GET DAILY REPORT FREE
Louisiana remains the nation’s top “outbound” state for movers, even as political and economic leaders point to splashy industrial wins as evidence the tide is turning, The Center Square writes.
Atlas Van Lines’ 2025 Migration Patterns Study found that 66% of the company’s Louisiana shipments over the past year moved out of state, compared to just 34% moving in—a stubborn trend that has persisted despite billions in announced investment. U.S. Census Bureau data shows the state has lost more than 84,000 residents since its population peaked in 2020, with only a slight rebound projected in 2024 and many parishes still shrinking.
Housing pressures are compounding the problem. A December report from ATTOM ranks Louisiana among the states with the highest shares of seriously underwater mortgages, naming Calcasieu, Rapides, Ouachita, East Baton Rouge and Tangipahoa parishes among the worst in the nation.
Meanwhile, state leaders are promoting Hyundai Steel’s planned $5.8 billion Ascension Parish mill after Louisiana again earned Business Facilities’ “Platinum Deal of the Year,” framing the project as proof the state’s competitiveness is on the rise—even as residents continue to pack up and leave.
