Louisiana Counties Hit Hardest by Hurricane Katrina Suffer Massive Population Loss

A June U.S. Census Bureau report found that, as of January 2006, Louisiana’s hardest hit counties had lost 385,000 people, about 39 percent of its total population. Orleans Parish lost a whopping 64 percent, while the smaller St. Bernard Parish was almost totally depopulated, losing 95 percent.

Population Displaced by Hurricane Katrina


Selected Hurricane-Impacted Counties,
with population estimates before and after Hurricane Katrina

Change:
July 2005 - Jan. 2006

State

County

July 1, 2005

January 1, 2006

Absolute

Percent

Louisiana

Selected counties:

988,115

600,715

- 387,400

- 39.2

Cameron

9,493

7,532

- 1,961

- 20.7

Plaquemines

28,282

20,164

- 8,118

- 28.7

Jefferson

448,578

411,305

- 37,273

- 8.3

St. Bernard

64,576

3,361

- 61,215

- 94.8

Orleans

437,186

158,353

- 278,833

- 63.8

Mississippi

Selected counties:

232,770

190,946

- 41,824

- 18.0

Hancock

46,240

35,129

- 11,111

- 24.0

Harrison

186,530

155,817

- 30,713

- 16.5

U.S. Census Bureau, “Special Population Estimates for Impacted Counties in the Gulf Coast Area.”
Link: www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/emergencies/impacted_gulf_estimates.html, June 2006.