How many Latinos live in New Orleans?

It is very difficult to determine the number of Latinos who have moved to New Orleans since Katrina. Since the storm, most of us have noticed more Latinos in our city.

The Census Bureau’s 2007 American Community Survey data indicates that there has been a significant increase in Latinos in our area since 2000 (http://www.gnocdc.org/2007Demographics/index.html). This is despite the fact that many undocumented and documented migrants do not feel comfortable responding to surveys and are not likely to be represented in the Census Bureau numbers.

Researchers interested in this population have succeeded in interviewing a limited number of Latinos in the New Orleans area. And although these studies cannot give us an estimate of the number of Latinos in our community, they can tell us a bit about them, for example, their marital status, the type of housing they live in, their average wages, their health risks, etc.

If you are working with Latino populations and you want data to demonstrate needs within this community, you may find these reports helpful:

• Mexican Mobile Consulate Survey. Kenner, Louisiana. May 18-19, 2007.
  Fussell, Elizabeth. Washington State University & Tulane University.
  Download the PDF.
• Brazilian Mobile Consulate Survey. New Orleans, Louisiana. June 22-23, 2007.
  Fussell, Elizabeth. Washington State University & Tulane University.
  Download the PDF.