The number of people living in the city has jumped by more than 50,000 compared to this time last year, according to new numbers from population expert Greg Rigamer.

There are currently more than 273,000 people living in Orleans Parish, Rigamer said – about 54 percent of the city’s pre-Katrina population.           

Rigamer attributed the growth to returning homeowners that are looking to re-build their homes or small rental properties.

"Obviously, they're not up to where they should be,” Rigamer said. “They're not up to where they were pre-storm, but there's been a big change since last year and ironically, it's the areas that we see that are still in transition, Lakeview, Broadmoor, Gentilly and New Orleans East."

Still, not all areas have seen the bulk of that growth. The Lower Ninth Ward has continued to struggle with its population numbers, having only about a third of the people they did before the storm.