Louisiana population and demographics

4.6 million people, and fewer than in 2020

Louisiana's population on July 1, 2025 was 4,618,189, the 25th largest of the 50 states and DC: larger than Arkansas and Mississippi; smaller than Texas. It holds 1.35% of the US population. The change since the April 2020 estimates base is −39,705, making Louisiana one of 7 states that had fewer residents in July 2025 than in April 2020: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and West Virginia. In percentage terms the decline since 2020, −0.85%, is the 4th lowest change of any state and 2nd lowest in the South¹.

The decline ended after 2023. The population rose to 4,614,878 in July 2024 and to 4,618,189 in July 2025, a gain of 0.07% in the latest year, lower than every bordering state (Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas)¹.

LouisianaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2000-2010; Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2010-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. July 1 estimates: intercensal series for 2000–2019, Vintage 2025 for 2020–2025.

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Year	Louisiana	United States
2000	100.0	100.0
2001	100.1	101.0
2002	100.6	101.9
2003	101.1	102.8
2004	101.8	103.8
2005	102.3	104.7
2006	96.2	105.7
2007	97.8	106.8
2008	99.2	107.8
2009	100.4	108.7
2010	101.6	109.6
2011	102.4	110.5
2012	102.9	111.4
2013	103.5	112.2
2014	104.0	113.1
2015	104.4	114.1
2016	104.8	115.0
2017	104.6	115.8
2018	104.4	116.4
2019	104.3	117.0
2020	104.0	117.5
2021	103.5	117.7
2022	102.9	118.4
2023	102.8	119.3
2024	103.2	120.5
2025	103.3	121.1

The one break in the line is 2006. Louisiana's estimate fell from 4,576,628 in July 2005 to 4,302,665⁹ in July 2006. Hurricane Katrina made its second landfall in Plaquemines Parish in southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2005, and the Census Bureau's estimates show the population of the New Orleans metro area falling sharply over the following year (Census Bureau, Hurricane Katrina 10th anniversary). The estimate did not pass its July 2005 level again until 2011, and it reached its highest estimate, 4,685,576, in 2016¹.

Over the longer run, growth has been slow. The 2020 Census counted 4,657,757, up 2.7% from 2010, 4.7 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%). The July 2025 population is 1.7 times the 1950 count but about the same as in 2000 (1.0 times¹). At the 1860 census Louisiana ranked 17th of 44 among the states counted; in 1980 it ranked 19th of 51¹¹, and at the 2010 and 2020 censuses 25th of 51⁶.

Departures to other states drive the decline

Between April 2020 and June 2025, net moves to other states came to −143,806 residents, the 6th lowest figure in the country and lowest in the South. Immigration offset part of it: net international migration added 90,755. Births outnumbered deaths by only 12,073¹ over the whole period.

Births+289,715

Deaths−277,642

Net domestic migration−143,806

Net international migration+90,755

Residual (estimation adjustment)+1,273

Total change−39,705

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	289,715
Deaths	−277,642
Net domestic migration	−143,806
Net international migration	90,755
Residual (estimation adjustment)	1,273
Total change	−39,705

The domestic outflow peaked at −48,131 in the year to June 2022 and has narrowed every year since: −31,283, −17,659 and then −14,387 in the year to June 2025. The 2025 loss was the lowest in the South. Net international migration of 29,740 in the year to June 2024 is what turned total migration positive (12,081); it fell to 14,900 in 2025, and total net migration was close to zero (513¹).

Natural change is small for a state with a birth rate above the national rate (11.2 per 1,000 residents, 6% above the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents)), because the death rate is high too: 10.6 per 1,000 residents, 17% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents). In the year to June 2022, deaths exceeded births (−268¹).

Texas dominates the exchange in both directions. In the Census Bureau's 2024 survey of movers, 24,170 people moved from Louisiana to Texas and 19,850 moved the other way. Mississippi is the second partner in both directions: the outflow to Texas was statistically larger than the flow to Mississippi, and the inflow from Texas statistically larger than the flow from Mississippi. Overall, 83,462 people left for other states and 70,992¹² arrived. Tax records for 2022–23 show the same direction: a net change of −17,333 people, the 7th lowest figure, and of −$799 million¹³ in reported income.

Moved to Louisiana from

Texas19,850 ±3,560

Mississippi5,108 ±1,973

Florida4,570 ±1,864

Georgia3,919 ±1,695

California3,544 ±1,536

Arkansas3,011 ±1,213

Missouri2,795 ±2,481

Colorado2,633 ±1,997

Left Louisiana for

Texas24,170 ±5,369

Mississippi7,040 ±1,846

Georgia6,487 ±2,221

Florida4,215 ±1,576

California4,078 ±1,478

Tennessee3,339 ±1,898

Arkansas3,183 ±1,163

Illinois2,737 ±1,315

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Texas	19,850 ±3,560	24,170 ±5,369
Mississippi	5,108 ±1,973	7,040 ±1,846
Florida	4,570 ±1,864	4,215 ±1,576
Georgia	3,919 ±1,695	6,487 ±2,221
California	3,544 ±1,536	4,078 ±1,478
Arkansas	3,011 ±1,213	3,183 ±1,163
Missouri	2,795 ±2,481	–
Colorado	2,633 ±1,997	–
Tennessee	–	3,339 ±1,898
Illinois	–	2,737 ±1,315

Born in Louisiana, and staying

76.4% of Louisiana residents in 2025 were born in the state (±0.4 percentage points), the highest in the nation and 20.0 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%). Only 17.7% were born in another state, the 5th lowest share, and 5.0%¹⁴ were born abroad.

Louisiana76.4% ±0.4

Michigan75.2% ±0.3

Ohio73.3% ±0.3

Mississippi69.4% ±0.6

Wisconsin69.2% ±0.4

Pennsylvania69.1% ±0.3

Iowa68.8% ±0.6

Minnesota66.4% ±0.4

Indiana66.2% ±0.4

Illinois65.6% ±0.3

United States56.4% ±0.1

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Born in the state where they live	MOE
Louisiana	76.4%	±0.4
Michigan	75.2%	±0.3
Ohio	73.3%	±0.3
Mississippi	69.4%	±0.6
Wisconsin	69.2%	±0.4
Pennsylvania	69.1%	±0.3
Iowa	68.8%	±0.6
Minnesota	66.4%	±0.4
Indiana	66.2%	±0.4
Illinois	65.6%	±0.3
United States	56.4%	±0.1

Few people arrive in a given year: 1.5% of residents had moved from another state in the past 12 months, 0.6 percentage points below the US figure (2.1%)¹⁵. Residents born elsewhere in the country come mostly from other Southern states (10.4% of all residents), against 2.8% from the Midwest, 2.7% from the West and 1.8% from the Northeast. The share born in the state is down from 77.0% in 2024¹⁴, a small but statistically significant drop.

What percent of Louisiana speaks French

46,207 residents aged five and older (±3,829) spoke French, including Cajun French, at home in 2025: 1.1%¹⁶ of that age group. Over 2020–2024, when every state can be compared, the French-speaking share in Louisiana (1.4%) was the 3rd highest in the nation, after Maine (2.3%) and the District of Columbia (1.6%). By number of speakers the state ranks between 5th and 6th¹⁷.

The share fell in 2025. The broader ACS group of people who speak French, Haitian or Cajun at home was down from 1.5% in 2024 to 1.1%¹⁸ in 2025. Most of these speakers are bilingual: only 14.6%¹⁶ of French speakers said they speak English less than "very well".

Spanish is the most common language at home after English, spoken by 4.9% of residents five and older, and Vietnamese is third (0.58%¹⁶, the 9th highest¹⁷ share of any state).

French, Cajun and other ancestries

Asked about ancestry, 409,309 Louisiana residents (8.9%) named French in 2025. Over 2020–2024 French was the most common ancestry in the state (440,472 people), and the 3rd highest share in the country after Maine and New Hampshire. Another 81,559¹⁹ reported French Canadian ancestry, the 7th largest²⁰ number of any state.

45,695 residents (±5,408) described their ancestry as Cajun, 0.99%¹⁹ of the population. Louisiana has the largest Cajun population of any state and the highest share; over 2020–2024 it counted 44,833, against 17,175 in second-placed Texas²⁰.

Ancestry answers are self-reported and optional. Over 2020–2024, 24.6%²⁰ of Louisiana responses were unclassified or not reported, so the shares above describe what residents chose to name, not their full family origins.

Poverty: at the top of the national ranking

18.1% of Louisiana residents (±0.8 percentage points) lived below the official poverty line in 2025, 6.3 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%). That is the highest estimate of any state, though within the margins of error the state ranks between 1st and 2nd: the rate is higher than Arkansas and Texas; not statistically different from Mississippi. In all, 812,681⁵ people were in poverty, and 8.9% of residents had income below half the poverty line, the 2nd highest²¹ share.

Louisiana18.1% ±0.8

Mississippi18.0% ±0.7

West Virginia16.0% ±0.8

District of Columbia15.9% ±1.9

Kentucky15.9% ±0.5

New Mexico15.5% ±0.8

Arkansas15.0% ±0.7

Alabama14.7% ±0.6

Oklahoma14.4% ±0.5

New York13.8% ±0.3

United States11.8% ±0.1

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B17001. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Poverty rate	MOE
Louisiana	18.1%	±0.8
Mississippi	18.0%	±0.7
West Virginia	16.0%	±0.8
District of Columbia	15.9%	±1.9
Kentucky	15.9%	±0.5
New Mexico	15.5%	±0.8
Arkansas	15.0%	±0.7
Alabama	14.7%	±0.6
Oklahoma	14.4%	±0.5
New York	13.8%	±0.3
United States	11.8%	±0.1

Poverty is high at every age. Among children it was 25.2%, the highest rate (between 1st and 3rd allowing for the margins of error). Among people 65 and older it was 15.5%, the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher). Among working-age adults it was 16.1%, down from 17.2% in 2024⁵, the only age group with a statistically significant change.

The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts taxes and benefits such as SNAP and adjusts for local housing costs, gives the same answer: 19.0% on average over 2023 to 2025, the highest rate (between 1st and 2nd). In Louisiana the supplemental rate is close to the official rate from the same survey (19.6%); nationally the supplemental rate is the higher of the two (13.0% against 10.7%²²).

Median household income was $65,139 (±$1,183), $19,641 (23%) below the US figure ($84,780) and between 47th and 49th among the states. It was up from $62,591 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴. The distribution is wide: 21.1% of households had less than $25,000, the 2nd highest share, while 8.7%²³ had $200,000 or more. The Gini index, a measure of income inequality on which higher values mean more unequal, was 0.490, the 4th most unequal²⁴ in the country.

LouisianaUnited States

Under $25,00021.1% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99918.6% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99928.1% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99923.5% 28.0%

$200,000 or more8.7% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	Louisiana	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	21.1%	±0.7	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	18.6%	±0.7	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	28.1%	±0.8	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	23.5%	±0.8	28.0%
$200,000 or more	8.7%	±0.4	14.8%

What percentage of Louisiana is on Medicaid

Two sources answer this question, and they measure different things. The American Community Survey asks people what coverage they had: in 2025, 25.3% of residents (1,144,013) reported Medicaid or another means-tested public plan, the 3rd highest share (between 1st and 3rd), behind New Mexico and New York. Among children under 19 the share was 49.7%. Counting Medicare and VA care as well, 44.2% of residents had public coverage, the 3rd highest²⁵ share.

The federal Medicaid and CHIP enrollment reports count people enrolled in a given month: 1,279,026 in June 2026, or 27.7% of the population, the 7th highest share. Enrollment was 1,480,362 a year earlier, a change of −13.6%, the 2nd lowest of any state after Indiana (−18.0%²⁶).

Food assistance follows the same pattern. An average of 818,438 people received SNAP benefits each month in fiscal year 2025, 17.7% of the population, the 4th highest share and higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas)²⁷. In the 2025 survey, 55.4% of households below the poverty line had received SNAP in the past year, 13.4 percentage points above the US figure (42.0%)²⁸. The share of residents with no health insurance, 8.1%, was not statistically different from the US figure (8.4%)²⁹.

What percent of Louisiana is Black

32.1% of Louisiana residents were Black or African American alone on July 1, 2025, the 4th highest share after the District of Columbia, Mississippi and Georgia, and 18.6 percentage points above the US figure (13.5%). Among neighbors it is higher than Arkansas and Texas; lower than Mississippi³⁰. The American Community Survey counts 1,416,328³¹ Black residents alone, and 33.2%³² of the population when people who are Black and another race are included.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic53.8% 62.6%

Black, not Hispanic30.5% 33.2%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)8.1%

Two or more races, not Hispanic4.6%

Asian, not Hispanic2.0% 2.7%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.5% 2.9%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.5%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.2%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	53.8%	±0.1	62.6%
Black, not Hispanic	30.5%	±0.3	33.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.1%	±0.1	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.6%	±0.3	–
Asian, not Hispanic	2.0%	±0.1	2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.1	2.9%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.2%

The white alone share, Hispanic or not, was 61.0% in 2025, the 6th lowest in the nation; non-Hispanic white residents made up 54.7%, down from 56.4% in 2020. The Hispanic or Latino share, of any race, was 8.5%, up from 6.9% in 2020 but still 12.1 percentage points below the US figure (20.5%)³⁰. Over 2020–2024, people of Central American origin made up 2.5% of the population, 0.5 percentage points above the US figure (2.0%), and those of Mexican origin 2.2%, 9.1 percentage points below the US figure (11.3%)³³.

The Asian share is 2.1%³⁰. Vietnamese is the largest Asian group, at 27,669 people over 2020–2024, more than twice the next group, Asian Indian (12,687³⁴). The 2020 Census counted 22,778 American Indian residents of one race; the largest specific tribe reported alone was the United Houma Nation³⁵.

Low prices, lower incomes

Louisiana is the 5th least expensive state: the Bureau of Economic Analysis puts its 2024 price level at 88.2 (US = 100), 12% below the US figure (100.0). Rents are the main difference, with a price level of 63.1, and utilities are the 2nd least expensive (71.5³⁶). The median value of an owner-occupied home was $231,800 in 2025, the 4th least expensive³⁷ in the nation, and median gross rent was $1,105³⁸.

Lower prices close part of the income gap. Per capita personal income was $64,103 in 2025, $12,925 (17%) below the US figure ($77,028)³⁹; adjusted for state price levels it was $56,789 in 2024, $2,406 (4%) below the US figure ($59,195)³⁶. Low prices do not mean low housing burdens for renters: 53.4% of renters were cost-burdened by the Census Bureau's standard, not statistically different from the US figure (51.8%)⁴⁰.

Where Louisianans live

The 2020 Census classed 71.5% of Louisiana residents as urban and 28.5% as rural, 8.5 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%) and higher than Texas; lower than Arkansas and Mississippi⁴¹. With 106.9 people per square mile, Louisiana is denser than the country as a whole (10% above the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)) and denser than Arkansas and Mississippi; less dense than Texas⁴². Water covers 17.5% of its total area, the 8th highest⁴³ share of any state. This site covers states only, so parish and city populations are not shown here.

Marriage, families and births

In the 2024 state counts of marriages and divorces reported to the CDC, Louisiana's marriage rate, 3.7 per 1,000 residents, was the lowest in the nation, and so was its divorce rate, 0.8 per 1,000 residents, among the states that report divorces. Next lowest were Ohio for marriages (4.9 per 1,000 residents) and Illinois for divorces (1.3 per 1,000 residents⁴⁴). Married couples head 42.2% of households, the 5th lowest share. Families headed by a woman with no spouse present make up 15.7%, the 2nd highest⁴⁵ share.

In 2024, 54.9% of births were to unmarried mothers, 15.4 percentage points above the US figure (39.5%)⁴⁶. The teen birth rate was 21.3 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19, the 3rd highest, and the total fertility rate was 1.77 births per woman, 10% above the US figure (1.60)⁴⁷. Grandparents play a large role: among grandparents living with their grandchildren, 46.6% were responsible for them, the 5th highest⁴⁸ share.

The highest Catholic share in the South

Louisiana has the largest Catholic share of any Southern state. The 2020 U.S. Religion Census counted 1,248,106 Catholic adherents, 26.8% of residents and the 7th highest share among the states. The Southern Baptist Convention is second (13.9%), with three times as many congregations: 1,633, against 538⁴⁹ parishes.

Taken together, congregations counted 63.3% of Louisianans, the 3rd highest share and higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas)⁴⁹. These are lists of members and regular participants kept by congregations, not a survey of belief; the religion overview explains what they leave out.

Health and life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth was 73.8 years in 2022, 3.7 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and tied for 4th shortest of any state. The gap is widest for men: 70.6 years, the 3rd shortest, against 77.2 years⁵⁰ for women. The infant mortality rate was 7.6 per 1,000 live births in 2024, the 4th highest, and 13.99% of births were preterm, 3.6 percentage points above the US figure (10.41%)⁴⁶.

Self-reported adult obesity was 39.2% in 2024, the 3rd highest⁵¹ share, and 17.3% of residents had a disability, the 7th highest⁵² share.

Age, education and work

Louisiana's median age, 39.4 years (±0.3 years), is not statistically different from the US figure (39.5 years)³, and it was up from 35.4 years in 2005⁵³. Children are a larger share than nationally: 22.7% of residents are children, the 10th highest share, while 18.8% are 65 or older. The state had 1,049,955 children in 2025, down from 1,094,600 in 2020, and 868,225 residents 65 and older, up from 763,716 in 2020³⁰.

Among adults 25 and older, 28.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 9.1 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and between 45th and 49th⁵⁴ among the states. The share has risen, up from 20.6% in 2005⁵³. These figures describe adults who live in Louisiana, wherever they studied.

The labor force participation rate was 58.2% in 2025, the 6th lowest of any state and 4.2 percentage points below the US figure (62.4%), while unemployment was 4.3%, the same as the US figure (4.3%)⁵⁵. Louisiana is home to 215,419 veterans, 6.1% of civilian adults, not statistically different from the US figure (5.9%)⁵⁶.