CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

New Orleans Metro

New Orleans-Metairie, LA · 7 counties · 1,007,275 residents · 2,359 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Compare
The short version

New Orleans is a metro area of 1,007,275 people. The poverty rate is 18.4%, above the 12.8% national rate. Owners hold 57% of the housing stock. The median household earns $51,043, about 23% below the national median. 9% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. There are 139,183 fewer people here than in 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.1
US median: 38.8
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 52%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,007,275
−12%since 2000
from 1,146,458 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
427 / sq mi
−12%since 2000
from 486 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
38.1
+11%since 2000
from 34.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
2,359 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
908K973K1.0M1.1M1.2M19902000201020202024New Orleans
2024982K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.8%(58,330)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(60,719)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.4%(64,198)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.1%(61,229)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.6%(66,326)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.7%(148,433)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.4%(134,955)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.6%(117,307)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.3%(133,589)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410%(100,564)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.4%(44,750)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.7%(16,875)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$51,043
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,766 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,112
+76%since 2000
from $18,220 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
34.7%
+6.9 ptssince 2009
from 27.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
18.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade7.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6.8%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Retail trade5.7%
US avg: 10%
Other services5.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration3.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.8%
US avg: 0.5%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$212,069
+52%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $92,841 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$997
+30%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $509 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
57.3%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 59.3% in 2000
42.7% rent
Persons per household
2.54 people
−8%since 2009
from 2.75 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.3
+11%since 2009
from 3.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic42%(422,672)
Black38.2%(384,595)
Hispanic / Latino12.5%(126,095)
Asian3.3%(33,012)
Other2.5%(25,222)
Segregation Score
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Central American4.6%(45,786)
Honduran3.1%(30,411)
Mexican1.8%(18,523)
Cuban0.7%(6,892)
Puerto Rican0.6%(5,858)
South American0.6%(5,483)
Dominican0.5%(4,842)
Nicaraguan0.5%(4,771)
Guatemalan0.5%(4,554)
Salvadoran0.4%(3,355)
Spaniard0.3%(2,728)
Colombian0.2%(1,520)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.1%(1,278)
Venezuelan0.1%(904)
Panamanian0.1%(846)
Peruvian0.1%(820)
Costa Rican0.1%(462)
Argentine0%(407)
Bolivian0%(295)
Chilean0%(182)
Uruguayan0%(47)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.7%(17,018)
Chinese0.5%(4,942)
Asian Indian0.3%(3,087)
Filipino0.3%(2,584)
Pakistani0.1%(931)
Korean0.1%(918)
Cambodian0.1%(507)
Japanese0.1%(469)
Thai0%(310)
Taiwanese0%(218)
Laotian0%(165)
Indonesian0%(107)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(103)
Nepalese0%(102)
Sri Lankan0%(101)
Malaysian0%(50)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(82)
Samoan0%(52)
Ancestry
French10.1%(102,043)
German8.2%(83,009)
Italian6.6%(66,521)
Irish6.4%(64,236)
American4.1%(41,422)
English4%(40,936)
Subsaharan African2.9%(29,482)
Scottish0.8%(7,940)
Polish0.7%(6,721)
West Indian0.6%(5,712)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(5,098)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
British0.4%(4,410)
Dutch0.4%(3,835)
Russian0.3%(3,032)
Haitian0.3%(2,449)
Swedish0.2%(2,425)
Norwegian0.2%(2,407)
Welsh0.2%(2,320)
Greek0.2%(2,168)
Palestinian0.2%(1,670)
Arab0.2%(1,504)
Portuguese0.1%(1,400)
Jamaican0.1%(1,366)
Croatian0.1%(1,342)
Nigerian0.1%(1,301)
Lebanese0.1%(1,266)
Jordanian0.3%(1,256)
Hungarian0.1%(1,220)
Egyptian0.1%(1,210)
Ethiopian0.1%(1,112)
Czech0.1%(890)
Austrian0.1%(821)
Swiss0.1%(803)
Canadian0.1%(686)
Ukrainian0.1%(634)
Iranian0.1%(630)
Danish0.1%(627)
Brazilian0.1%(610)
Romanian0.1%(581)
Belgian0.1%(508)
Lithuanian0.1%(485)
Finnish0%(335)
Syrian0%(325)
Israeli0%(308)
Turkish0%(239)
Slovene0%(227)
Slovak0%(199)
Serbian0%(190)
Armenian0%(173)
Australian0%(162)
Bulgarian0%(150)
Latvian0%(116)
Moroccan0%(115)
Ghanaian0%(111)
Kenyan0%(103)
Barbadian0%(102)
Iraqi0%(80)
Guyanese0%(57)
Somali0%(26)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.1%
+8.5 ptssince 2000
from 21.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
86.7%
+10.1 ptssince 2000
from 76.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.6%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.0 min
+47%since 2000
from 17.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
75.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 76.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
11.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.8%
−1.9 ptssince 2011
from 8.8% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
62.2%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 64.5% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.7%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
38.1%
+5.6 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.8% in 2009
Female
51.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 52.2% in 2009
Foreign born
8.5%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
9.7%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 17.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
89.0%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
88.3%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
9.7%
−8.0 ptssince 2013
from 17.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
46.8%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
11.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
18.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
28.5%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
57.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
42.8%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.7%(7,888)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)20.1%(8,958)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.1%(16,544)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.2%(2,784)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3%(1,344)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 44,588 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+29%
Home value$266,500+26%
Population874,790−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
El Paso
Income$59,762+17%
Home value$179,947−15%
Population881,291−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
Columbia
Income$68,275+34%
Home value$232,186+9%
Population879,918−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
NEW ORLEANS VS
Bakersfield
Income$70,210+38%
Home value$338,300+60%
Population927,068−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

New Orleans-Metairie, LA has about 1,007,275 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in New Orleans-Metairie, LA earns about $51,043 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 $212,069, and the typical rent is about $997 a month.

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

About 30.1% 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 18.4% of people in New Orleans-Metairie, LA live below the federal poverty line.

Has New Orleans-Metairie, LA grown since 1990?

Yes, New Orleans-Metairie, LA has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 133,487 residents, a change of about -12 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

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

How we source and harmonize this data →