Who Should NOT Move to New Orleans?
New Orleans is probably not the right fit for movers who require minimal hurricane/flood exposure or the lowest possible insurance costs as a hard filter, who treat an at-or-below-national-average citywide crime rate as non-negotiable, who are specifically averse to a genuinely high combined local sales tax, or who require an unambiguous, currently-growing city-proper population.
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Learn moreMovers Requiring Minimal Hurricane/Flood Exposure or the Lowest Possible Insurance Costs
As detailed in full on the flood-hurricane-risk and homeowners-insurance topic pages, much of New Orleans sits below sea level, hurricane risk is real and seasonal (June-November), and homeowners-insurance premiums run genuinely severe (a real, disclosed $2,600-$6,700+/year spread), with the city ranking among the top five U.S. metros for storm-surge exposure. Movers who treat minimal hazard exposure or the lowest possible insurance cost as a hard, non-negotiable requirement will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed data does not clear that specific bar.
Movers For Whom an At-or-Below-National-Average Crime Rate Is Non-Negotiable
As detailed in full on the crime-safety topic page, sources cite New Orleans' citywide violent-crime rate at approximately 550-1,444 per 100,000 residents, running above the FBI's cited 2024 national rate depending on source, even amid a real, substantial 2024 homicide improvement. Movers who treat an at-or-below-national-average citywide rate as a hard requirement will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed data does not clear that specific bar.
Movers Specifically Averse to a Genuinely High Combined Local Sales Tax
As detailed on the taxes topic page, New Orleans/Orleans Parish's combined sales tax runs approximately 10%-11%, among the highest combined local rates in the country -- movers specifically prioritizing the lowest possible combined sales-plus-property tax burden, rather than Louisiana's genuinely low flat income tax alone, should weigh this real, disclosed factor honestly.
Movers Requiring an Unambiguous, Currently-Growing City-Proper Population
As detailed on the base record's population data, New Orleans remains a real, cited roughly 100,000-120,000 residents below its pre-Katrina peak two decades later, and the city's own most recent trend shows a real, current further decline (approximately -1.37% annually, -6.83% since the 2020 Census). Movers who require an unambiguous, currently-growing city-proper population as a hard filter will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed data does not clear that specific bar, even as the broader metro continues modest growth.
Movers Unwilling to Do Real, Property-Specific Hazard and Insurance Research
Movers need to confirm a specific target property's elevation, current FEMA flood-zone status, and an actual current homeowners-insurance quote before committing, since both risk and cost vary substantially by specific address. Movers unwilling to do that research before committing risk a real, unwelcome surprise -- on cost, or on insurability itself -- after move-in.
Key takeaways
- Movers requiring minimal hurricane/flood exposure or the lowest possible insurance cost will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed severe hazard-and-insurance data does not clear that bar.
- Movers treating an at-or-below-national-average crime rate as non-negotiable will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed data (~550-1,444 per 100,000) does not clear that bar.
- Movers specifically averse to a genuinely high combined local sales tax (~10%-11%) should weigh this real, disclosed factor honestly against Louisiana's low flat income tax.
- Movers requiring an unambiguous, currently-growing city-proper population will find New Orleans' honestly-disclosed, still-declining recent trend does not clear that bar.
- Property-specific elevation, flood-zone, and insurance research is not optional -- both risk and cost vary substantially by specific address.
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