Population data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week shows that Iberia Parish lost more than 1,000 residents between 2016 and 2017, with the majority of those residents coming from New Iberia. 

The bureau’s data focused on July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017 as focus points for their study. For 2016, Iberia Parish showed a population of 73,273 and dropped to 72,176 in 2017, a loss of 1,097 people. 

In New Iberia, there was a loss of 766 residents who no longer resided in the city. The numbers showed a population of 30,386 in 2016 and 29,620 in 2017. It’s one of the largest annual drops that New Iberia has seen in recent years, with the census staying within the 30,000 range since 2010. 

“It just tells me that we need to keep going after the things we’re going after,” Mayor Freddie DeCourt said Friday. “Whatever we’ve been doing hasn’t worked, that’s why we’re getting the police department and trying new things.”

“I believe you will see an increase in population soon in our parish due to chances that are currently being made,” Iberia Parish President Larry Richard said. “I also believe that the people of Iberia Parish are being educated on what’s needed for everyone to have the quality of life we are asking for (strarting with transparency, safety and infrastructure to name a few).”

Iberia’s three other municipalities also saw slight drops with the new data. From 2016 to 2017, Jeanerette had a drop of 5,447 to 5,332, a loss of 115 people; Delcambre went from 1,892 to 1,883, a loss of nine people and Loreauville’s population went from 893 to 885, a loss of eight people. 

When the municipalities are subtracted from the parish total, it leaves about 199 residents who moved out of the unincorporated parts of the parish. 

The bureau reported a similar story for another part of the Teche Area, St. Mary Parish. In the one-year time span, the parish went from 52,093 to 50,973, a loss of 1,120 people. In the city of Franklin, the data showed a population of 7,182 in 2016 and 6,965 in 2017, a loss of 217. 

The town of Baldwin went from 2,338 to 2,291 in the one-year time span, a decrease of 47 people. 

St. Martin Parish, however, was the one part of the Teche Area that showed slight growth. The parish’s population in 2016 was 54,007 and 54,171 in 2017, an increase of 164 people. St. Martinville, however, showed a slight decline in population. Data showed 6,095 in 2016 and and 6,021 in 2017, a decrease of 74 people. 

Louisiana as a whole saw a decrease of 2,667 in the one year time span. The population was 4,681,666  in 2016 and 4,684,333 in 2017.

Areas of Acadiana that saw rapid growth in the Census included Broussard and Youngsville, both of which were top contenders in the fastest growing areas of the state. Broussard was up 502 while Youngsville was up 479.