Shreveport Population Shrinks: What It Means for the City

I ran across some numbers from the Census Bureau this week that are quite alarming for the Shreveport area. We have heard that people have been fleeing the city for better communities in the region. But the numbers show many of the people leaving are actually moving out of state.

In fact, I think the leaders of Shreveport really need to take action now to address this flight from the city or we could be facing critical financial troubles.

What Do the Shreveport Population Numbers Show?

Shreveport's population on April 1, 2020 was 187,540. That number dropped to 176,578 on July 1, 2024. That means 11,000 people have left the city in the past 4 years. That's a drop of 5.8%. Looking back to 2010 census numbers, the Shreveport population was just over 200,000. This means we have lost close to 25,000 people over the past 15 years. That is not a good sign.

What Are the Population Numbers in Surrounding Areas?

Bossier City has grown from 62,720 in 2020 to 63,218 last year.

DeSoto Parish is up to 27,274 from 26,816 a year ago.

The parish numbers show Bossier Parish has grown by 3,000 residents to 131,102 from 128,764.

Caddo Parish has lost about 13,000 residents over the past 4 years. The population has dropped to 224,893 from 237,823 in 2020. That’s a 5.4% drop in population.

Webster Parish has lost about 1,800 residents since 2020.

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What's Happening in Other Big Cities in Louisiana?

Orleans Parish is down about 22,000 residents or just over 5.5%.

East Baton Rouge has lost about 3,000 residents or about 1%.

Lafayette has gained about 1,000 folks.

Monroe has lost about 1,000 residents.

Alexandria is down about 2,000.

Lake Charles is down about 3,000.

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What Do the Louisiana Population Numbers Show?

In 2010 the Bayou State had a population of 4,533,372. That number grew to 4,657,874 in 2020. But the number for 2024 is down to 4,597,740. So statewide, we have lost about 60,000 residents over the past 4 years. That is not a good sign.

This data looks like folks are not moving within the state. They are moving out of state to find new opportunities. Our leaders need to take a close look at the numbers and try to find ways to keep folks in Louisiana.