Metairie, LA has about 1,140,762 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?

The typical household in New Orleans-Metairie, LA earns about $23,671 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is New Orleans-Metairie, LA expensive?

In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, the median home is worth about $68,524, and the typical rent is about $394 a month.

How educated are people in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?

About 18.8% of adults age 25 and over in New Orleans-Metairie, LA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?

About 22.4% of people in New Orleans-Metairie, LA live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →