Isaac Reference: Demographic data for places in Southeast Louisiana

Elaine Ortiz Ben Horwitz

Published: Sep 09, 2012

Introduction

Although there is not an official accounting of the amount of damage or extent of flooding caused by Hurricane Isaac yet, news reports suggest that several communities around New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana experienced significant flooding directly due to Isaac’s storm surge or due to torrential rains that caused several rivers to flood. Nonprofits, businesses, and government officials are already on the ground, working to provide relief and begin the recovery process. To help these leaders better understand the communities they are serving, The Data Center is providing the most recent demographic data in a downloadable Excel file for 18 parishes designated as federal disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Based on this data, demographic descriptions of four of the more heavily impacted communities within those parishes appear below.

Laplace, LA (St. John the Baptist Parish)

Laplace is a suburban bedroom community on the north–west outskirts of the New Orleans metro area. According to the Census 2010, Laplace is a racially diverse community of 29,872 residents, with a high concentration of homeowners. Forty–seven percent of the population is African American, 44 percent is white, and 6 percent is Hispanic. Eighty percent of households own their homes while 20 percent are renters, and among Laplace’s homeowners, 77 percent have a mortgage.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2010 Local Employment Dynamics data, 12 percent of workers who live in Laplace work in retail trade, and another 12 percent work in health care and social assistance—both equal to the metro average. In addition, 11 percent work in manufacturing—higher than the metro average. Fully 21 percent of workers living in Laplace earn $1,250 or less per month from their primary job, and another 38 percent earn between $1,251 and $3,333 per month. According to 2006–2010 estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the median household income of Laplace is approximately $53,038—although the true median household income may be as low as $48,091 or as high as $57,985. And approximately 12 percent of the population lives below poverty—although the true poverty rate may be as low as 9 percent or as high as 14 percent. The Census estimates that from 2006 to 2010, between 45 percent and 52 percent of the adult population 25 years and older in Laplace had some college education.

Slidell, LA (St. Tammany Parish)

Slidell is a suburban community immediately to the north–east of New Orleans. According to the Census 2010, Slidell is a predominantly white community of 27,068 residents, with a high concentration of homeowners. Seventy–three percent of the population is white, 17 percent is African American, and 6 percent is Hispanic. Seventy–two percent of households own their home while 28 percent are renters, and among Slidell’s homeowners, 66 percent have a mortgage.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2010 Local Employment Dynamics data, 15 percent of workers who live in Slidell work in health care and social assistance, and another 14 percent work in retail trade—both higher than the metro average. Twenty–three percent of workers in Slidell earn $1,250 or less per month from their primary job, and another 37 percent earn between $1,251 and $3,333 per month. According to 2006–2010 estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the median household income of Slidell is approximately $49,673—although the true median household income may be as low as $45,348 or as high as $53,998. And approximately 14 percent of the population lives below poverty—although the true poverty rate may be as low as 11 percent or as high as 17 percent. The Census estimates that from 2006 to 2010, between 52 percent and 62 percent of the population 25 years and older had some college education.

Luling, LA (St. Charles Parish)

Luling is a community to the south–west of New Orleans within the New Orleans metro area. According to the Census 2010, Luling is a predominantly white community of 12,119 residents, with a high concentration of homeowners. Seventy–seven percent of the population is white, 16 percent is African American, and 4 percent is Hispanic. Eighty–three percent of households own their home while 17 percent are renters, and among Luling’s homeowners, 70 percent have a mortgage.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2010 Local Employment Dynamics data, 17 percent of workers who live in Luling work in manufacturing, and another 11 percent work in educational services—both higher than the metro average. Seventeen percent of workers in Luling earn $1,250 or less per month from their primary job, and another 31 percent earn between $1,251 and $3,333 per month. According to 2006–2010 estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the median household income of Luling is approximately $64,153—although the true median household income may be as low as $59,287 or as high as $69,019. And approximately 12 percent of the population lives below poverty—although the true poverty rate may be as low as 8 percent or as high as 16 percent. The Census estimates that from 2006 to 2010, between 44 percent and 56 percent of the population 25 years and older had some college education.

Jean Lafitte, LA (Jefferson Parish)

Jean Lafitte is a small rural community to the south of New Orleans. According to the Census 2010, Jean Lafitte is a predominantly white community of 1,903 residents, with a high concentration of homeowners. Eighty–eight percent of the population is white, 1 percent is African American, and 4 percent is Hispanic. Eighty–six percent of households own their home while 14 percent are renters, and among Jean Lafitte’s homeowners, a relatively low share (59 percent), have a mortgage.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2010 Local Employment Dynamics data, 13 percent of workers who live in Jean Lafitte work in manufacturing, and another 10 percent work in educational services—both higher than the metro average. In addition, 7 percent work in transportation and warehousing—also higher than the metro average. Twenty–two percent of workers in Jean Lafitte earn $1,250 or less per month from their primary job, and another 39 percent earn between $1,251 and $3,333 per month. According to 2006–2010 estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the median household income of Jean Lafitte is approximately $46,481—although the true median household income may be as low as $37,584 or as high as $55,378. And a relatively low 7 percent of the population lives below poverty—although the true poverty rate may be as low as 4 percent or as high as 11 percent. The Census estimates that from 2006 to 2010, between 25 percent and 36 percent of the population 25 years and older in Jean Lafitte had some college education.

Sources: The Data Center analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau: Census 2010, Local Employment Dynamics, and American Community Survey 2006-2010 five-year file.