Louisiana | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
95.0K
Resilience Score
79/100
Diversification
104/100
Net Impact (Probable)
+1.3K
Ecological stress score 73/100 driven by regional climate patterns and resource dependencies.
Highest homeownership in Louisiana.
Median household income $82K (+35.5% vs state median) -- well above state average, providing economic cushion.
Unemployment 4.1% with 128,000 total employed. Poverty rate 10%.
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: competitive -- strong governance capacity and fiscal health reduce political risk.
AI Exposure Index: 48/100 -- lower vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: Insurance/financial back-office (Gilsbar, Netchex HR automation)
38.9% bachelor's+ attainment -- above-average workforce readiness for knowledge-economy transition.
93.3% high school+ completion rate -- strong foundation for workforce training programs.
No significant financial sector employment -- BTC adoption impact is indirect through consumer behavior and investment flows.
Higher household income ($82K median) correlates with greater crypto adoption and investment exposure.
10% poverty rate creates moderate social service pressure.
Population growing (+4.9% since 2020) brings new residents but can stress existing community bonds.
Lower poverty (10%) means most residents already have bank access. CBDC impact would be through payment efficiency, not financial inclusion.
Retail/hospitality sector (10.1%) would be early adopters of CBDC point-of-sale infrastructure.
Research institutions (Northshore Technical Community College) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
38.9% bachelor's+ rate provides a STEM-capable workforce base for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration.
Signature: Healthcare Services - 4 major hospital systems, Northshore Healthscape initiative. St. Tammany Health System, Ochsner, LCMC, Slidell Memorial.
Top Commodities:
Net employment change by sector under probable futures scenario. Green = growth, Red = displacement risk.
Address healthcare worker shortages by building accelerated training programs, especially for AI-augmented care roles.
Leverage existing healthcare employment density to attract AI health startups, clinical trial operations, and telehealth infrastructure.
Attract remote-first tech companies and satellite offices by promoting quality of life, lower costs, and existing professional workforce.
Position construction workforce for the modular housing revolution where AI designs and factories produce housing components.
Under the probable future, this county's strongest opportunity is healthcare workforce pipeline (feasibility: 78/100). The economic outlook is net positive with 1,317 potential new positions. Additionally, ai healthcare innovation cluster scores 71/100 feasibility.
Ochsner Health System
St. Tammany Health System
Slidell Memorial Hospital
Chevron (regional office)
POOLCORP (HQ, NYSE:POOL)
Globalstar (satellite telecom HQ)
Gilsbar (insurance HQ)
Rotolo Consultants
Textron Marine & Land Systems
Tulane National Primate Research Center
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slidell Memorial Hospital (support staff) | 2020-04-15 | 55 | layoff |
| Boomtown Casino (Pinnacle) | 2020-03-25 | 45 | layoff |
| Gilsbar LLC | 2023-06-15 | 40 | layoff |
| Rooms To Go Distribution Center | 2024-03-01 | 60 | layoff |
Quality Jobs Program
Cash rebate on new payroll for qualifying companies creating well-paying jobs. Louisiana's flagship incentive providing ...
rebateEnterprise Zone Program
State income and franchise tax credits for job creation in designated enterprise zones. Provides $2,500 per new job crea...
tax_creditIndustrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP)
Property tax abatement on new manufacturing investment. Provides an 80% exemption on ad valorem property taxes for up to...
exemptionDigital Interactive Media and Software Development Incentive
Refundable income tax credits for digital media and software development expenditures in Louisiana. Designed to attract ...
tax_creditTechnology Commercialization Credit
Tax credits for businesses investing in the commercialization of Louisiana university research. Supports the translation...
tax_creditCompetitive Projects Payroll Incentive
Enhanced payroll rebate for large-scale competitive projects that Louisiana is pursuing against other states. Provides f...
rebateTarget Sectors
Active Programs
Recent Wins
| Name | Investment | Jobs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Textron Systems $5.8M military expansion 133 new + 761 retained jobs | $5.8M | 133 | 2026 |
| Laborde Products $5.8M operations center | $5.8M | - | 2025 |
| Cold storage facility $45.9M | $45.9M | - | 2024 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | Economic Disruption | Reduce Health Care & Social Concentration Risk | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Pre-emptive Reskilling Pipeline: Insurance/financial back-office | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Leverage Broadband Advantage for AI Sector Growth | +4 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Health Care & Social | +4 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Pre-Positioned Displaced Worker Rapid Response | +4 | local |
| medium | Ecological Stress | Climate Resilience Infrastructure Investment | +4 | local |
| medium | Education Value | Sector-Pivot Scholarship Voucher | +3 | local |
| high | Economic Disruption | Northshore Corporate HQ Recruitment Accelerator | +7 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Healthcare AI Innovation Network | +6 | local |
| medium | Ecological Stress | Resilience-as-Competitive-Advantage Branding | +5 | local |
Total Impact
+52 pts
11 actions
Local Control
100%
11 of 11 actions
Critical Actions
0
highest priority
Impact estimates are modeled projections based on STEEPE dimension sensitivity analysis. Actual outcomes depend on implementation quality, timing, and external conditions.
Census CBP 2022, USDA Census of Agriculture 2022, Census ACS 2024, BLS QCEW, BEA County GDP, WARN Act Notices, TerraMetrics STEEPE Engine. Census QuickFacts: St. Tammany Parish. BEA: St. Tammany GDP. InveST St. Tammany.
STEEPE Framework: A multi-dimensional disruption assessment covering Social, Technology (AI, Blockchain, CBDC, Quantum), Ecological, Economic, Political, and Education. Each dimension is scored 0-100, where higher values indicate greater disruption intensity. Scores shown in this report reflect the Probable scenario projection.
Resilience Score (0-100): How well-positioned a county is to absorb economic disruption. Calculated from economic diversification (40%), opportunity-to-threat ratio (35%), and average sector wage levels (25%). Higher scores indicate greater capacity to weather change.
Diversification Score (0-100): Economic diversity across industry sectors, based on the inverted Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). A score of 100 indicates a perfectly diversified economy; lower scores indicate concentration in fewer sectors, increasing vulnerability to sector-specific shocks.
AI Exposure Score (0-100): Degree of exposure to AI-driven disruption based on knowledge worker concentration, tech company density, and manufacturing automation exposure. Higher scores indicate greater exposure, meaning both higher risk of displacement and higher potential for AI-driven growth.
Futures Cone (Probable / Possible / Preferable): Based on the Voros (2003) futures cone methodology. Probable represents where current trends lead (highest confidence). Possible covers what could happen across a wider range of conditions. Preferable describes the abundant future that proactive policy and investment can build toward.