By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square

Louisiana continues to grapple with significant population losses, according to a recent analysis by the Tax Foundation combining U.S. Census Bureau data with commercial datasets from U-Haul and United Van Lines.

The findings highlight troubling trends for the Pelican State, which continues to rank poorly across multiple metrics of interstate migration.

Between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, Louisiana ranked 44th in U.S. Census Bureau data for net domestic migration. The state also performed poorly in commercial sales reports: 44th in U-Haul’s inbound-to-outbound move ratio and 37th in United Van Lines’ metrics.

These rankings place Louisiana among the states most affected by outbound migration.

Louisiana’s population decline has been a persistent issue. The state saw its population peak at 4.65 million in 2020, only to lose over 84,000 residents in the years that followed. Although 2024 projections show a slight increase to 4.6 million — up from 4.59 million in 2023—this comes after years of steady decline.

Between 2021 and 2022, Louisiana experienced its largest annual population loss, dropping by 0.8%. Notably, central and northeastern regions bore the brunt of this decline. Caddo Parish alone saw its population decrease by over 11,000 people in the past three years, while Plaquemines Parish lost 2.39% of its population and $16 million in adjusted gross income.

Despite these statewide losses, southeastern parishes such as East Baton Rouge, Ascension and Livingston bucked the trend with population growth.

The national migration landscape in 2024 was shaped by Americans moving to low-tax, low-cost states. Census data revealed South Carolina, Idaho, Delaware, North Carolina, and Tennessee as top destinations for domestic migration. Conversely, high-tax, high-cost states like Hawaii, New York, and California saw the largest outbound migration.

For Louisiana, the migration trends are especially concerning when compared to its Southeastern neighbors.

While Florida and Texas gained significant numbers of new residents, Louisiana joined Mississippi as one of the region’s few states to suffer net population losses.

Between 2021 and 2022, Louisiana’s net migration loss totaled 26,000 residents, equating to a 0.57% population decline and an $880 million hit to adjusted gross income. Experts point to Louisiana’s tax policies and economic conditions as contributing factors to its population challenges. States with more competitive tax structures, such as Florida and Texas, have proven more attractive to movers.

Recent efforts to reform tax structures, including simplifying income tax brackets, have been steps in the right direction. However, experts worry that without broader reforms, improving education and providing more economic diversification, Louisiana risks falling further behind its regional and national peers.