[5] Within the city of New Orleans proper, multiple breaches and structural failures occurred in the system of levees and flood walls designed under federal government auspices.

The city of New Orleans experienced a steep population decline after the hurricane, though by the 2020 census, it had regained a good portion of that loss.

[11] St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes all lie across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans, and are oftentimes included as part of the region.

The eight parishes covered by the commission are: Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.

[17] Two more parishes, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, were added to the metropolitan area the same year, making a six-parish MSA.

In 2023, St. Tammany was split off into its own metropolitan area,[25] leaving the New Orleans MSA with seven parishes and tabulating an adjusted 2020 census population of 1,007,275.

[9] Other companies headquartered in the area include, Globalstar, Textron, Receivables Exchange, Tidewater Marine, and Intralox.

Other companies with large operations in the New Orleans MSA include DXC Technology, Folgers, AT&T, and GE Capital to name a few.

The metropolis boasts a civilian labor force of over 650,000 and there are over 65,000 students enrolled in the region's nine universities and eight community/technical colleges as well as thriving film, technology and healthcare industries.

[28] Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport hosts 15 airlines, 54 nonstop flights, and connects to all U.S. hubs; a new, ground-up terminal opened November 6, 2019.

[29] The Port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River operates in the area with more than $296 million capital infrastructure investment for quick container turnaround and increased capacity.

[30] Industrial projects, especially in St. James Parish, were estimated to help the New Orleans metro area add 4,600 jobs in 2018 and 7,600 in 2019, according to an annual economic forecast.

[31] The Greater New Orleans economy also benefits from expansions in the health care sector and the National World War II Museum, as well as airport construction.

†Indicates analog low power station Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is located to the west of downtown, in the city of Kenner.

[35] Domestic nonstop service is provided to Akron, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Bentonville, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago (O'Hare and Midway), Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas (DFW and Love Field), Denver, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Hartford, Houston (Bush Intercontinental and Hobby), Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Louisville, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark), Norfolk, Orlando (Orlando International and Sanford), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa, and Washington DC (Reagan National and Dulles).

International nonstop service is provided to Cancun, London, Montreal, San Pedro Sula, and Toronto.

[38] Passenger train service is provided by Amtrak on the Crescent, City of New Orleans, and Sunset Limited routes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the design and construction of Greater New Orleans' flood protection system.