Our economy and workforce research covers economic synergies and commuter patterns across Southeast Louisiana, and the week economic performance of the region despite billions in industrial investment over the last decade.
Jun 24, 2026
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, Greater New Orleans' economic recovery remains uneven. The region has lost roughly 60,000 jobs since 2004, wages have stagnated, and deep inequities persist by race, gender, and zip code. Building a resilient region requires higher-wage job growth, expanded benefits, affordable education, and policies that strengthen economic security for all workers.
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Apr 17, 2026
Since 2014, $90 billion in industrial investment poured into Louisiana. Did it pay off for residents? Pathways to Prosperity: Louisiana 2026 examines 10 years of economic, environmental, and health data to find out.
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Mar 26, 2026
This brief examines the shifting role oil and gas plays in Louisiana’s economy. As the industry increasingly sheds jobs as technology advances and work automated, how will communities keep from falling behind?
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Feb 12, 2025
These 24 one pagers provide data on severe weather impacts for our state as well economic opportunities, to support Louisiana’s future resiliency against more frequent extreme weather shocks.
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Aug 13, 2020
In the New Orleans metro area, people’s chances to experience a long, healthy, and prosperous life are often implied by their neighborhood, reflecting enduring legacies of residential segregation and economic exclusion.
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Jun 17, 2020
Recently released labor market data brings the pandemic’s impacts on the regional economy into greater focus. This brief unpacks unemployment insurance claims data through early June and preliminary employment estimates for April from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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May 07, 2020
This brief is a profile of workers in industries deemed “essential” and where a large portion of the workforce is likely still present on site. It covers demographics, earnings, and other characteristics to spotlight a few of the overlapping vulnerabilities that workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 may face.
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Dec 07, 2018
This brief provides a complete and transparent documentation of the data we have on tourism in New Orleans and provides additional details about both the hotel and full-service restaurant industries.
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Jan 30, 2014
What are the transformative possibilities of the new "energy boom" in Southeast Louisiana? This report examines job openings by industry, announced projects, and employment rates to answer this question.
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Apr 16, 2013
Southeast Louisiana has received high marks for economic performance recently, but projected job growth lags other robust southern regions. And relative sea level rise is rapidly increasing flood risk.
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