Here's what everyone is saying about Lafayette, LA . . .

Retail Sales On the Rise - For only the second time on record, Lafayette's total annual retail sales are more than $5 billion.  The 2007 total -  $532,207,035 - is 5.35% greater than 2006. And the year-ending December figure is the hightest December on record (1997 is oldest recorded year).  Source: Lafayette Parish School Board, February 2008. 

Construction Boom - The construction total for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, ending October 31st, was a record-breaking $493,768,778! That is $176,490,117 more than the previous year.  The top 5 new commercial projects were all apartment complexes and some of the highlighted (permitted) projects include the south branch of the public library, LA Avenue's Target and JC Penney, new facillities for Cox Communications, Acadian Ambulance, and Atmos Energy, a new grocery store (Fresh Market), new industrial park (Hero's Point), surgical hospital, and car dealership (Giles Nissan). Source: LCG, Department of Planning, Zoning, and Codes. November 2007. 

Best Cities - The Lafayette MSA was ranked 24^th "Best Performing (Large Metro) City in the nation citing job growth (ranked 10^th), salary growth (ranked 16^th), and high-tech GDP growth (ranked 15^th) as key indicators. Lafayette also made the biggest jump in the index, from 143^rd in 2005. Source: Milken Institute, September 2007  

Workforce Training - The Lafayette/Acadiana region ranked first in the state for Incumbent Worker Training Program grants. 64 contracts totaling $8.53 million were awarded over the course of the fiscal year. Source: Louisiana Department of Labor, August 2007.

Creative Class - Lafayette was named one of the top cities in the South for the "Creative Class," based on its commitment to technology, forward thinking, and cultural diversity. Source: Southern Business & Development Magazine, May 2007.

Best for Business and Careers - Lafayette's Cost of Doing Business ranks 37^th lowest among the largest 200 US metros. Source: Forbes Magazine, May 2007.

Quality of Life - Lafayette was ranked as a top 5 small city for Quality of Life among all North American cities with populations less than 500,000 people. Source: fDi Magazine, April 2007.

High Per Capita Income - Lafayette's latest per capita income figure was $32,892 (for every man woman, and child).  This is the 2^nd highest income in the state.  Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, April 2007 

Retail Sales Boom - For the first time ever, Lafayette's total annual retail sales are more than $5 billion.  At $5,001,032,171, the 2006 total retail sales are 14.86% greater than 2005.  Source: Lafayette Parish School Board, February 2007.

Job Growth & Wage Growth - The US Department of Labor ranks Lafayette 2^nd out of 325 large counties with a 7.0% increase in job growth from June 2005 - June 2006.  In the same report, Lafayette ranked 6^th for wage growth with a 9.9% increase in weekly wages.  Source: US Department of Labor, January 2007

Low Unemployment - Lafayette Parish saw record-low unemployment numbers of less than 3%, eight times in 2006.  Lafayette Parish ended the year with the lowest unemployment rate in the State at 2.5%.  Source: Louisiana Department of Labor, January 2007

Hot Cities for Entrepreneurs – Lafayette was named the 22^nd best mid-sized city in the nation for entrepreneurs. Lafayette Parish ranked 38^th best county out of the 718 small counties surveyed.   Source: Entrepreneur Magazine, September 2006

The Forbes list of Best Places for Business and Careers - Lafayette'sours Cost of Doing Business ranks 35^th in lowest cost among the top 150 metro areas.  Source: Forbes Magazine, May 2006

Best Cities for Relocating Families - Lafayette was named the 6^th best city for 2006 according to Worldwide ERC.  The ranking was based on traditional factors such as commute times, tax rates and average home cost and appreciation.  Also taken into consideration were more diverse cost of living and quality of life variables.  Source: Worldwide ERC, May 2006

Top SuperComputers in the World - Lafayette's own Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) is home to the 371^st best super computer in the world based on performance.  Source: Top500 SuperComputer Sites, November 2005

Best Places for Doing Business – Lafayette was named the 68^th best city in the nation for doing business based on job creation, job center diversity, and other business concerns. Among other cities of its size, Lafayette ranked 22^nd.  Source: Inc. Magazine, May 2005

Cities Rising Fast on the High-Tech Horizon – Lafayette was named the tech center in the South based on its appeal to and ability to attract high-tech companies.  Source: Entrepreneur Magazine, October 2004

Cool Cities – Lafayette was named one of the 10 “Coolest Cities in the South.”  Source: Southern Business & Development Magazine, Winter 2003/2004