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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

New Orleans, LA

Population: 380,408 (2022) · Large Cities (250K+)

C
52/100

Average fiscal health — some areas of concern

Total Spending
$12.5B
Per Capita
$32,984
Total Revenue
$12.0B
Total Debt
$870.3M

Spending Breakdown

Other
37.1%$4.7B
Hospitals
15.2%$1.9B
Housing & Community Development
13.6%$1.7B
Utilities
13.0%$1.6B
General Administration
5.7%$709.4M
Public Welfare
3.6%$455.2M
Fire Protection
3.2%$397.0M
Parks & Recreation
2.9%$367.6M
Education
2.9%$361.6M
Health
1.5%$193.0M
Highways & Roads
0.8%$102.9M
Sewerage
0.5%$61.1M

Spending data sourced from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances. Per-capita comparisons use the Lincoln Institute's Fiscally Standardized Cities methodology for fair cross-city benchmarking.

Revenue Sources

Property Tax
0.2%$23.5M
Sales Tax
1.0%$124.5M
Income Tax
3.2%$377.9M
Intergovernmental
9.6%$1.1B
Charges & Fees
10.3%$1.2B
Other
17.5%$2.1B

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection$1,044/person
Highways & Roads$271/person
Parks & Recreation$966/person
Education$951/person
Health$507/person

Score Breakdown

Budget Balance & Reserves (25%)70/100
Debt Burden (20%)0/100
Pension Funding (20%)76/100
Spending Efficiency (15%)29/100
Revenue Diversity (10%)100/100
Trend Direction (10%)50/100

Debt Overview

Total Debt$870.3M
Long-Term Debt$0
Debt Per Capita$2,288
Cash & Securities$1.1B

Compare Cities

See how New Orleans stacks up against another city.

vs Baton Rouge, LAvs Shreveport, LAvs Metairie, LA
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023). Population from American Community Survey.

Other Cities in Louisiana

Baton Rouge, LA

Pop. 226K

B
Total Spending
$9.9B
Per Capita
$43,886

Shreveport, LA

Pop. 186K

B
Total Spending
$3.2B
Per Capita
$17,313

Metairie, LA

Pop. 140K

C

Lafayette, LA

Pop. 122K

D
Total Spending
$3.7B
Per Capita
$30,028

Compare New Orleans With

Baton Rouge, LA

Spending: $43,886/person · Grade: B

Shreveport, LA

Spending: $17,313/person · Grade: B

Metairie, LA

Spending: $0/person · Grade: C

Lafayette, LA

Spending: $30,028/person · Grade: D

Frequently Asked Questions

New Orleans, LA spends $32,984 per resident, based on total expenditures of $12.5B for a population of 380,408. The city has a Fiscal Health Score of C (52/100).

New Orleans, LA has total expenditures of $12.5B and total revenue of $12.0B. The city carries $870.3M in total debt, based on Census Bureau data from 2023.

New Orleans, LA employs 0 government workers, of which 0 are full-time. The average government salary is $0, with 0.0 employees per 10,000 residents.

New Orleans, LA has a Fiscal Health Score of C (52/100). This score evaluates budget balance, debt burden, pension funding, spending efficiency, revenue diversity, and 3-year fiscal trajectory compared to peer cities of similar population.

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