You know how everybody knows everybody in Shreveport, and we can all recite almost everybody’s life stories? Well, there’s a reason for that, according to a recent study (and it has nothing to do with how nosy we are. Admit it…).
The New York Times study, which examines domestic migration rates in all 50 states over the 100 years, shows that Louisiana is one of the least diverse states regarding the subject. Only 1 out of every 5 Louisiana residents was born outside of Louisiana. This means that most of the people around you were born here and will stay here.
Since 1900, not a whole lot has changed in Louisiana in regard to domestic migration. For about 80% of the population, Louisiana is the place we were born. Most other residents were born in Texas, Mississippi, and other states in the South. Only 2% of our residents were born in states in the West, and another 2% were born in the Northeast states. And here’s a strange fact: there are double the amount of Louisiana residents born in foreign countries than those born above the Mason-Dixon line.
Louisiana’s domestic migration rate is the opposite of states like Nevada. Only 25 of Nevada residents were actually born in Nevada. The rest are from various places, including a huge chunk of 21% of them from foreign countries.
View the entire study here.
Credit: New York Times
