Hard Times

New Orleans By the Numbers

Population (year 2000): 484,674
Est. population in July 2004: 462,269 (-4.6% change)
Males: 227,094 (46.9%), Females: 257,580 (53.1%)

Elevation: 11 feet

County: Orleans

Land area: 180.6 square miles

Median resident age: 33.1 years
Median household income: $27,133 (year 2000)
Median house value: $87,300 (year 2000)

Races in New Orleans:

Black (67.3%)
White Non-Hispanic (26.6%)
Hispanic (3.1%)
Vietnamese (1.5%)
Two or more races (1.3%)
Other race (0.9%)
American Indian (0.5%)
Ancestries: French (5.6%), German (5.4%), Irish (4.7%), English (3.4%), Italian (3.2%), United States (2.0%).

For population 25 years and over in New Orleans
High school or higher: 74.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 25.8%
Graduate or professional degree: 10.7%
Unemployed: 9.5%
Mean travel time to work: 25.7 minutes

For population 15 years and over in New Orleans city
Never married: 40.9%
Now married: 35.5%
Separated: 3.6%
Widowed: 8.1%
Divorced: 11.8%
4.2% Foreign born (1.8% Latin America, 1.6% Asia, 0.6% Europe).

Population change in the 1990s: -10,406 (-2.1%).

Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Houston, TX (366.1 miles , pop. 1,953,631).

Single-family new house construction building permits:
1997: 346 buildings, average cost: $99,800
1998: 324 buildings, average cost: $105,100
1999: 369 buildings, average cost: $121,300
2000: 348 buildings, average cost: $132,600
2001: 455 buildings, average cost: $124,800
2002: 438 buildings, average cost: $133,800
2003: 530 buildings, average cost: $130,400
2004: 552 buildings, average cost: $134,500

Latitude: 29.97 N, Longitude: 90.06 W

Area code: 504

New Orleans, Louisiana business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (25.7%), Arts,entertainment,recreation,accommodation and food services (15.3%).

Daytime population change due to commuting: +59,804 (+12.3%)
Workers who live and work in this city: 147,492 (78.2%)

New Orleans compared to Louisiana state average:

Median household income below state average.
Black race population percentage significantly above state average.
Foreign-born population percentage below state average.
Renting percentage above state average.

City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 329.7) 575.3 (as of 2003)


THOSE are staggering numbers. Keep in mind, this was PRIOR to Katrina...

-B