Quick take
- Analyst Michael Crenshaw said 10 northeast Louisiana parishes saw sales tax rise 5% or more in 2026 compared with 2024, KNOE reported.
- Loren C. Scott of Loren C. Scott and Associates said he expects Monroe to be the second fastest growing area in Louisiana, adding about 4,200 jobs over the next two years.
- Scott said Meta’s site will have about 1,000 permanent jobs, fewer than during construction.
- Grow NELA says 30 businesses are looking at the area. A planned biomedical research park could bring about 400 jobs, its board chair said.
- The full economic trends report goes online Oct. 28 on the Grow NELA and BRIP websites.
Business leaders filled the seats at the Northeast Louisiana Economic Summit on Thursday, Oct. 22, KNOE reported. The station said new numbers show a boom across northeast Louisiana, driven by Meta’s data center project in Richland Parish. The summit was at Bayou Pointe Event Center, KTVE/KARD reported.
Sales tax up across the region
Economic analyst Michael Crenshaw, who has studied the effect of Meta data centers around the country, said 10 northeast Louisiana parishes have seen sales tax collections rise 5% or more in 2026 compared with 2024, KNOE reported. “So sales tax is up in all 10 parishes within Grow NELA’s jurisdiction,” Crenshaw said. He said that means more money for local businesses and families, not just local governments. KNOE listed the gains by parish. Richland was up 396%, Caldwell 25%, Ouachita 19%, Tensas 13%, Franklin 12%, Madison and Union 8%, West Carroll 6%, and East Carroll and Morehouse 5%.
Rob Cleveland, president and CEO of Grow NELA, said the effect reaches well beyond Richland Parish. He said Grow NELA has 30 businesses looking to come to the area.
Jobs forecast
Loren C. Scott, president of Loren C. Scott and Associates, said he expects Monroe to be the second fastest growing area in the state. “We think Monroe’s going to be adding about 4,200 jobs over the next two years,” Scott said.
On worries about jobs going away once Meta’s construction wraps up, Scott said there will be a drop, but the area will still be better off. He said Meta will have about 1,000 high-paying permanent jobs, while far more people are needed to build the plant than to run it.
Biomedical park
Joe Holyfield, board chair of the biomedical research and innovation park planned in Monroe, said a feasibility study found the project could bring about 400 jobs. He said the park will partner with ULM so people from its pharmacy school can work with people at the park.
Read the full report
The full economic trends report will be posted on the BRIP and Grow NELA websites starting Oct. 28, KNOE reported.