(iStock)
Indicators measuring the state’s well-being are trending slightly upward from last year, according to Leaders for a Better Louisiana.
Compared to August 2024, the state is making progress on 20 of the 35 indicators, while 13 are trending downward.
The findings come from Better Louisiana’s online resource that monitors the state’s progress in five areas:
Education and workforce
Economy
Health and well-being
Infrastructure
Environment and energy
“The number of indicators trending upward is the highest we have seen in the three years since we have been tracking this data,” a statement from Adam Knapp, CEO of Better Louisiana, reads. “While that’s encouraging, we should be moving up or at least holding our ground on all of these indicators. This is particularly true since Louisiana already ranks low compared to other states on many of these items, including several where we continue to see declines.”
Education and workforce indicators remain a relatively bright spot in the findings. Of 10 measures tracked, six showed progress, three declined and one held steady. Both eighth-grade math scores and overall performance in grades three through eight improved. High school graduation rates edged up slightly, and more students are finishing with college credit or a credential.
Still, concerns persist. The percentage of children ready for kindergarten continues to fall, underscoring the need for greater investment in early childhood education.
Louisiana’s latest economic data shows some encouraging signs. For the first time since the 2020 census, the state saw a slight population increase, reversing three years of decline. The growth was fewer than 10,000 people and Louisiana still has about 50,000 fewer residents than in 2020. Outmigration remains a challenge, with about 17,000 more people leaving the state than moving in during 2024. However, it is an improvement from the nearly 30,000 who left the year before.
Job growth also stood out. Over the past year, the number of people employed has returned to prepandemic levels, total jobs have topped 2 million for the first time since early 2015 and Louisiana’s 1.2% job growth rate has surpassed the national average. Yet, the state continues to trail the more substantial gains seen across the South.
There are also some areas of ongoing concern. The overall poverty rate and child poverty increased significantly. Health indicators remain troubling, with declines in life expectancy and persistent problems such as low birthweight babies, infant mortality and food insecurity. Louisiana also faces mounting challenges with its small, rural water systems, many of which are struggling with safety and compliance issues.