Post-Katrina New Orleans as a New Migrant Destination

Elizabeth Fussell, Tulane University

Latino migrants have been arriving in New Orleans to participate in the clean-up and rebuilding of the city ever since the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina receded. While many southern cities have witnessed large increases in Latino migrant populations, this had not been the case in New Orleans until after Katrina. In this research I investigate the socio-demographic characteristics of this newcomer population to understand how it differs from migrant populations in other destinations in the U.S. The data I use for this research comes from two sources, a sample of New Orleans migrants interviewed between March and May of 2006 and a sample of migrants interviewed in the U.S. in 2004. I find some differences between migrants in New Orleans and those in other destinations, but these results suggest that they are more alike than not. More interesting differences exist between Latinos of different national origins in New Orleans.