Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety0#15,560/15,637
Economy13#13,654/15,631
Housing7#13,940/14,977
Health19#12,610/15,609
Healthcare69#4,871/15,650
Environment36#9,945/15,453
Education29#11,172/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,116/15,650
Community20#12,479/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#138/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where New Orleans, Louisiana ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Orleans Parish value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Restaurants and bars · high29.4 /10k
99/100Louisiana 11.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOrleans Parish value
Distance to an emergency room · low2.2 mi
99/100Louisiana 5.4 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesOrleans Parish value
Grocery stores · high4.1 /10k
98/100Louisiana 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOrleans Parish value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
98/100Louisiana 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauOrleans Parish value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high12.7 /10k
97/100Louisiana 5.0 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOrleans Parish value
Mental health providers · high693 /100k
96/100Louisiana 365 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOrleans Parish value

Weaknesses

Property crime rate · high5,123 /100k
0/100Louisiana 1,966 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2023Federal Bureau of InvestigationOrleans Parish value
Violent crime rate · high1,361 /100k
0/100Louisiana 515 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2023Federal Bureau of InvestigationOrleans Parish value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.553
1/100Louisiana 0.495United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Homicide rate · high27.7 /100k
1/100Louisiana 11.8 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOrleans Parish value
Reading scores · low2.35
1/100Louisiana 2.74United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOrleans Parish value
Drug overdose deaths · high55.2 /100k
1/100Louisiana 25.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOrleans Parish value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.4% (2015-2019) → 86.5% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
4.1 /1k (2021) → 2.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$41,604 (2015-2019) → $56,631 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
37.6% (2015-2019) → 42.4% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.5% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+3.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Public transit commutersWorsening
6.8% (2015-2019) → 4.5% (2020-2024)
−2.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, New Orleans, Louisiana improved on 7 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved7

Broadband+13 points73.4% → 86.5%
High school++3.1 points86.5% → 89.6%
Household income+36%$41,604 → $56,631
Bachelor's++4.8 points37.6% → 42.4%
Commute−1.6 min24.2 min → 22.6 min

Declined1

Transit use−2.2 points6.8% → 4.5%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of New Orleans, Louisiana between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.2 min2015-2019	22.6 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Improved	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.6%2015-2019	42.4%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Improved	66%
Broadband subscriptions	73.4%2015-2019	86.5%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Child poverty rate	34.2%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Effective property tax rate	0.79%2015-2019	0.85%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Little change	9%
High school diploma or higher	86.5%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	69%
Home price to income ratio	5.6×2015-2019	5.6×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	78%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5702015-2019	0.5532020-2024	−0.017	Improved	65%
Median household income	$41,6042015-2019	$56,6312020-2024	+36%	Improved	67%
Poverty rate	23.7%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Public transit commuters	6.8%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Declined	13%
Rent as share of income	36.5%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	61.1%2015-2019	59.8%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2015-2019	7.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.6%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Improved	61%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like New Orleans, Louisiana five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of New Orleans, Louisiana in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, New Orleans, Louisiana itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

371,853 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (−1.4 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

371,853 residents

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

White30%111,770
Black54%200,368
Hispanic or Latino8.2%30,425

Education

265,201 residents (±58)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

No high school diploma10%27,579
High school or GED21%55,605
Some college21%54,587

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

155,821 households (±1,188)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $25k27%42,296
$25k–50k19%29,150
$50k–75k15%22,632
$75k–100k10%16,080
$100k–150k13%20,335
$150k–200k6.0%9,287
$200k or more10%16,041

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−7.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

155,821 households (±1,188)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Own51%79,744
Rent49%76,077

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.9 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

72,156 households (±1,527)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $75016%11,347
$750–1,00013%9,729
$1,000–1,50037%26,617

Home values

79,744 homes (±1,582)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under $150k12%9,896
$150k–250k25%19,806
$250k–400k25%20,238

Age of homes

195,552 homes (±155)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

2010 or later7.1%13,869
2000–20097.7%14,963
1980–199912%22,624

Size of homes

195,552 homes (±155)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Studio3.1%5,971
1 bedroom19%37,053
2 bedrooms32%63,109

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

167,719 workers (±2,422)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Drive alone62%104,124
Carpool8.6%14,480
Public transit4.5%7,630
Walk5.7%9,524
Bike1.7%2,896
Work from home15%24,958
Other2.4%4,107

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

142,761 workers (±2,232)

New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana share

Under 15 min27%37,913
15–29 min45%64,402
30–44 min18%26,005

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Orleans Parish, the county holding most of New Orleans's residents.

Orleans Parish has 10,027 employer establishments, 274 for every 10,000 residents (1.10× the US rate of 248; 1.16× Louisiana's), with 177,086 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,964. The Census Bureau also counts 41,079 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 10,027; 41,079 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 274; US 248 · Louisiana 236
Paid employees: 177,086
Average annual pay: $58,964; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Orleans Parish by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	1,112	30.4	1.66×More than typical	21,719	$28,577	292
Ambulatory health care services	706	19.3	0.93×About typical	6,368	$73,120	2,379
Legal services	685	18.7	3.48×More than typical	5,698	$115,619	878
Full-service restaurants	548	15	1.95×More than typical	13,657	$32,041	127
Lessors of real estate	546	14.9	1.21×About typical	3,726	$37,123	4,361
Limited-service restaurants	377	10.3	1.29×More than typical	6,019	$22,382	83
Clothing and accessories stores	272	7.4	2.05×More than typical	2,156	$31,145	646
Management, scientific and technical consulting	263	7.2	1.07×About typical	1,856	$64,985	1,541
Offices of physicians	244	6.7	1.03×About typical	2,238	$113,686	655
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	241	6.6	5.43×More than typical	3,565	$25,929	140
Schools, colleges and instruction	233	6.4	1.82×More than typical	24,171	$53,072	1,371
Religious organizations	216	5.9	1.06×About typical	2,515	$29,163	—

Rank places for an industry Open Orleans Parish

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 365,782 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $555.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in New Orleans, Louisiana: $1,494 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $555.5M; −70% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,494; US $2,007
Sole-source: 47%; US 30%
Single offer: 6.7%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$215.8M39%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$83.7M15%
Department of the Army$59.6M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs$37.2M6.7%
USTRANSCOM$34.7M6.2%
Maritime Administration$30.5M5.5%
Office of the Chief Financial Officer$22.3M4.0%
Office of Procurement Operations$15.1M2.7%

Top recipients

TEXTRON SYSTEMS CORP$150.6M27%
NOVA SPACE SOLUTIONS, LLC$75.9M14%
US OCEAN LLC$34.1M6.1%
PACIFIC-GULF MARINE, INC.$27.6M5.0%
GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.$24.1M4.3%

Spending by fiscal year

517.1MFY2017
696.8MFY2018
918.9MFY2019
1.1BFY2020
697MFY2021
608.3MFY2022
987.7MFY2023
883.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Ship and boat building · 3366$152.2M27%
Facilities support services · 5612$85.1M15%
Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$64.5M12%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$41.4M7.4%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$28M5.0%
Investigation and security services · 5616$26.5M

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in New Orleans, Louisiana

EXTERNAL TANK$3.5B
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP· Orleans Parish, LA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Mar 19, 2019 – Mar 3, 2026· MSFC0198806DNAS836200
PRODUCTION AND O&M FOR 35 EXTERNAL TANKS$2.9B
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP· Orleans Parish, LA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Mar 18, 2019 – Mar 3, 2026· MSFC0199911DNAS800016
THREE FUTURE LCAC 100 CLASS CRAFT LONG LEAD TIME MATERIAL$1.4B
TEXTRON SYSTEMS CORP· Orleans Parish, LA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Aug 4, 2023 – May 20, 2026· N0002423C2452
LCAC 109 AND 110 LONG LEAD TIME MATERIAL

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in New Orleans, Louisiana, so they do not add up across cities.

New Orleans, Louisiana's figures are part of those of Orleans Parish, LA ($555.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 100% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: New Orleans is mostly in Orleans Parish.

See federal money in Orleans Parish

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

New Orleans, Louisiana is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Orleans Parish34100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New Orleans-Metairie, LA35

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2255000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends