Fastest-growing city in Louisiana: Houma

Fastest-growing city in Louisiana: Houma

Number of households: 17,655
Pct. Chg: +4% since 2008 (+20% since 2000)
Average household income: $65,605 (+25% since 2000)
Why: This city in southern Louisiana, near New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, is the economic center of Terrebonne Parish, where the unemployment rate is 4.8% (lower than the national average). Houma's economy once depended heavily on oil, but seafood production, tourism, and the medical industry now also represent a significant portion of production.