Orleans Parish, Louisiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Orleans Parish, 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 averageHealthier than 84% of counties in Louisiana
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around averageBest educated county in Louisiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Orleans Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 371,664 | 4,610,276 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1061.1 | 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 Orleans Parish 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 Orleans Parish 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 Orleans Parish and men 46.9%.
- Women 53.1% Louisiana 51.1%
- Men 46.9% Louisiana 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Orleans Parish
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Orleans Parish has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Orleans Parish | 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 Orleans Parish is about 7% lower than in Louisiana.
Housing
| Metric | Orleans Parish | 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 Orleans Parish 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 Orleans Parish 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 | Orleans Parish | 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) | 18,357 | 8,275 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,059 | 1,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Louisiana:
East Carroll Parish (11.4 min), Madison Parish (13.1 min), St. Mary Parish (15.5 min).
Slowest:
West Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), East Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), St. Helena Parish (32.4 min).
The average commute time in Orleans Parish 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
Orleans Parish has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Orleans Parish | 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 |
Highest education index among counties in
Louisiana:
Orleans Parish (0.3), East Baton Rouge Parish (0.3), St. Tammany Parish (0.3).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.1), Assumption Parish (0.2), Evangeline Parish (0.2).
Health
Orleans Parish has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Orleans Parish | 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% |
Highest health index among counties in
Louisiana:
St. Tammany Parish (0.8), Ascension Parish (0.8), Vernon Parish (0.8).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.7), Madison Parish (0.7), Tensas Parish (0.7).
Orleans Parish, LA Compared With Nearby Counties
Orleans Parish, LA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 371,664 residents against a local median of 51,396. Orleans Parish, LA's median home price, at $311,601, runs 47% above the $211,530 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.7 min against a local median of 26.8 min, 23% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Orleans Parish, LA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $90,188 on median home price, so Orleans Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Orleans Parish, LA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans Parish, LA | 371,664 | $56,737 #6/6 | $311,601 #1/6 | 20.7 min #1/6 |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 272,409 | $82,063 | $222,336 | 26.8 min |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 430,689 | $65,514 | $211,530 | 21.6 min |
| St. Charles Parish, LA | 51,396 | $81,548 | $194,058 | 23.3 min |
| St. John the Baptist Parish, LA | 40,683 | $64,877 | $258,490 | 30.1 min |
| Hancock County, MS | 46,167 | $68,178 | $168,303 | 30.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
What is the population of Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
About 371,664 people live in Orleans Parish, 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
Averaged over its land area, Orleans Parish, Louisiana has 1,061 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 12 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Orleans Parish, 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
Unemployment in Orleans Parish, 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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