Economic ties across Southeast Louisiana: Preliminary findings from commuter data

This report uses 2010 Local Employment Dynamics data from the Census Bureau to examine where workers live and work across Southeast Louisiana. It finds that nearly 68,000 workers commuted between the New Orleans metro and its neighboring metros of Baton Rouge and Houma–Thibodaux in 2010 — an 11 percent increase since 2004 despite a substantial loss of jobs and population in New Orleans post–Katrina. The data indicates increasing economic connections, a shared work force, and the potential for teaming up on economic development across three Southeast Louisiana metros. Other “super regions” offer examples for how the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houma metros could work together.

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