The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 51,840 square miles
• Population in 2000: 4,468,976; 72.7% urban; 27.3% rural
• Population in 1990: 4,219,973
• Population Change: Up 5.9% 1990-2000; Up 0.3% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 22d of 50; 1.6% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: New Orleans (469,032); Baton Rouge (225,090); Shreveport (198,364); Lafayette (111,667); Lake Charles (70,735)
• Registered Voters: 1,618,431 D (55.4%); 700,691 R (24.0%); 604,273 unaffiliated and minor parties (20.7%)
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 24 D 15 R
• State House: 67 D 37 R 1 I
• State Legislative Term Limits: Yes

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 2,794,391 (62.5%) white; 1,443,390 (32.3%) black; 54,256 (1.2%) Asian; 24,129 (0.5%) American Indian; 1,076 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 39,260 (0.9%) two-plus races; 4,736 (0.1%) other; 107,738 (2.4%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 10.2% French, 8.4% USA, 5.9% German, 5.9% Irish, 4.4% English
• State Natives: 79.4% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 1.3% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 85.9% English; 9.3% Other Eur.; 3.5% Spanish
• Education: 74.8% high school graduates; 18.7% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 392,486 (12.1%); WWII: (19.5%); Korea: (12.7%); Vietnam: (32.2%); First Gulf War: (12.4%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 4.2% agriculture; 7.9% construction; 5.7% finance; 2.0% information; 15.5% manufacturing; 29.3% professional; 5.8% public administration; 15.4% trade; 14.3% other
• Work Force: 25.8% blue collar; 56.6% white collar; 17.5% gray collar
• Work Sector: 76.2% private; 17.4% government; 6.1% self-employed; 0.3% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.3% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $32,566
  • 19.6% are below the poverty line
  • 24.1% less than $15,000
  • 28.5% $15-35,000
  • 15.7% $35-50,000
  • 24.2% $50-100,000
  • 4.8% $100-150,000
  • 2.6% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $77,500
  • 28.3% less than $50,000
  • 38.5% $50-100,000
  • 25.4% $100-200,000
  • 5.0% $200-300,000
  • 2.0% $300-500,000
  • 0.9% more than $500,000