SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
A review of dozens of indicators of social and economic health as well as public services
and infrastructure for the New Orleans region since Hurricane Katrina finds that:
The population of New Orleans and the region continues to rebound, but demo-
•
graphic shifts may be occurring, with fewer black students in the city and larger
shares of Hispanic children in the outlying parishes. U.S. postal statistics on house-
holds actively receiving mail indicate that the city has regained 66 percent of its pre-Katrina
population number, up from 50 percent last year. But only 40 percent of students have
returned to New Orleans public schools, and of these, a smaller share of black students.
The region’s housing market has stabilized in the past year, especially in the least-
•
damaged suburban parishes. The homebuying frenzy that took place in the region the
first year after Katrina has slowed and home prices and rent levels remain high overall but
have leveled off. The exception is in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes, where home sale
prices have dropped. Meanwhile, a considerably high number of properties are up for sale
in the region, many of which may be in need of repair and not quickly inhabitable.
Two years after Katrina, the New Orleans regional economy is strong but has
•
plateaued somewhat in the past year. Many aspects of the region’s economy–sales tax
revenue, total employers, jobs and labor force size–have been restored to at least 79 percent
of pre-Katrina levels. In the core, the city enjoyed some growth in sales tax revenue, but
continued to lose employers, seeing little growth in the labor force size over the past year.
And, the region’s unemployment rate is higher than one year ago.
Housing repairs and construction continued over the last year, but repairs to essen-
•
tial infrastructure have largely stalled and public services are still limited. The pace
of demolitions and new housing construction approvals has increased, while residential
repairs have slowed as t