New Orleans


New Orleans, LA

The New Orleans Metropolitan Area has the 16th largest Black population in the United States.

Metropolitan Area DataBlackTotal Metro
Population 452,392 1,275,762
Median household income30,78150,528
Family poverty rate24.4%13.8%
Bachelor’s degree or higher16.7%29.5%
Married-couple family households25.5%40.1%
Homeowner rate47.9%62.2%

SOURCE: 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates


The Black history of New Orleans is unique compared to that of African Americans in other US cities.  New Orleans was once Spanish, and then a French territory before the United States acquired it through the Louisiana Purchase. Most African slaves there came from French territories of Africa and mostly from Haiti, a French controlled part of the Caribbean. Under French rule, many Africans, French, Spanish, and Native people mixed forming what became known as the Creoles of Louisiana. Creoles enjoyed many privileges only bestowed to whites until the late 1800 when they were reclassified as Black and forced to live among, mix with, and follow the same rules as Blacks. The Black Population on the other hand was able to retain some African traditions and culture under French rule.

Combined with the culture of the Creoles, the New Orleans Black population has always been unique to America. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans damaging the Levees which kept the city from flooding. Because the city sits below sea level, 80% of the city flooded and it took weeks to drain out the water. The city still has yet to recover. Much of the largely poor Black population has been unable to return and is now spread across the country. The largest numbers of Black evacuees have started new lives in cities such as Baton Rouge, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta.


Download the Complete African American Population Report for:

New Orleans, LA Metro

The report consists of data tables compiled from the 2017 Census Bureau American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates and compares the metropolitan area Black population to the total metropolitan area population all in one 16-page report. (purchase below)

This report includes 289 data comparisons regarding 33 topics 26 charts and graphs including:

  • Total number reported
    1 data comparison
  • Sex and age  
    19 data comparisons
  • Relationship  
    6 data comparisons
  • Households by type
    18 data comparisons
  • Marital status  
    18 data comparisons
  • Responsibility for grandchildren
    3 data comparisons
  • School enrollment status
    12 data comparisons
  • Educational attainment
    12 data comparisons
  • Class of workers
    5 data comparisons
  • Commuting to work
    8 data comparisons
  • Employment status
    14 data comparisons
  • Occupation
    18 data comparisons
  • Industry
    14 data comparisons
  • Poverty rates for families and people
    19 data comparisons
  • Income
    30 data comparisons
  • Housing tenure
    5 data comparisons
  • Monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income
    3 data comparisons
  • Owner characteristics
    4 data comparisons
  • Gross rent as a percentage of household income
    3 data comparisons
  • Gross rent
    2 data comparisons
  • Units in structure
    5 data comparisons
  • Year structure built
    7 data comparisons
  • House heating fuel
    5 data comparisons
  • Selected characteristics
    3 data comparisons
  • Residence 1 year ago
    8 data comparisons
  • Place of birth, citizenship status and year of entry
    16 data comparisons
  • World region of birth of foreign born
    7 data comparisons
  • Language spoken at home and ability to speak English
    4 data comparisons
  • Fertility
    4 data comparisons
  • Veteran status
    2 data comparisons
  • Disability status
    8 data comparisons
  • Health insurance coverage
    4 data comparisons
  • Vehicles available
    3 data comparisons

New Orleans-Metairie, LA Population Report (289 data comparisons regarding 33 topics and 26 charts and graphs)
-in PDF and Excel format
Download Now $3.99 (click Buy Now)




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