Second Annual Document Highlights Measurable Gains in Job Growth and Wage Growth, Additional Targets Within Reach

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) today released its 2026 LA Driven Annual Report, detailing measurable progress in strengthening Louisiana’s economic competitiveness and reversing long-standing job growth challenges.

The report provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of Louisiana’s performance across key economic indicators and tracks progress toward benchmarks established in LABI’s LA Driven strategic plan to make Louisiana an economic leader in the South by 2030.

“Louisiana is gaining real momentum,” said Will Green, LABI President and CEO. “After years of lagging behind our Southern peers, we are now seeing tangible improvements in job growth, wage growth and foundational education outcomes. That progress is the result of intentional, coordinated actions and reflects focused, pro-growth policy decisions and a renewed commitment to competitiveness.”

After more than a decade in which Louisiana consistently ranked among the bottom five states for job growth, Louisiana has reached two major milestones outlined in LA Driven.

• Job Growth: Improve the state’s ranking for new job creation to the middle third of states by 2030.
  • Louisiana now ranks 24th nationally, adding 19,100 nonfarm jobs from August 2024 to August 2025.
• Wage Growth: Improve the state’s ranking for wage growth to the middle third of states by 2030.
  • Private-sector wages increased 3.52% from 2024 to 2025, placing Louisiana 24th nationally.

The report also tracks significant progress made toward additional 2030 benchmarks in education and workforce readiness:

• Graduation Rate: Improve the state’s high school graduation rate to 88% by 2030.
  • The high school graduation rate for Louisiana students reached 85% in 2025.
• Reading Proficiency: Increase the share of third graders reading at or above grade level to 66% by 2030.
  • Third-grade reading proficiency rose to 7% in 2025.

As a result of these improvements, Louisiana is beginning to see positive movement in national business climate rankings. Improved rankings send an important signal to employers and investors evaluating expansion and relocation decisions.

“Competitiveness is not about a single metric. It’s about building an environment where businesses can grow, workers can succeed and families can prosper,” Green said. “While we’ve cleared important milestones, we cannot afford complacency. Population trends, workforce shortages and global competition remain real challenges. Staying on this trajectory will require continued focus on workforce development, public safety and a stable, predictable legal and business climate.”

The report also underscores emerging opportunities in energy innovation, artificial intelligence and data infrastructure, while emphasizing the need for coordinated action among policymakers, employers and educators to meet future workforce demands.

“The data in this report makes it clear that when Louisiana’s leaders prioritize growth, we can change the trajectory of our state,” Green added. “If we stay disciplined, continue reform and embrace innovation, we have the opportunity to turn today’s momentum into long-term, sustainable economic strength.”

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