Shreveport’s Population Drop Raises Big Questions For The Future
The population and job numbers for Shreveport are not on a good path. The City Council recently got an update on the Great Expectations Master Plan and it paints a picture of a city that has physically expanded while people and jobs are leaving.
Andrew Knuppel presented the latest data which shows Shreveport will have fewer people this year than we did in 1970. But we will have a much larger footprint in terms of land area. What that means is the property tax base is declining, but the city is still responsible to take care of infrastructure in a massive area.
Planners call this "urban sprawl distress." This happens when a city grows in acreage but shrinks in tax-paying citizens. The cost to provide city services can skyrocket during times like these.
What Does the Data Show
Shreveport has lost about 21,000 residents between 2010 and 2022. We have also lost 10,000 jobs during that same time span. The report shows our population will dip below the numbers we saw in 1970 when our population was 182,000.
Compare Shreveport to Lafayette
The population of Lafayette has grown to 122,000 residents. That's up 77% from 1979. Shreveport's population is down by about 5% from 1970.
In fact, if you combine the entire Lafayette metro, which would include Youngsville, Carencro and Broussard, Lafayette Parish is one of the fastest growing areas in the state with a population of more than 260,000. This puts the Lafayette metro as the 3rd largest metro in the state.
The Lafayette growth shows up in several sectors including healthcare, tech, and energy services. The region is outpacing almost all other metro areas in the state.
What's the Big Problem for Shreveport
If you ask planners, they will tell you it's our land area. Shreveport's city limits are more than 120 square miles. Compare this to Lafayette which has about 56 square miles. That's a lot of infrastructure to maintain. This would include roads, water and sewer, police and fire protection and sanitation services.
One of the goals of this master plan update is to encourage more inner-city revitalization. City leaders will be working to find ways to incentivize people to redevelop areas in the heart of our community.