(The Center Square) − Louisiana is becoming more competitive for businesses that offer higher-paying jobs, leaders say, pointing to big projects like Hyundai Steel’s planned $5.8 billion mill in Ascension Parish.They’re hoping that will reverse an ongoing trend of people moving out. A new relocation report says the state still ranks No. 1 on that list.
Atlas Van Lines’ 2025 Migration Patterns Study, which tracked customer moves from Nov. 1, 2024, through Oct. 31, 2025, ranked Louisiana as the country’s most “outbound” state. The company said 66% of its shipments in Louisiana moved out during that time, compared to 34% that moved in.
U.S. Census Bureau numbers also show a decline. Louisiana saw its population peak at 4.65 million in 2020, only to lose over 84,000 residents in the years that followed. 2024 projections showed a slight increase to 4.6 million, up from 4.59 million in 2023, but many parishes lost residents.
Atlas said Americans are moving less overall because housing is expensive, homes are hard to find and many homeowners with low mortgage rates don’t want to give them up.
A December report from ATTOM ranked Louisiana as having one of the biggest issues with mortgages. ATTOM’s Housing Risk Report for the third quarter of 2025 found Louisiana accounted for 14 of the 50 U.S. counties with the highest share of “seriously underwater” mortgages, meaning homeowners owed at least 25% more than their homes’ estimated value. The report found the highest shares of seriously underwater mortgages in Calcasieu Parish (17.1% of homes with loans), Rapides (15.4%), Ouachita (13.6%), East Baton Rouge (13.1%) and Tangipahoa (13.1%).Realtor.com reported Louisiana’s median list price in October was at $275,750. Analysts said lower incomes, rising insurance costs and softening demand can worsen affordability and limit homeowners’ ability to sell and move.
“A high share of underwater mortgages raises concerns around reduced mobility, elevated risk of delinquency or default, and deferred maintenance,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor. “These pressures can cause local housing markets to stagnate, as households are unable to move or invest in their properties, further weighing on neighborhood conditions and property values.”
At the same time, Louisiana leaders have promoted a string of big-ticket projects. This week, Louisiana Economic Development said the state earned Business Facilities’ “Platinum Deal of the Year” for a second consecutive year, citing Hyundai’s facility as the publication’s top development project of 2025.
Gov. Jeff Landry called the back-to-back wins “unprecedented,” while LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said the award signals “an undeniable shift” in the state’s competitiveness.
