New Orleans Reached 81 Percent of Pre-Katrina Population in 2012, Census Show

Continuing its slow but steady post-Katrina recovery, New Orleans reached an estimated population of 369,250 as of July 1, 2012, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That represents a little over 81 percent of the city's estimated population of 455,000 at the time the devastating hurricane struck in August 2005.

Although there are no official figures on how low the city's population fell after the storm, the Census Bureau estimated in 2007 that the figure on July 1, 2006, was about 224,700, or 49.4 percent of the total one year earlier.

The new Census Bureau data show that Orleans Parish had the 24th-highest growth rate among U.S. counties from April 1, 2010, through July 1, 2012, and was the only urban center in the top 25. The other two counties in the top 25 with populations in excess of 300,000 were suburban counties in the Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C., regions.

For the 27-month period ending July 1, 2012, Orleans Parish grew by 7.4 percent. However, it was easily outstripped by adjacent St. Bernard Parish, whose population increased by 16 percent, the second-fastest pace in the nation. St. Bernard grew from 35,897 to 41,635 residents in that period. 

From 2010 to 2012, the New Orleans metropolitan area grew by 3.1 percent, from 1,189,863 to 1,227,096, a gain of 37,233. Nationally, it rose from 46th to 45th place.   

In absolute terms, Orleans Parish grew by 25,421 residents from 2010 to 2012.

Two other Louisiana parishes were among the 100 fastest-growing U.S. counties. Ascension Parish ranked 76th, growing by 4.8 percent in the 27-month period, to 112,286, and Bossier Parish was 92nd, growing by 4.5 percent to 122,197.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a statement calling the new numbers "a clear sign of the growth and recovery New Orleans is experiencing right now. We're building back better and stronger than before, and people want to be a part of it. We're out-innovating, out-educating and out-building the rest of the nation. It's why we earned the title of one of the fastest-growing cities in America."

Nationally, many of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas and counties in 2011-12 were in, or at least near, the Great Plains and West Texas, driven in large part by a boom in oil and gas production, the Census Bureau said in another report.

Midland, Texas, was the fastest-growing metropolitan area over the July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012, period, with its population increasing by 4.6 percent. Adjacent Odessa, Texas, ranked fifth overall, and the Austin-Round Rock area was seventh. Two areas in Wyoming -- Casper and Cheyenne -- were also among the 20 fastest-growing metro areas along with Manhattan, Kan., and Bismarck, N.D..

The situation for counties was also much the same, with Williams, N.D.; Geary, Kan.; Richland, Mont.; and Stark, N.D., among the five fastest-growing counties with populations of 10,000 or more. They are just a few of the many counties in or near the Great Plains that appear on the list of fastest-growing counties.

Looking at the areas with the largest numerical gains, those high on the list are mainly in the South and West. The Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas each added more than 100,000 people in the year ending July 1, 2012. Austin, Texas, and Orlando, Fla., were among the top 20 in both numerical gains and rate of growth.

Among counties, Harris, Texas (Houston); Los Angeles; Maricopa, Ariz. (Phoenix); Dallas, Texas; and San Diego, Calif., were the top 5 numerical gainers.

FROM: http://www.nola.com