New Orleans, Louisiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
New Orleans, LA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 371,664 | 4,610,276 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1062.4 | 88.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.35% | -0.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.0 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 155,732 | 1,803,262 | 130,235,071 |
Population in New Orleans grew by 10.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 371,664 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in New Orleans is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.4% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Louisiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 81,655 22.0% +0.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 90,861 24.4% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 71,555 19.3% -0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 61,780 16.6% -0.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Louisiana, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 53.1% of the people living in New Orleans and men 46.9%.
- Women 53.1% Louisiana 51.1%
- Men 46.9% Louisiana 48.9%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in New Orleans
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Economy
New Orleans has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,737 | $60,934 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.24% | 3.69% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.5% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in New Orleans is about 7% lower than in Louisiana.
Housing
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $311,601 | $170,446 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,251 | $1,063 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 51.2% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in New Orleans is about 20.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,251 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in New Orleans spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 172 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.7 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.4 | 42.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 172 | 177 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,347 | $5,493 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.9% | 8.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,247 | 8,275 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,075 | 1,164 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in New Orleans is about the same as in Louisiana.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
New Orleans has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37.3% | 24.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Health
New Orleans has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | New Orleans | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.5% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
New Orleans, LA Compared With Nearby Cities
How New Orleans, LA compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | 371,664 | $56,737 #1/3 | $311,601 #1/3 | 20.7 min #1/3 |
| Chalmette, LA | 23,238 | $56,187 | $254,689 | 30.3 min |
| Terrytown, LA | 25,652 | $53,196 | $204,404 | 23.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about New Orleans, Louisiana.
How big is New Orleans, Louisiana by population?
About 371,664 people live in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 155,732 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 37.0, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is New Orleans, Louisiana?
Averaged over its land area, New Orleans, Louisiana has 1,062 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 12 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in New Orleans, Louisiana?
The median home costs 5.5 times the median household income ($311,601 against $56,737), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,251 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in New Orleans, Louisiana?
Unemployment in New Orleans, Louisiana is 7.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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