By Matt Fannin, Miller, V. Todd
LSU AgCenter
While state gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for inflation (real GDP) had only recovered to approximately 93% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021, several Louisiana parishes outpaced the statewide average — and many of these were in rural areas.
Twenty-five percent of Louisiana parishes’ economies witnessed higher real GDP in 2021 compared to 2019 based on recently released datasets from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that were reviewed by LSU AgCenter economist Matt Fannin.
The parish with the greatest growth was rural Bienville Parish, with 126% of its 2019 real GDP by the end of 2021. In fact, 11 of the 16 parishes with higher GDP were rural parishes with no sizable cities (noncore parishes) or with small cities (micropolitan parishes).