New Orleans has lost nearly a third of its population since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Census data shows the population of the city has dropped to 343,829.
The population of New Orleans was 484,674 in 2000. But the low-lying city was flooded when by Hurricane Katrina breached its levees.
The BBC reports large numbers of residents were evacuated to neighbouring Texas and beyond in the aftermath of the disaster.
