New Orleans: A snapshot
Jobs. Tourists. Housing. Crime. What the numbers say about the area and its recovery four years after Katrina's devastation.

Recovery, interrupted
The city is weathering the recession better than many cities. But many businesses are still struggling. More
76.4 % |
Population: More than three-quarters of New Orleans population is back, according to post office numbers showing who gets mail. In the greater New Orleans metro area, 90% of the population is back, getting mail. | ||
5.6% |
Demographics: New Orleans' public school system reported that Hispanics made up 5.6% of enrollment in the spring, up from 3.6% before Katrina. | ||
6.8% |
Unemployment: Engineering and construction work rebuilding Louisiana after storms has cushioned unemployment. Nation's rate is 9.4%. | ||
- .3 % |
Housing prices: Returning residents propped up housing prices in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Nationwide, prices dropped 6.3% during the same period. | ||
1 in 167 |
Foreclosures: New Orleans ranks 119th on a list of cities with most foreclosures. In hardest-hit Las Vegas, one in every 13 homes is in foreclosure. | ||
-15% |
Tourism: Cash-strapped tourists and companies worldwide have cut travel to the Big Easy. City hotel bookings related to conventions and meetings are down 15% from 2008. | ||
-19% |
Shipping: The global recession hit hard at the Port of New Orleans. In 2008, tons of general cargo fell 19% compared to 2007. Losses in imports of iron and steel hurt. | ||
65,888 |
Blight: The number of unoccupied residences in March 2009 was nearly equal to those in Detroit. Indeed, the New Orleans landscape is dotted by weed-filled lots and molding houses. | ||
1 |
Murder: The city's murder rate, adjusted for population, topped all cities nationwide last year. | ||
-17 % |
Violent crime: A bright spot: Violent crime dropped in New Orleans in 2008. The city has done better than even a nationwide decline in crime the last two years. | ||
2 |
Poverty: Louisiana ranks No. 2 in the nation for people living in poverty, trailing only Mississippi, despite billions in post-Katrina recovery dollars. |
Sources: Brookings Institution, Census Bureau, FBI, Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, RealtyTrac.