New Orleans’s Latinos: Growth in an Uncertain Destination

Elizabeth Fussell, Washington State University
Miriam J. Northcutt, Bowling Green State University

Latino immigrants arrived in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. The recovery economy has brought a steady stream of Latino migrant workers, but demand has been spatially and temporally uneven. As rebuilding progress has slowed and wages have dropped the growth of Latinos in the city appears to be leveling off, though not declining. However, little is known about the post-Katrina newcomers. Using survey data collected at visits of the mobile consulates of Mexican, Brazil, and Nicaragua, we investigate the expected durations of these national origin groups. We find that the best predictors of staying in New Orleans are owning a home, being accompanied by spouses and/or children, and having been a pre-Katrina resident. The post-Katrina arrivals appear to be either very mobile or uncertain about their stay in New Orleans.