Demand Drivers
Industry & Workforce
Social Context
Coastal Change
Coastal Change
What is this section about?

In Southeast Louisiana, coastal land loss directly threatens frontline communities, undermines the natural buffer against storm surge that protects urban centers, and promises to shape the regional economy for decades. Despite these challenges, the marriage of ambitious plans with unprecedented resources also places Louisiana in a unique position to act. Our state and region’s emergence as a hub for leadership and expertise in managing and adapting to coastal change is not only an existential imperative but also one of the state’s most realistic routes to economic diversification and inclusive, sustainable growth.

 
Projected Coastal Land Loss
Why is this important?

Using data from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), this map illustrates projected future land loss in a scenario with no preventative future action. According to the CPRA Coastal Master Plan, Louisiana’s coast lost more than 1,800 square miles of land between 1932 and 2010. The CPRA also projects that 2,250 square miles will be lost by 2067 with no additional action. [note] The Coastal Master Plan is a 50-year, $50 billion program of coastal restoration investment. It also has an important economic role in the water management cluster, since it coordinates some of the main sources of demand and allows businesses to anticipate contracting opportunities.

Present Land Mass
Land Loss without Further Action
Land Loss with Coastal Master Plan
Source 
Population Change
Why is this important?

As the wetlands continue to erode, residents in Southeast Louisiana are retreating from the coastline. Recent research has shown that coastal vulnerability influences migration. [note] Repeated flooding, frequent and unpredictable evacuations, and inability to get insurance are all factors that have contributed to residents’ decisions to migrate inland, though a number of historical and socio-economic factors also influence migration. In some cases, the population left behind may be on average older, poorer, or otherwise vulnerable. Understanding the variation in age, income, and other demographic characteristics between the people who are leaving and the residents remaining near the coast is a central planning challenge in coastal areas and across the region.

Population Change
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Machine Readable Raw Data
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Source 
Zip City July 2005 (active residential addresses) September 2019 (active residential addresses) Change Percent elderly (65+) Poverty rate Disability rate
70067 Lafitte 1161 1098 -63 13% 20% 13%
70083 Port Sulphur 843 791 -52 12% 42% 11%
70344 Chauvin 2373 2332 -41 15% 18% 20%
70353 Dulac 586 484 -102 25% 22% 27%
70397 Theriot 552 450 -102 24% 11% 18%
Southeast Louisiana 14% 18% 15%
United States 15% 15% 13%
Related Research
Report
Changing coast, evolving coastal economy: The water management cluster in Southeast Louisiana in retrospect and prospect
Changing coast, evolving coastal economy: The water management cluster in Southeast Louisiana in retrospect and prospect
October 04, 2019
Index
The Coastal Index: The Problem and Possibility of Our Coast
The Coastal Index: The Problem and Possibility of Our Coast
April 20, 2014