The economy in Tangipahoa Parish is mostly good news. A report from Southeastern Louisiana University’s Business Research Center shows the best news is that retail sales shot up to more than $160 million – the highest they’ve been since November 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina. That’s a turnaround from October, when they hovered around $120 million. More good news: The number of homes sold is starting to rebound from a three-year low in August, with the average selling price more than $150,000. And residential building permits also climbed in the fourth quarter. One more plus is that the total workforce also climbed 3.4% since the previous year. On the flip side, however, the unemployment rate rose 2.3% during the past year to 6.6%, and 1,308 people joined the ranks of the unemployed. That’s an increase of 58% from December 2007.
Tangipahoa economy takes a turn for the better
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