The population of our neighbor to the north continues to grow, and as someone who loves facts and trivia (I’m oh so fun at parties), I decided to dig a bit into exactly how, and how much, St. Tammany Parish in particular has changed since we first moved to New Orleans. I have to say, I was a bit surprised by what I found.
In 2010, just over 234,500 people called the parish home. By 2021, that number had ballooned to 269,388 — a 14.8% increase. To put that into a little perspective, in that same time, the population of Louisiana grew by only 1.7% and the U.S. population grew by 7.3%, so St. Tammany Parish grew at a rate twice that of this country. Census estimates for 2022 have the parish growing again to 273,263.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see that this growth is adding more diversity. In 2010, white residents made up 80.7% of the population. By 2021, that number decreased to 76.5% while the population of Black residents grew by 2.1% to 13.6% and the Hispanic/Latino population also saw gains of 1.5%, rising to 6.2% of the population.
What surprised me the most however, is how the age of the parish has been changing. I’ve had multiple friends move their families north in search of more space for the kiddos, less crime and solid schools, but according to the data, St. Tammany Parish is actually getting older. By far the age group that grew the fastest between 2010 and 2021 was those age 65 and older, who moved from 12.7% of the population to 18%. Meanwhile, the percentage of every other age group decreased.
There’s been a lot of movement toward the north, but there’s a lot of movement going on within it as well, a fact we’re excited to look at in this, our annual Northshore issue. Speaking with St. Tammany Corporation CEO Chris Masingill multiple times over the past month, it was easy to see why he is positively giddy over all the different things in the works up there — from the growth of the parish’s entrepreneurial sector to a 1,000-acre commerce park, to the creative new businesses popping up everywhere, especially in the parish seat of Covington.
If you haven’t made that 24-mile bridge drive lately to check things out, I encourage you to change that. And when you do, make sure to check out the Maritime Museum Louisiana (formerly known as the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum) in Madisonville. It’s a little hidden jewel right on the water and my dad has been kicking butt as its executive director since 2019.
So proud of you Dad. Happy Father’s Day!
Thanks for reading,
Kimberley Singletary
Editor
Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com
