Highlights
- Maurice leads Louisiana with 6.74% annual growth, followed by Carencro at 6.38%
- Seven of Louisiana’s top 10 fastest-growing cities are in or near Lafayette Parish
- New Orleans lost over 31,000 residents while Shreveport declined by more than 15,000
- Only 26% of Louisiana cities are growing while 74% see population decline
- Lafayette suburbs are booming while the state’s biggest cities shrink
LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport are losing thousands of people. Meanwhile, the Lafayette metro area is growing fast.
Five of Louisiana’s 10 fastest-growing cities are in or around Lafayette Parish, according to new data from World Population Review. Maurice (Vermilion Parish) leads the state at 6.74% annual growth. The city grew from 2,185 residents in 2020 to 3,514 in 2026—a 61% jump in six years.
Carencro ranks second statewide with 6.38% annual growth, going from 9,372 to 14,638 residents. Youngsville (#5), Scott (#6), and Broussard (#8) fill out the rest of Acadiana’s top-10 dominance.
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What Acadiana Families Need to Know
Lafayette’s growth looks very different from what’s happening in Louisiana’s big cities. New Orleans lost more than 31,000 residents between 2020 and 2026, dropping 1.45% each year. Shreveport went from 186,796 to 171,469 residents—a loss of over 15,000 people. Baton Rouge dropped by more than 8,000 residents.
The numbers tell the story: Of 154 Louisiana cities with populations over 1,000, only 40 are growing. That’s 26%. The other 114 cities are losing people…