“Weak City” metros

Aspirational metros

• The New Orleans metro has indeed embarked on a new trajectory, with signs of a more competitive economy and expanded amenities.

• Yet on several key economic, social, and environmental metrics, the New Orleans metro is not performing as well as the nation or aspirational metros.

• Leaders can build on progress to date, by sustaining essential reforms and continuing to build a robust economy that includes larger segments of the population, while simultaneously tackling critical environmental challenges.

Summary

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Job loss and recovery since the onset of the Great RecessionPercent change in jobs relative to 2008

The New Orleans metro has weathered the Great Recession well and recovered jobs at rates similar to aspirational metros.

Source: Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity.Note: Data is not available for eight of the 57 “weak city” metros.

Individuals starting up businessesPer 100,000 adult population (three-year averages)

Entrepreneurship continues to expand – reaching 56 percent higher than the nation and 33 percent higher than aspirational metros.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census & American Community Survey 2011.

Educational attainmentfor the population 25 years and older

The New Orleans metro lags the nation in the gain of adults with a bachelor’s degree with growth of 3 percent from 2000 to 2011 compared to 4 percent nationally.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Business Owners & Population Estimates Program.* Receipts data is estimated for Hispanics in 2002.

Minority-owned businesses and receiptsRelative to minority share of the population

As the metro’s minority share of the population fell post-Katrina, the share of minority-owned businesses continued to rise, but benefits have not been fully realized.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics: Annual Survey of Jails; Prisoners Series.

Persons held in jail per 100,000 population

Despite decreases post-Katrina, jail incarceration rates in Orleans are higher than the rest of the metro, and several times greater the national rate as of 2011.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census & American Community Survey 2011.

Population living in povertyfor population for whom poverty status is determined

The share of the metro’s poor that lives in suburbs continues to expand, reaching 56 percent by 2011.

Sources: National Center for Charitable Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.

Registered arts and culture nonprofit organizationsper 100,000 population

The number of arts and culture nonprofits has grown to 34 organizations per 100,000 residents — more than double the national rate of 13 per 100,000.

Feen converted to open water since 1932.

Sources: Brady Couvillion, John Barras, Gregory Steyer, William Sleavin, Michelle Fischer, Holly Beck, Nadine Trahan, Brad Griffin, and David Heckman, “Land area change in coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010,” U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3164, (2011). Note: 1932 and 1956 land area data are derived from a different source of imagery than later years. Thus, there are issues of comparability with these time frames.

Fully 29 percent of the coastal wetlands that protect the New Orleans metro have converted to open water since 1932.

Water quality

Source: U.S. Geological Survey.

Salinity of groundwater at select sampling sitesChloride, dissolved, in milligrams per liter

Six sampled sites show increases in the concentration of chloride. As of 2008, three have converted to saltwater – an indicator of saltwater encroachment.

• The New Orleans metro has indeed embarked on a new trajectory, with signs of a more competitive economy and expanded amenities.

• Yet on several key economic, social, and environmental metrics, the New Orleans metro is not performing as well as the nation or aspirational metros.

• Leaders can build on progress to date, by sustaining essential reforms and continuing to build a robust economy that includes larger segments of the population, while simultaneously tackling critical environmental challenges.

Summary

• The positive outlook for the regional economy across a diversity of industries holds the potential for increasing upward mobility.

• Ongoing engagement and coordination of industry clusters with workforce development, education, and social service providers can alleviate workforce shortages while maximizing opportunities for local residents.

• Joining the ranks of aspirational metros will depend on fostering a high level of collaboration and interaction across groups, that becomes evident in economic activity.

The metro’s economy is diverse enough and deep enough to integrate workers across skill levels.

Photo sources: http://www.ngpowereu.com/news/alternative-renewable-energy-north-sea/, http://burgundystreet.com/2010/01/19/hillebrand-buys-rival-firm/, and http://www.kdfluidpower.com/services/system%20-solutions/.

• Leaders and residents must sustain and build on these reforms, by working together in broad coalitions that support continuous learning and improvement.

• Mid-course corrections and improvements require trust, which is best fostered through heightened transparency and data availability to inform decisionmaking.

The public education, health care, and criminal justice reforms underway have significant potential to raise standards of living, and build a safer and more just community.

Photo sources:©istock.com/Daniel Laflor, ©istock.com/Nikolay Mamluke, ©istock.com/Brasil2, and ©istock.com/Mike Manzano.

• Coastal restoration and flood risk mitigation is challenging work that will involve ingenuity and innovation, which can yield long-term economic spillovers in the form of industrial modernization and transformation.

• The pioneering collaboration underway across Southeast Louisiana can maximize economic benefits and position the region to be globally competitive in rapidly expanding sustainable industries.

Coastal restoration and mitigation activities hold the potential to not only reduce flood risk but transform the economy.

Photo sources:©istock.com/Jitalia17 and ©istock.com/Anyka.