Louisiana

Louisiana by the Numbers:
Key Statistical Data and Facts

Key Details

• Louisiana is the 25th most populated state, with around 4,509,200 residents as of 2022. 
• Louisiana’s population is almost evenly distributed between males and females, with 51% being female. 
• As of 2023, John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, serves as the 56th Governor of Louisiana.  
• Approximately 86% of Louisiana residents aged 25 years and older had a high school graduate degree or higher. 
• The median household income in Louisiana is $52,087, while married couple families earned a median income of $88,242, and non-family households earned a median of $30,626. 
• 43.5% of adults 15 years and over are married, whereas 36.4% had never been married 
• The life expectancy at birth in Louisiana is 73.1 years as of 2021. 

Louisiana Population Demographics

In 2022, Louisiana ranked as the 25th most populated state, with approximately 4,509,200 residents, according to Census estimates. East Baton Rouge and Jefferson Parish were the two largest parishes, with a population of 456,781 and 440,781 residents. In contrast, East Carroll, Cameron and Tenas were the least populated parishes, with 7,459, 5,617 and 4,147 residents. 

Louisiana's population dropped by 1.4% between 2020 and 2022. As of July 2022, roughly 6.2% of the residents were five or younger, while persons 65 years or older made up 16.5% of the state's population. Residents aged 18 and younger comprised nearly a quarter (23.4%) of the total population. Louisiana has an almost even gender ratio, with females constituting 51% of residents.

Louisiana Housing

2,113,400 housing

Per 2022 census estimates, Louisiana has approximately 2,113,400 housing units as of July 2022.

5.5%

It recorded a 5.5% growth in housing units between 2010 and 2020.

66,7%

A breakdown of census data reveals that the state had a 66,7% owner-occupied housing unit rate and an 11.7% vacancy rate.

$174,000

Between 2017 and 2021, owner-occupied housing units had a median value of $174,000.

$1,376

The median selected monthly owners' costs ranged from $1,376 (with a mortgage) to $362 (without a mortgage) for the period. In comparison, the median gross rent was $923 for the period.

Louisiana Racial Demographics

Black or African American Americans account for 33% of the population, while American Indians and Alaska Natives comprise under 1%. Roughly 1.8% of the population comprised people of two or more races, while Asians constituted 1.9%. Between 2017 and 2021, 4.2% of residents in the state were foreign-born.

Elections in Louisiana

Louisiana is considered a red state. The Bayou state has voted consistently Republican in general elections since 2000. However, between 1995 and 2020, the state had two Democratic governors and two Republican governors.  

As of 2023,  Patric Cortez (R) serves as the head of the Senate, while Clay Schexnayder (R)  serves as the House speaker. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, serves as the 56th Governor of Louisiana. First elected in 2015, he won his 2019 reelection, defeating his Republican opponent, David Viter, with 56.1% of the votes. Republican senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy represent New Orleans in the Federal State.  

2020 Presidential Election 

In 2020, Republican candidate Donald Trump defeated his opponent Joe Biden, securing 58.46% of the votes (or 1,255,776 votes). In comparison, Joe Biden won 39.85% (or 856,034) votes. Jefferson Parish accounted for the most Republican votes (105.949), while Orleans scored the most Republican votes (147,854). 

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Louisiana Voting Statistics

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State, as of 2023, Louisiana has approximately 2,969,470 registered voters. Whites account for nearly two-thirds, with 1,867,600 registered voters, compared to 926,882 black voters. Roughly a million voters identify as Republicans, while 1.1 million identify as Democrats. Eight hundred thousand voters identify as independents or for other parties. East Baton Rouge had the highest number of registered voters, with 285,723, ahead of Jefferson Parish and Orleans, with 269,417 and 264,735, respectively.  

General Election 

How Educated is Louisiana

According to 2022 census estimates, between 2017 and 2022, approximately 86% of Louisiana residents aged 25 years and older had a high school graduate degree or higher. Nearly 26% of residents within this age group had a Bachelor's degree or higher. Broken across races, 39% of Asians had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 31.3% for whites, 23.2% for Hispanic/Latino origin and 16.5% for blacks, and 14% for American Indians/Alaska Natives.  

As of 2023, Louisiana has over 40 institutions offering degree programs and up to 15 private colleges or universities. Louisiana State University tops the list in student enrollment, with over 35,500 enrolled, ahead of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Tulane University, which have over 16,000 and 14,000 full-time and part-time students, respectively.

Louisiana Employment Rate

According to census estimates, in 2021, Louisiana had a 53.4% employment rate, down from the 55.4% recorded in 2019. By May 2023, the unemployment rate was 3.6%. Approximately 66.3% of civilian workers were employees of private companies, while 10.4% were self-employed in incorporated or unincorporated businesses.

11.7% of workers were employed in the retail trade sector, while 7.9% worked in construction. Manufacturing accounted for 7.2% of employment, while transportation, warehousing and utilities comprised 5.8%. The educational service, health care and social assistance sector was the largest industry, accounting for one out of every four workers.

Workers had an average commute time of 25.5 minutes, slightly below the average national time of 25.6 minutes. While 79.3% of workers aged 16+ drove alone, 8.3% carpooled, 1.4% walked, and 0.7% relied on public transportation.

Average Income in Louisiana

As of 2021, the median household income in Louisiana is $52,087, less than the median national income of $69,717. While married couple families earned a median income of $88.242, non-family households earned a median of $30,626.  

Approximately 5.7% of households earned $200,000 or more, while 5.8% earned between $150,000 and $199,999. In comparison, 25% of households earned $24,999 or less, while 29.4% earned between $35,000 and $74,999. 9.7% earned between $25,99 and $34,999. 

Families in Louisiana

Louisiana Marriage Rates

In comparison, 4 out of 10 women aged 65 years and over were married, while 5.5 out of 10 women between the ages of 35 to 64 years were married. Less than 2% of males and females between 15 and 19 years were married. Categories by race, 52% of white residents older than 15 were married, compared to 56.1% of Asians, 46.1% of American Indians/Alaska Natives, 43.3% of Latinos, and 26.5% of blacks.

Louisiana Divorce Rates

In 2021, 10.7% of males 15 years and over were divorced compared to 12.6% of females within the same age range. A breakdown of the data reveals divorces were more likely to occur with men between 45 and 54 years (16.6%) and 55 to 64 years (18.5%). In contrast, divorces were least likely for males between 15 to 19 years (2.9%). 

For females, the divorce percentage peaked with women between 55 and 64 (21.4%), followed by women between 45 and 54 (19.3%). Conversely, females between the ages of 20 to 34 years had the lowest percentages (2.9%), with no divorce recorded for females between 15 and 19 years.  

Life Expectancy in Louisiana

According to data published by the National Center for Health Statistics for 2020, Louisiana's life expectancy at birth is 73.1 years. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the state, followed by Cancer. In 2021, 12,564 deaths were attributed to heart diseases, compared to 9,246 deaths from cancer. Other leading causes of death included Covid, accidents, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases. 

Unmarried mothers accounted for 54.5% of births, while 13.52% were preterm births. As of 2020, Louisiana had an infant mortality rate of 7.5 deaths per 1,000 live births and a teen birth rate of 24.5 births per 1000 females (aged 15 to 19 years). Louisiana also had a drug overdose death rate of 55.9 per 100,000 and a firearm injury death rate of 29.1 per 100,000. 

Louisiana Crime Rates

In 2018, Louisiana recorded 104,124 total crimes, including 15,566 violent crimes and 88,558 property crimes. Larceny-theft was the most recurring property crime, accounting for 63,835 incidents, while aggravated assault was the most reported violent crime, with 10,445 incidents.  

New Orleans recorded the most crimes, followed by Baton Rouge, with 18,063 cases compared to 11,965 incidents. It also accounted for the highest number of violent crimes (4,611 cases), ahead of Baton Rouge (2,067). 

Louisiana Incarceration Rate

581 per 100,000

According to the National Institute of Correction, Louisiana has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, with 581 per 100,000 as of 2021.

110 jails

The Bayou State has up to 110 jails across over five dozen parishes.

26,964 inmates

With a prison population of 26,964 inmates and 4,779 employees

$614,476,380.

the correctional system operates with a budget of $614,476,380.

21,566

Louisiana also had 21,566 former inmates out on parole and 27,898 on probation.

Louisiana Bankruptcy Rate

2022

7,321 bankruptcy cases

In 2022, Louisiana recorded 7,321 bankruptcy filings, up from 6,049 in 2021 but down from the 12,951 recorded in 2019. It included 1,730 Chapter 7 filings, 45 Chapter 11 filings and 5,541 Chapter 13s. The state also recorded 157 business bankruptcy cases, including 92 Chapter 7, 44 Chapter 11, and 16 Chapter 13 filings.

According to the American Banking Institute, between 2000 and 2022, the total number of filings recorded in Louisiana was 11% above the national average. During the period, the state recorded the most filings in 2005, with 36,642 cases.  

Weird Laws in Louisiana