Using U.S. Postal Service Delivery Statistics

Since August/September 2005 when virtually the entire population of New Orleans had to evacuate the city, decision-makers have been clamoring to know how many people are back. Population estimates by neighborhood are needed to determine where to place essential human services such as com munity clinics and afterschool programs. Moreover, ongoing measurements of neighborhood repopulation are needed to assess the effectiveness of the City’s rebuilding strategies in attracting new residents and retaining old ones. And not insignificantly, a sense of the population growth or decline of New Orleans is important for correcting any misperceptions that may be propagated in the national media about the fate of New Orleans.