John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $798.37 million, equating to $3,221 per capita and making up 28.8% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across Louisiana amounted to $7.65 billion, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $1,667 per capita, or 12.8% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $59.76 billion, accounting for 23.9% of residents’ total income, with an average of $13,019 per resident.
Medicaid was the second largest contributor in Lafayette Parish in 2022, accounting for $678.51 million, averaging $2,737 per capita, representing 24.5% of transfers. Medicare transfers provided another $604.82 million, averaging $2,440 per capita and comprising 21.9% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 14.8% of the population aged 65 and older, Lafayette Parish has a demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Lafayette Parish, excluding government transfers was $47,798, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $58,963, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Lafayette Parish saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Lafayette Parish, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 6.9% (or $1,267 per capita) in 1970 to 18.9% (or $11,165 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Parish | 1 | 21.8% | 18.8% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 2.5% | $12,765 |
| Jefferson Davis Parish | 1 | 21.8% | 18.8% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 2.5% | $12,765 |
| East Baton Rouge | 3 | 19.6% | 15.3% | 5.1% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 2.7% | $11,761 |
| Orleans Parish | 4 | 20.8% | 17.3% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 6.5% | 3.1% | $12,788 |
| Caddo Parish | 5 | 26.3% | 19% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 6.9% | 3.7% | $15,176 |
| St. Tammany | 6 | 16.1% | 18.4% | 5.5% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 1.3% | $11,834 |
| Lafayette Parish | 7 | 18.9% | 14.8% | 5.5% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 2.5% | $11,165 |
| Calcasieu Parish | 8 | 22.8% | 16.4% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 2.6% | $11,739 |
| Ouachita Parish | 9 | 28.8% | 15.9% | 7% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 4.3% | $13,535 |
| Rapides Parish | 10 | 30.1% | 17.1% | 6.7% | 6.4% | 10% | 3.5% | $16,215 |
| Tangipahoa Parish | 11 | 29.2% | 15.2% | 6.6% | 7.2% | 8.7% | 3.8% | $13,872 |
| Bossier Parish | 12 | 22.2% | 15.5% | 5.8% | 5.4% | 4.5% | 2.5% | $11,828 |
| Livingston Parish | 13 | 20.3% | 13.8% | 6.1% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 2.4% | $9,979 |
| Terrebonne Parish | 14 | 28.6% | 15.9% | 8.2% | 6.8% | 8% | 3.6% | $13,890 |
| St. Landry | 15 | 34.9% | 17% | 8.4% | 8.2% | 10.4% | 5.2% | $16,632 |
| Ascension Parish | 16 | 15.5% | 13.1% | 5% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 1.8% | $9,385 |
| Lafourche Parish | 17 | 22.9% | 16.7% | 7.3% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 2.7% | $11,981 |
| Iberia Parish | 18 | 33.3% | 16.5% | 9% | 7.5% | 9.5% | 4.9% | $15,005 |
| Acadia Parish | 19 | 31.4% | 16.5% | 8.1% | 7.5% | 9% | 4.5% | $14,320 |
| Washington Parish | 20 | 41.7% | 19.2% | 9.7% | 12% | 11.7% | 5.3% | $17,245 |
| Vermilion Parish | 21 | 27.5% | 16.6% | 8.1% | 6.3% | 7.3% | 3.8% | $12,891 |
| St. Mary | 22 | 32.5% | 18.6% | 9.4% | 7.6% | 9% | 4.6% | $15,189 |
| St. Martin | 23 | 29.6% | 17.2% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 4.2% | $13,284 |
| Avoyelles Parish | 24 | 36.5% | 18.1% | 8.4% | 8.8% | 10.9% | 5.2% | $16,037 |
| Webster Parish | 25 | 34.3% | 20.7% | 9.4% | 9.3% | 8.6% | 3.9% | $17,045 |
| St. John the Baptist | 26 | 31.7% | 15.9% | 8.6% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 4.4% | $14,491 |
| Vernon Parish | 27 | 25.6% | 14% | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.2% | 2.9% | $12,174 |
| St. Charles | 28 | 19.2% | 15.5% | 6.5% | 4.8% | 4.2% | 2% | $11,044 |
| Lincoln Parish | 29 | 23.4% | 14.4% | 5.5% | 5.4% | 6.2% | 3% | $11,065 |
| Natchitoches Parish | 30 | 29.4% | 17% | 7.1% | 7.1% | 7.6% | 4.1% | $14,449 |
| St. Bernard | 31 | 28.1% | 13.2% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 8.7% | 4.6% | $11,760 |
| Beauregard Parish | 32 | 27.3% | 16.3% | 7.4% | 7% | 5.8% | 2.6% | $13,800 |
| Evangeline Parish | 33 | 37.8% | 16% | 9.2% | 8.8% | 11.8% | 5.8% | $15,203 |
| Morehouse Parish | 34 | 43.1% | 19.9% | 10.8% | 10.5% | 12.9% | 6.2% | $18,324 |
| Iberville Parish | 35 | 28.1% | 17.7% | 7.6% | 6.6% | 7.9% | 3.8% | $14,642 |
| Jefferson Davis | 36 | 26.4% | 17% | 7.3% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 3.3% | $12,797 |
| De Soto | 37 | 26.8% | 19.1% | 7.7% | 7% | 6.2% | 3.5% | $14,217 |
| Union Parish | 38 | 33.7% | 22.8% | 9.8% | 9.3% | 8.5% | 3.6% | $16,487 |
| Sabine Parish | 39 | 33% | 21.3% | 10% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 3.8% | $15,494 |
| Richland Parish | 40 | 37.8% | 18.6% | 8.4% | 10% | 12.1% | 4.9% | $16,703 |
| Franklin Parish | 41 | 43.4% | 19.4% | 9.6% | 11.1% | 13.5% | 6.2% | $16,856 |
| West Baton Rouge | 42 | 19.8% | 14.9% | 5.7% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 2.7% | $10,863 |
| Pointe Coupee | 43 | 25.9% | 22.5% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 6.7% | 3.1% | $14,816 |
| Allen Parish | 44 | 30.8% | 14.9% | 8.6% | 7.6% | 8% | 3.8% | $13,073 |
| Concordia Parish | 45 | 38.4% | 19.7% | 9.6% | 9.2% | 11.1% | 5.9% | $16,057 |
| East Feliciana | 46 | 32% | 20.1% | 8.2% | 8.5% | 9.9% | 3% | $15,064 |
| St. James | 47 | 23.7% | 19.8% | 7.4% | 6.4% | 5.6% | 2.7% | $14,829 |
| Assumption Parish | 48 | 24.5% | 20.2% | 7.9% | 6% | 5.9% | 3.1% | $13,683 |
| Grant Parish | 49 | 32.6% | 15.7% | 8.9% | 7.8% | 8% | 3.8% | $12,165 |
| Plaquemines Parish | 50 | 19.6% | 14.6% | 5.7% | 4.1% | 5% | 2.3% | $10,876 |
| Bienville Parish | 51 | 39.6% | 21.2% | 9.9% | 10.7% | 11% | 5% | $17,874 |
| Jackson Parish | 52 | 34.6% | 20.7% | 10.5% | 9% | 8.2% | 4% | $14,573 |
| Claiborne Parish | 53 | 33.7% | 22.2% | 9.4% | 8.6% | 8.7% | 4.6% | $14,823 |
| LaSalle | 54 | 35.4% | 16% | 10.2% | 9.7% | 8.8% | 3.8% | $13,234 |
| Winn Parish | 55 | 30.6% | 19% | 8.3% | 7.5% | 8.7% | 3.7% | $14,528 |
| Madison Parish | 56 | 40.9% | 18% | 7.7% | 9.8% | 13.9% | 7.3% | $17,304 |
| West Carroll | 57 | 41.5% | 21.4% | 11.2% | 11.3% | 11.4% | 4.8% | $17,114 |
| St. Helena | 58 | 31.7% | 21.4% | 10.4% | 5.7% | 7% | 6.4% | $14,326 |
| Caldwell Parish | 59 | 40.2% | 18.8% | 10% | 10.9% | 11.6% | 4.9% | $15,997 |
| Catahoula Parish | 60 | 41.1% | 18.7% | 10.7% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 4.9% | $17,732 |
| West Feliciana | 61 | 19.3% | 15.9% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 1.8% | $8,823 |
| Red River | 62 | 30.5% | 19.6% | 7% | 8% | 8.7% | 4.6% | $16,548 |
| East Carroll | 63 | 42.7% | 15.8% | 7.1% | 10.2% | 15.8% | 7.5% | $15,358 |
| Tensas Parish | 64 | 39% | 28.2% | 9.4% | 11% | 10.6% | 5.8% | $18,406 |
| Cameron Parish | 65 | 15.9% | 19.5% | 7.3% | 3.2% | 2.2% | 1.8% | $9,999 |
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