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(http://connect.nola.com/user/jadelson/index.html) By Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune

(http://connect.nola.com/user/jadelson/posts.html)

on September 20, 2012 at 10:45 PM

Baton Rouge -- Louisiana was belatedly suffering the effects of the national stagnant

economy last year, even as the country as a whole was apparently leveling out

(http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/us_economy_bottoming_out_censu.html)

after facing the worst of the economic downturn, according to U.S. Census Bureau

figures released Thursday. While economic measures seemed to be slowing their

descent nationwide, Louisiana saw its second year in a row of significant increases in

poverty and decreases in median income. The numbers, included in the Census

Bureau's 2011 American Community Survey

(http://www.census.gov/acs/www/), paint a bleak picture of how the state stacks

up: Louisiana had the third-highest poverty rate and the seventh-lowest median income

in the nation.

The New Orleans area, which the survey says includes about

1.19 million people, fared better than the state as a whole,

though statistics compiled by the New Orleans Community

Data Center (http://www.gnocdc.org/) showed the city

itself faced much greater economic issues than the surrounding

suburbs.

The state's top economic development official said Thursday

that the new census numbers may not paint a full picture of the

area and pointed to employment statistics and the state's

overall record since Gov. Bobby Jindal took office as signs that

improvements could be around the corner. At the same time, a

group critical of the budget cuts under the current

administration argued that the data showed that those policies had failed.

'A very deep recession'

The numbers could be a sign that the national stagnation has finally come to roost in

Louisiana and in the New Orleans area.

"I think in general we all thought the metro area had weathered the recession," said

National recession may be catching up withLouisiana, census figures indicate

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John Raoux, The Associated Press

Workers seeking employment create resumes and look for openpositions at a job fair last year.

Allison Plyer, chief demographer and deputy director of the Greater New Orleans

Community Data Center. "But it's been a very deep and very long recession, and I think

it's finally started having an impact here,"

While the center focuses on New Orleans and six suburban parishes -- Jefferson, St.

Tammany, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Bernard and Plaquemines -- similar

trends came through in the statewide figures.

About 20.4 percent of the state's population, roughly 908,375 residents, were below the

poverty line in 2011. That's a 1.7 percentage point increase over the state's poverty rate

of 18.7 percent in 2010. About 19 percent of the metro region was living in poverty in

2011 and about 29 percent of the residents of New Orleans were below the poverty line.

At the same time, national

figures showed that while the

number of people in poverty

was increasing, the rate of

growth was slowing. The

national poverty rate of 15.9

percent was a 0.6 percentage

point increase over 2010,

about half the increase in the

poverty rate recorded at its

peak growth in 2008.

Louisiana, which saw its

poverty rate decrease from

18.7 percent to 17.3 percent in

2008 and maintained that rate

through 2009, began to see the number of people in poverty climb in 2010.

The increasing poverty rate comes as median incomes are declining in both the state

and the metro region. The median income in Louisiana fell by 4.7 percent to $41,734 in

2011, its lowest point since before Hurricane Katrina. The metro area also saw what

Plyer called its first significant decline in income in recent years, with the median

household bringing in about $44,000 in 2011.

Nationwide the median income dropped by about 1.3 percent, from about $51,144 to

about $50,502.

It's not entirely clear why the local and national numbers diverge. However, Plyer said

it was not unreasonable to suggest that the gradual tapering off of recovery work in

southeast Louisiana played a role.

About $19 billion in FEMA and road home grants flowed into the metro area alone after

Katrina, creating a sizable stimulus that was bolstered by additional money from

insurance settlements and private investment, Plyer said. About $4 billion of that

federal money is still coming to the area, she said.

By contrast, the total amount slated for Louisiana in the 2009 federal stimulus package

was about $7 billion, she said.

"I think one could speculate that spending is winding down," she said.

Education levels rising

The news for New Orleans was not all bad, however. Compared with 2000, the area has

seen larger increases in the number of people graduating high school than the national

average, with only 15 percent of 25-year-olds failing to get their degree. New Orleans

itself has also seen its percentage of college graduates increase slightly faster than the

national average and end slightly higher, with about 32 percent of the city's residents

older than 25 possessing a degree, compared with about 29 percent nationwide.

The spike in recovery dollars and other influxes of money to the state after Katrina may

play a role in distorting the statistical picture, state Economic Development Secretary

Stephen Moret said Thursday. Since that spending peaked in 2009, there's been a

downward push on the state's economy, he said.

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gmatoT (http://connect.nola.com/user/gmatoT/index.html)

I simply don't see some of the below statements applied with any sort of

accuracy.

At the same time, he touted improvements to the economic picture since Jindal's first

election in 2008, noting, for example, that median income and poverty rankings have

improved since then and that Louisiana and Texas are the only states in the South that

boast more jobs now than in 2008.

Jobs are coming, Moret says

Still, he said there's work to be done to "achieve a sustainable job growth rate" above

that of the region and the country as a whole. Moret touted new projects coming online -

- and jobs that became available but might not have been reflected in the Census

Bureau statistics.

"Our biggest challenge the next few years is not going to be creating jobs or attracting

jobs but filling the jobs that are coming," Moret said.

But Jan Moller, director of the liberal Louisiana Budget Project, said the statistics

showed deep problems with state policies. He noted that the percentage of people in

"deep poverty" -- which amounts to a yearly income of less than $9,545 for a family of

three -- grew from 8.1 percent in 2010 to 9.4 percent last year and that about 28.8

percent of Louisiana children now live in poverty. Moller referred to the new statistics

as a sign that the state needs to turn its attention to investments in education, health

care and infrastructure.

"If that isn't a wake-up call to state policymakers that the current course we're on isn't

working, I don't know what is," Moller said. "We've had four years of time to cut our

way to prosperity."

Jeff Adelson can be reached at jadelson@timespicayune.com

(mailto:jadelson@timespicayune.com) or 225.342.5207.

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(http:

5 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348266331-802-205.html)

· Reply

And it is almost impossible to make comment without reference.

So how about some REAL numbers to go along with this article just to

make things fun in our little conversation here?

Louisiana catching up indeed........

http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/numbers-dont-lie-the-re...

(http://www.wnd.com/2012/09/numbers-dont-lie-the-real-

obamanomics/?cat_orig=money)

I'm sure one of you will find argument with me, call me names, and try to

adorn the current man in office, but can we stick to the subject? If we

keep this guy in office 4 more years, we're screwed.

(http://nola.com/)

5 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348266170-131-777.html)

· Reply

Mariner7169

(http://connect.nola.com/user/mariner7169/index.html)

THE ADVOCATE? Are you kidding? I lived in Baton Rouge from May 2010

thru March 2012 and that paper didn't provide enough news unless it was

about LSU or their football team.

(http://nola.com/)

5 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348252349-925-687.html)

· Reply

Nolaman2012

(http://connect.nola.com/user/Nolaman2012/index.html)

Again with the year old CENSUS data ? Isn't there any more pertinent

economic data to base any assertion on.....unemployment, housing,

energy costs, manufacturing ? Good grief, October can't get her soon

enough. Advocate, here I come !!!

(http://nola.com/)

5 Days Ago

(http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-

09-21/1348255805-788-307.html)

· Reply

Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune

(http://connect.nola.com/user/jadelson/index.html)

Nolaman2012: This is the most recent Census Bureau data

and it was released Thursday. The other indicators you

mention give a snapshot of certain areas of the economy and

certainly have received their share of coverage. But the

American Community Survey is one of the most

comprehensive datasets available and one of the best ways

to get a picture of the overall economic and demographic

situation.

Even though it takes a while for the Census Bureau to

compile, analyze and release the data from the ACS, it seems

worthwhile to cover the information it contains.

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6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348242624-309-161.html)

· Reply

NoLimey (http://connect.nola.com/user/CajunLimey/index.html)

Seems like I see more panhandlers every week in the warehouse and cbd

areas

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348237690-384-543.html)

· Reply

State1812 (http://connect.nola.com/user/La1803/index.html)

The nearly 30% poverty level in the city of New Orleans is not a good

sign. The city has no real business growth. Low paying service sector jobs

are the staple of the tourist dominated industry that thrives in New

Orleans. That pretty much insures that you have a tax base that cannot

sustain the city.

(http://nola.com/)

4 Days Ago

(http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

23/1348413883-732-692.html)

· Reply

FedorFan2

(http://connect.nola.com/user/FedorFan2/index.html)

I see a future filled with post production and film editing but no

one wants to move to aviolent city.

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348235938-790-928.html)

· Reply

boathead (http://connect.nola.com/user/boathead/index.html)

This news is not surprising. We've been buffered from the Nation's

economic problems by our Katrina and BP boondoggles and suffered our

own economic setbacks that did little to affect the rest of the nation.

What is shocking to me is that 10% of the famlies in our state are living

on less than $30 per day. Of course that is supplemented by government

handouts, but I still find it alarming that many people in our state are in

what amounts to a painful situation with minuscule hope of digging their

way out of it, even with government and NGO help.

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348233400-843-646.html)

· Reply

boathead (http://connect.nola.com/user/boathead/index.html)

My god, can one of you people make an intelligent comment about the

article without your agenda turning your comment into background noise

of your team's talking points?

(http://connect.nola.com/user/rocksout/index.html)rocksout likes

this.

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FedorFan2 (http://connect.nola.com/user/FedorFan2/index.html)

If Obama gets a pass for inheriting the worst economic catastrophe since

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6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348233348-500-865.html)

· Reply

the Great Depression then so should Jindal. If Jindal is responsible for LA's

problems than so to is Obama responsible for our nation's problems.

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348226774-174-106.html)

· Reply

xman3000

(http://connect.nola.com/user/xman3000/index.html)

There is more... with world leaders fearing what this group of Republicans

is doing...

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/21/1400...

(http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/21/14003404-

australian-deputy-pm-cranks-and-crazies-in-gop-threaten-us-economy?

lite)

(http://connect.nola.com/user/elvenoak/index.html)elvenoak likes

this.

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6 Days Ago

(http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348233179-253-305.html)

· Reply

FedorFan2

(http://connect.nola.com/user/FedorFan2/index.html)

Well, he is a Labor party guy.

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago

(http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

21/1348233211-583-233.html)

· Reply

4dingo

(http://connect.nola.com/user/4dingo/index.html)

Well a liberal on nbcnews. Now that is something we can

believe.

(http://connect.nola.com/user/FedorFan2/index.html)FedorFan2

likes this.

(http://nola.com/)

6 Days Ago (http://nola.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/post_40.html/post/2012-09-

20/1348199811-38-866.html)

· Reply

xman3000

(http://connect.nola.com/user/xman3000/index.html)

The Jindal Administration must be kidding... Why did the state get

redistricted losing a Congressional seat... There is a net loss in population

and continuing... How many job loses were in state government alone

since the Jindal Administration... reported 4,000 combo vacancies and

filled... reported by the TP... What is Moret talking about... what industry...

or are they waiting to see what comes out of Washington..

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