Domestic migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau and two national moving companies shows Louisiana among the few states continuing to suffer from population drains in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. population rose by more than 1.6 million people in 2023, an increase of 0.5%, according to the Census Bureau. But not all states shared in that growth, the numbers show.
Forty-two states and the District of Columbia saw increases in population, with Texas leading the pack with a gain of nearly 500,000 residents between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, the federal data shows. But Louisiana, which saw its population fall by 14,274 over that time period, was among eight states with declining populations – resulting in part from changes in net domestic outflows, according to the new numbers released in December.
These declines occurred even though most states were recording population gains as the demographic trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic waned. Numerically, Louisiana’s decline was the fourth highest based on the census data, with New York recording the largest number of people moving to other states (101,984).
Louisiana is also unusual because most other Southern states saw population gains. The Census Bureau said the South accounted for 87% of the nation’s population growth last year. Overall, the region added more than 1.4 million people during the yearlong study period, the study found.
“U.S. migration returning to pre-pandemic levels and a drop in deaths are driving the nation’s growth,” Kristie Wilder, a Census Bureau demographer, said in a prepared statement. “Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths. Ultimately, fewer deaths paired with rebounding immigration resulted in the nation experiencing its largest population gain since 2018.”
Will Green, president and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), attributed the state’s population decline to multiple economic effects, including excessive civil litigation.
“Louisiana annually ends up on the (American Tort Reform Foundation’s) Judicial Hellhole list and is one of the few states losing population year after year,” Green said in an email to the Louisiana Record. “When asked, our member businesses, large and small, point to Louisiana’s high insurance rates, limited markets and frivolous lawsuits as a hindrance to their operation, expansion and growth.”
But he sees the possibility of course corrections in the years ahead.
“LABI is committed to lead efforts to support policies that will end lawsuit abuse and help stop the outward migration and limited growth of business in Louisiana – not only keeping our best and brightest but bringing them back home,” Green said.
A U-Haul study released this month dovetailed with the Census Bureau numbers, finding that Louisiana finished No. 45 on a domestic migration ranking based on the number of one-way U-Haul equipment rentals in 2023. Louisiana was among the states sustaining a net loss of residents due to relocations, finishing ahead of only California, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. In the company’s 2022 ranking, Louisiana finished 35th.
Allied Van LInes, meanwhile, found that among the company’s trips involving Louisiana locations, 45.8% were “inbound” vs. 54.2% that were “outbound.”
“Migration to states in the Southeast and Southwest is still very pronounced,” John Taylor, the U-Haul International president, said in a prepared statement. “Demand for one-way equipment out of certain markets in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast mirrors what we have seen during recent moving cycles.”