Regional “Export” Industries: Drivers of the New Orleans Economy

This brief examines employment in the New Orleans region and the “export” industries that drive economic growth. The authors identified “export” industries in the New Orleans 10-parish region based on analysis of Moody’s Economy.com employment estimates for 284 four-digit NAICS industries. These so-called “export” industries generate revenue from outside the New Orleans region and support additional jobs in supplier industries and industries that serve local consumption needs. In the New Orleans region, as in most regional economies, each “export” job supports about two additional jobs, and in that sense are drivers of the regional economy. Quantifying and tracking “export” jobs over time requires a more sophisticated analysis than is typically available in regional economic studies, but doing so allows for a clearer understanding of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the New Orleans area economy.