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100 Things You Need to Know About Louisiana

Changing the narrative about The Louisiana Opportunity is the responsibility of everyone who lives in, works in and loves Louisiana. It begins with taking stock of the things that make our state so special — not only to live and play, but to grow your business or advance your career. The list is endless, and ever-changing. Help us keep it up-to-date by sending your Louisiana Need-to-Knows to LED@la.gov.

  • #1 Deal of the Year for 2024: Meta A.I. Data Center in North Louisiana.
  • #2 State Workforce Development Program in the U.S.
  • #2 State Tech Talent Pipeline in the U.S.
  • Awarded #1 Workforce Education Partnerships in the U.S. at the 2023 International Economic Development Council Awards
  • Louisiana’s population increased nearly 10K in 2024, first increase in 5 years.
  • Biggest National Science Foundation Grant ever awarded– $160 Million to LSU Future Use of Energy team.
  • Lowest Industrial Electricity Prices in the U.S.
  • New Orleans named a New Innovation Hotspot for growth in utility patents.
  • 1 of only 3 U.S. States approved to regulate all underground wells.
  • Baton Rouge-based Lamar Advertising is one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies with more than 363K displays across North America.
  • $10B and 77K jobs derived from U.S. military investments in Louisiana.
  • Louisiana’s timber industry has a $11B Annual Economic Impact.
  • Exports passing through the state’s expansive port system support 550K jobs statewide.
  • Domino in Chalmette is the largest sugar refinery in the Western Hemisphere.
  • The official bats of the MLB are made by Marucci in Baton Rouge.
  • North Louisiana’s family- and woman-owned Kennedy Rice mill supplies rice for Kellogg’s Homestyle Rice Krispie Treats.
  • New Orleans is the #1 City in America for College Students and Graduates.
  • Central Louisiana’s Union Tank Car Company produces nearly 40 tank cars per week.
  • #4 state on the National Assessment of Educational Progress by demographic, aka the Nation’s Report Card.
  • Oceaneering in Morgan City is the world’s largest manufacturer of ROVs.
  • 2 of the Top 100 performing high schools in the nation are in Louisiana.
  • Acadiana-based education software startup SchoolMint already serves over 12 million students and families and more than half of the largest school districts in the U.S.
  • Bollinger Shipyards has built more than 185 vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • Louisiana has been the #1 State for Foreign Direct Investment since 2008.
  • Louisiana is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, responsible for 61% of all U.S. Liquified Natural Gas exports.
  • Many NASA missions to space have utilized components manufactured or assembled in Louisiana.
  • Louisiana’s 50K miles of natural gas pipelines are enough to wrap around the globe twice.
  • 5 deep draft ports on the lower Mississippi River together represent the largest port complex in the world.
  • LED served more than 13K Louisiana small businesses last year alone.
  • Louisiana small businesses employed 867,762 workers in 2024, representing 99.5% of all Louisiana businesses and 54.5% of the entire Louisiana workforce.
  • Space X drones are built at Port Fourchon.
  • LED participated in more than 30 project wins in 2024, representing over $16.4B in new capex and 9,000+ jobs.
  • More than 9,000 Louisiana college students graduated with a STEM degree in 2024 – up 98% since 2010.
  • New Orleans is the #1 location in the U.S. for young entrepreneurs.
  • Gold Shovel Award for #1 Capital Investment and Job Creation Project in 2024.
  • Green Shovel Award for #1 Energy Innovation Investment and Job Creation in 2024.
  • 50% of Louisiana is covered in woods, supporting the paper and timber industry with 14 million acres of forestland.
  • Louisiana produces more than 850 million pounds of seafood each year.
  • 90% of U.S. crawfish supply comes from Louisiana waterways.
  • Poultry production is the largest animal agricultural industry in Louisiana, valued at $2 billion per year.
  • Global industrial giant BASF’s largest manufacturing site in the world is in Geismar.
  • Dow’s Plaquemines facility is one of the largest petrochemical complexes in the world.
  • Woodland Biofuels plans to build one of the world’s largest renewable biofuels production facilities at the Port of South Louisiana.
  • RoyO Martin’s Chopin plant is the largest plywood plant in North America.
  • ExxonMobil Baton Rouge manufactures approximately 8 million pounds of paraffin wax annually, enough to create around 7.5 million crayons daily.
  • Made in Louisiana, cont’d: Tide Pods (Rapides Parish), Elmer’s Candy (Tangipahoa Parish), Scott’s Miracle-Gro (Ascension Parish), Metal Shark Boats (Iberia Parish).
  • No. 2 largest sugarcane-producing state in the U.S.
  • No. 3 largest rice-producing state in the U.S.
  • Supreme Rice produces more than 1 billion pounds of rice annually, including all of the rice for Costco’s Kirkland Signature Brand.
  • Tabasco, the most recognizable hot sauce brand in the world since 1868, produces 700,000 bottles a day.
  • MOJO Outdoors in Ouachita Parish is the No. 1 producer of hunting decoys in the world.
  • Graphic Packaging’s Monroe facility is the largest folding carton plant in the world by both sales and volume produced.
  • LED’s “Come Home Louisiana” music video has 1.9 million YouTube views.
  • Baton Rouge is a Top 10 U.S. metro for job growth in energy and petrochemical sectors. 
  • Baton Rouge is a Top 10 U.S. Metro for economic development in areas with 200,000 to 1M residents.
  • No. 1 State Innovation and Entrepreneurism Programs and Initiatives in the U.S.
  • No. 2 Digital Media Program in the U.S., LED FastStart Virtual Reality Workforce Training Program.
  • Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a global leader in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia research.
  • Tides Medical in Lafayette manufactures advanced skin substitutes for burn victims and patients with chronic skin wounds and illnesses.
  • Louisiana has 7 National Blue Ribbon schools, more than most Southeastern states.
  • Louisiana ranks 7th in the nation for Pre-K enrollment.
  • Louisiana’s fourth-grade reading score. ranking jumped from No. 50 in 2019 to No. 16 in 2024.
  • 184 public Louisiana schools – including 22 high schools – receive an A-rating. 
  • New Orleans is the No. 4 Most Entrepreneurial Metro in the U.S. 
  • LED has invested nearly $10 million to date in education and workforce development programs at higher ed and nonprofit organizations around the state.
  • Southern University’s School of Nursing (SUSON) was voted Best Nursing School in the United States.
  • Louisiana was voted America’s Safest Workforce in 2024.
  • LED FastStart provided custom training and recruitment for 73 companies creating 12,783 jobs, retaining 6,401 jobs and investing $23,397,130 in Louisiana in 2024.
  • Port of South Louisiana ranked No. 1 U.S. Foreign Trade Zone.
  • Louisiana is home to four of the nation’s eight active LNG export facilities.
  • Louisiana has seven primary airports and 56 public-use airports.
  • The Mississippi River is a gateway to international markets and provides direct access by barge to 17 states.
  • Louisiana has attracted $61B of investment in new energy and industrial emissions reduction projects, resulting in 26,952 new jobs.
  • The Port of South Louisiana is the No. 2 energy transfer site in the U.S., with 63% of crude oil, petroleum products and other mineral fuels imports passing through its channels.
  • The Port of New Orleans is the No. 1 port in the Western Hemisphere for most tons of cargo.
  • Louisiana is the only state that has deep-water ports with access to six Class 1 railroads.
  • Louisiana has 6 interstate highways connecting manufacturers to domestic markets to the east, west, north and south.
  • In addition to the Mississippi River, Louisiana provides shippers access to 14,500 miles of inland waterways.
  • Louisiana ports process over $80 billion in imports and exports annually.
  • 50+ foreign nations have businesses operating in the state.
  • Louisiana is a Top 3 natural gas producing state, Top 10 crude oil producer and the highest number of refineries per capita.
  • Louisiana produces 2 billion gallons of biofuels annually, Top 10 among U.S. states.
  • Louisiana’s cost of living is 9% lower than the national average.
  • Louisiana’s unique geography offers low-carbon manufacturers 753 billion metric tons of carbon capture safe storage potential.
  • Louisiana invested $238M to deepen 256 nautical miles of the lower portion of the Mississippi River from 45 feet to 50 feet, providing deep draft access to importers and exporters. 
  • More than 30,000 farms spanning 8,000 acres support Louisiana’s booming agribusiness sector.
  • Louisiana’s ports carry 25% of U.S. waterborne commerce, 60% of the nation’s grain and 20% of the nation’s coal.
  • The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is the only deepwater oil port in the U.S., handling 13% of the nation’s foreign oil. 
  • Louisiana is home to four of the nation’s top 15 ports.
  • 60% of the nation’s grain exports pass through the Port of South Louisiana.
  • The Port of New Orleans is the No. 1 port for coffee imports and exports in the U.S.
  • Nasdaq ranked Louisiana No. 2 for Hispanic Entrepreneurial Success.
  • Amazon ranked Louisiana a Top 5 state for Digital Entrepreneurs. 
  • The LED Growth Network has 766 participating businesses that generate more than $4.5B in annual sales and employ more than 24,200 full-time equivalent employees. 
  • Louis Armstrong International (MSY) was named the Best Airport in North America. 
  • Louisiana is home to over 400 annual festivals that provide non-stop cultural enrichment for visitors and residents alike.
  • Louisiana has the No. 5 average lowest home prices in America.
  • Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans create a $900 million economic impact.
  • Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux MSA is ranked Top 10 nationally in leading Metro Locations.
  • Louisiana has hosted over 2,500 film and television productions.

Help us get the word out!

Have more Louisiana Need-to-Knows? Help us keep the list growing and up-to-date by sending your suggestions to LED@la.gov.