State in Crisis: Louisiana Ranks 4th in America for Population Decline

In an article from Coastal Moving Services, it's obvious that scores of people are moving away from Louisiana.

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In their research, they determined that in the period from 2020 through 2024, over 70,000 citizens decided to call it quits on life in the Bayou State.

When it comes to overall population decline, New York leads the entire country with California and Illinois finishing second and third respectively.

But, with the fourth largest losses in America, Louisiana ranks fourth, marking its third consecutive year of population decline.

Why Is Louisiana's Population Shrinking So Badly?

Speaking with Louisiana Radio Network, demographer, Greg Rigamer said the population reduction is largely due to Louisiana's poor state of economy and he added that it’s not a good sign.

“Louisiana is a poor state. The average household income is about two-thirds that of the United States. Our poverty rate is about fifty percent higher than the United States.”

Rigamer added that in order for Louisiana's population to stop hemorrhaging, Governor Jeff Landry is going to have to work extensively to fix Louisiana's economy.  "When you’re trying to attract new industries and investment, this is not a great track record so they have to do something to maintain a competitive profile relative to economic investment and industrial investment."

When People Leave Louisiana, Where Do They Go?

Considering the limited opportunity for employees to garner higher paying jobs, Rigamer suggests that residents have left Louisiana for better opportunities in regards to employment and education.

“You look at our educational statistics they’re really pretty close to the bottom in many categories. So young families moving to Texas and Florida and Georgia have better opportunities to income and better public schools.”

Is The Economy The Only Factor Involved With This Mass Exodus?

Apparently, Louisiana's population also took a huge hit due to the state's high death rate during the COVID pandemic when it's estimated that nearly 57,000 people died in the first two years of the pandemic.