Louisiana is continuing an unfortunate trend of losing population to other states according to Census Bureau data. Demographer Greg Rigamer says economic factors primarily played a role in the Bayou State ranking fifth in out-migration comparing 2020 to 2021 figures. “Arkansas grew, Texas, of course, grew significantly on this, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, you know states within our region are doing much better,” said Rigamer.
Louisiana’s percent of population decline for the year-long period was six-tenths of a percent, the sixth-highest in the nation.
Rigamer says people are leaving the state by and large in search of bettering their future. “States with a prosperous economy, communities with a prosperous economy attract people. People by and large are looking for a better life,” according to Rigamer.
He says that some have also left the state because of the continuing hit by catastrophic hurricanes.
Rigamer agrees that if the trend of Louisiana population loss continues as it has for several years, there runs the possibility of the state losing a seat in Congress. He tells LRN.com “It’s a little too early to say that but clearly if we continue to lose population that’s a probability.”
The year-over-year drop in population ending July 1st was just over 27,000, a downward trend that Rigamer says has continued for at least eight years in a row.
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