Louisiana is not used to this. For a state that has sometimes treated the bottom of national rankings as a second home, the third quarter numbers read like someone else’s mail.
Employment hit a record 2.02 million in September, according to our latest third quarter economic update for 2026. The state added 36,000 jobs over the year, a 1.8% growth rate that ranked second in the nation behind South Carolina and ran about three times the Southern average. Nine of 10 metro areas grew. Louisiana’s increase in manufacturing jobs ranked best in the South.
It’s not always like this. The economic numbers look very healthy. While it’s important to determine whether economic growth is being felt by residents and small businesses across the state, it’s important to note that economic development announcements are resulting in material gains tracked in independent economic data.
Take the construction sector: its jobs rose 13.5%, more than double the next-fastest Southern state. More surprising, Louisiana added more construction workers over the period than Texas, which started with six times as many. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and Meta’s data center are doing the heavy lifting, lured in part by industrial power that are costing 28% less than the national average. These are structural competitive advantages.
Another surprise to some in the report may be that LNG is now the state’s largest export at $28.6 billion, more than both crude and refined petroleum exports combined, for a state that has historically been fueled by both. Louisiana supplies two thirds of US LNG exports, even before the terminals under construction are completed.
That is the good news. The less comfortable news is that construction booms are temporary by design, and it’s a significant part of the state’s current performance. Terminals get finished. Crews move on. Market conditions for data centers can change.
None of this diminishes the quarter. Instead, it should push state leaders to prepare for the ones ahead, both for new opportunities and potential risks. Louisiana has shown it can land big projects. The open question is whether it can build the workforce, the supplier base, and the regional strength to continue to grow over time.
Read the full Louisiana Third Quarter Economic Update online HERE