About Lafayette

With an estimated 235,000+ population, the centrally-located parish (county) of Lafayette serves as an economic center of Louisiana. The region's legendary joie de vivre and Cajun and Creole cultures are known around the globe, creating a unique environment for work and play. But Lafayette is also home to a world-class workforce, an integrated transportation network, a diversified business base, preeminent high-tech infrastructure, and a metropolitan appeal.

The city is the center of a region that's both multi-cultural and multi-industrial, and is surrounded by a unique, publicly-owned fiber optic loop. "From oil and gas extraction to crawfish farming, we've created unique industries while developing technologies that are now the global standard," states Gregg Gothreaux, President and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.

Today, Lafayette has diversified by positioning itself as an energy, medical, transportation, finance, technology, entertainment, education and retail hub. The business base of the parish includes energy services, manufacturing, health care, transportation and distribution, education, information technology, finance, tourism and other service-related industries. The resilience of Lafayette's economy is attributed to our strategic growth, entrepreneurial spirit and skilled workforce that demonstrates a strong work ethic influenced by southern values. With this foundation, Lafayette Parish is able to foster an economy that supports a growing population and diverse industry sectors.

Use the navigation on the left to explore our community or for a quick reference download our Economic Profile.