SUMMARY BACKGROUND

REGIONAL CHALLENGES

HIGH DOMESTIC OUTMIGRATION

  • Major outmigration from East Baton Rouge Parish – Net loss of nearly 3,100 residents in one-year signals urgent need to address retention and quality-of-life factors
  • Uneven population shifts – While some parishes grow, others lose residents, risking regional imbalance in workforce and infrastructure planning
  • Potential strain on growing parishes – Tangipahoa and Livingston must ensure sufficient housing, services, and infrastructure to support in-migration

HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE

  • Severe provider deficits – Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes require a combined 21.42 additional primary care Full-Time Equivalent (FTEs) to address service gaps
  • Underserved high-need areas – Elevated Health Professional Shortage AREA (HPSA) scores in Pointe Coupee and East Feliciana point to critical access challenges in rural healthcare delivery
  • Maternity care access disparities – High Primary Care Maternity Target Area (PC MCTA) scores in Pointe Coupee and Washington parishes necessitate investment in maternal health infrastructure and workforce

HIGH EXPOSURE TO NATURAL HAZARDS

  • Elevated natural hazard risk in East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension, and Tangipahoa parishes
  • Combined effect of high expected losses and limited resilience increases recovery time and economic disruption
  • Need for enhanced mitigation planning, risk reduction infrastructure, and targeted resilience investments in high-risk zones
  • Low resilience in East Feliciana, St. Helena, and Washington increases risk during disasters and delays recovery
  • Need for targeted investments in preparedness and infrastructure in moderately resilient parishes (Ascension, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana) to strengthen regional capacity
  • Regional disparities in resilience could hinder coordinated emergency response and long-term recovery

WEAK INNOVATIVE INTELLIGENCE INDEX

CRPC (114.6) lags behind the Acadian (119.1) and South Central (119.2) Planning Commissions in knowledge creation and technology diffusion, indicating weaker innovation performance

    • Although CRPC performs well in certain areas of the Innovative Intelligence Index compared to peer planning commissions, it lags in some subcategory indexes.
    • CRPC also scores below the state average (116.4), signaling limited innovation capacity and slower adoption of new technologies

ESTABLISHMENTS FORMATION

  • CRPC (120.6) trails behind the Acadian Planning Commission (135.0) in establishment formation, indicating a lower rate of new business creation and less entrepreneurial activity relative to its regional peers
  • While above the South Central Planning Commission (89.6) and the state average (82.4), CRPC’s performance highlights the need to strengthen local business support systems and startup ecosystems

BUSINESS PROFILE

  • CRPC scores lower than the South Central Planning Commission in both venture capital count and dollar measures, indicating weaker access to early-stage funding
  • In proprietorship and venture capital indicators, CRPC trails the Acadian Planning Commission, highlighting room to strengthen entrepreneurial activity and investment attraction

    RESIDENTIAL INTERNET CONNECTIVITY

    • CRPC (104.8) lags behind South Central (128.1) and Acadian (121.6) Planning Commissions in residential internet connectivity, indicating lower digital access across households
    • CRPC scores only slightly above the state average (95.2), suggesting gaps in broadband infrastructure and digital inclusion