Trust the method, then judge the conclusion.
How a statistic becomes publishable
- Trace it to the underlying source.
- Check year, geography, definition and methodology.
- Reproduce the arithmetic.
- Preserve conflicts rather than forcing a match.
- Test whether public wording exceeds the evidence.
- Attempt to disprove important conclusions.
Evidence labels
Source and definition checked.
Usable only with a material limitation.
Calculated from stated assumptions.
Sensitivity scenario, not observed locally.
Example/location input, not parcel-specific.
Not ready for factual public use.
What the evidence supports
- Compare how population, income, housing supply, housing type and ownership costs differ across the four parishes.
- Evaluate whether workers at different incomes can reasonably reach available housing choices under stated assumptions.
- Recognize that interest rates, taxes, insurance, debt and other carrying costs affect purchasing capacity.
- Use state commuting resources to understand that the Northshore workforce and economy operate across parish lines.
- Consider housing, roads, drainage, utilities, schools, services, location, design and timing together.
- Ask whether a proposal contributes useful housing choices in a location that can be served responsibly.
Primary public sources
Major public statistics should be traceable to the original publisher. Project-specific calculations and retained source documents are described alongside the relevant analysis.
St. Tammany Public Schools
2026–27 salary schedule source for the beginning-teacher example.
City of Covington
Police recruitment salary source used in the modeled two-income household.
St. Tammany CHNA
The 2026 Community Housing Needs Assessment source document is retained in the project verification archive. The website treats its 2030 scenario range as a scenario, not a current shortage count.
Louisiana Works
State labor-market information and the HiRE commuting-pattern tool used to support regional workforce context.
BEA, U.S. Census and NAHB
Primary inputs identified in the 2025 Louisiana economic-impact calculation, including gross state product, housing activity and home-purchase-related expenditures.
Open BEA regional accounts · Open NAHB housing impact resources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Current Employment Statistics annual estimate for Louisiana residential building-construction payroll employment.
NAR Louisiana economic-impact calculation
Published model used for the statewide real estate share and the four-component impact of a typical Louisiana home sale. Treated as modeled industry analysis, not a direct government statistic.
Parish planning and housing documents
Northshore Housing Needs reviewed parish-published or parish-sponsored planning documents alongside public statistics, authorized aggregate MLS data and project calculations. These resources help show how each parish describes its own growth, infrastructure, land-use and housing priorities.
St. Tammany Parish
2026 Community Housing Needs Assessment
Dedicated housing analysis reviewed with its scenario assumptions and qualifications.
New Directions 2040 Comprehensive Plan
Parish framework for future land use, infrastructure and managed growth.
Tangipahoa Parish
2045 Comprehensive Plan
Parish planning framework addressing balanced growth, development, infrastructure, land use and long-range implementation.
Livingston Parish
Master Plan and Zoning Code Update
Parish-sponsored planning work addressing future land use, development patterns, infrastructure and housing choices.
Washington Parish
Comprehensive Development Plan
Planning Commission resource addressing development policy for the parish's unincorporated areas.
Local planning source register
| Geography | Resource reviewed | Publisher and document status | Use in this project | Evidence treatment | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Tammany Parish | 2026 Community Housing Needs Assessment; New Directions 2040 | St. Tammany Parish Government; 2026 assessment and 2022 comprehensive plan | Housing scenarios, land use, infrastructure and managed-growth context | Scenario and policy context; specific statistics require separate verification | September 7, 2026 |
| St. Tammany Parish | Activity 501 - Repetitive Loss: Repetitive Loss Areas map, dated January 15, 2026 | St. Tammany Parish Department of Planning & Development; supplied planning map, public-document and republication status pending confirmation | Geographic context for repetitive-loss areas and structures, Special Flood Hazard Areas, watershed basins and city limits | REVIEWED, PUBLICATION HELD. The map does not show subdivision boundaries and cannot support a conclusion about repetitive losses inside versus outside organized subdivisions. Structure-level display and republication remain withheld pending clearance. | September 7, 2026 |
| Tangipahoa Parish | 2045 Comprehensive Plan | Tangipahoa Parish Government; adopted by the Planning Commission November 7, 2023 | Balanced growth, development, infrastructure, hazards and land-use context | Policy and planning context; not proof of a quantified housing shortage | September 7, 2026 |
| Livingston Parish | Master Plan and Zoning Code Update | Livingston Parish-sponsored planning project; current plan materials reviewed | Future land use, growth patterns, infrastructure and housing-choice context | Planning context; market conclusions require independent current evidence | September 7, 2026 |
| Washington Parish, unincorporated areas | Comprehensive Development Plan and Planning Commission resources | Washington Parish Government and Planning Commission; current resource page reviewed | Development policy for unincorporated areas | Regulatory and planning context; not represented as a dedicated housing-needs study | September 7, 2026 |
Titles and links identify the local planning resources reviewed. Publication dates, geographic coverage, definitions and evidentiary limitations are stated where a document supports a specific claim elsewhere on this site.
Open dependencies
| Dependency | Status | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Generalized homeowners insurance | UNRESOLVED | User/property-specific or illustrative only. |
| Remaining local worker wages | PARTIAL | Core verified scenarios only. |
| Housing/household/permit harmonization | PARTIAL | Unready charts held back. |
| St. Tammany repetitive-loss map publication and subdivision analysis | PENDING CLEARANCE | Map is listed as a reviewed source only. Public display, structure-level detail and any inside/outside-subdivision conclusion are withheld until document status, republication permission, data privacy and a valid subdivision-boundary overlay are confirmed. |
| MLS public-display / redistribution rights | READY WITH DISCLOSURE | Authorized aggregate MLS statistics may be published with disclosure. Raw/listing-level use remains limited to express permission. |
Data & Use Disclaimer
This disclosure does not replace the project’s verification standard: SOURCE VERIFIED → CALCULATION VERIFIED → CLAIM VERIFIED.