The city's population was spread out. Nearly 27.0% of its residents were under the age of 18 while 9.5% were aged between 18 and 24. Nearly 22% were between the ages of 25 and 44, while 22.5% were over 65 years of age. The median age of the city's population was 36 years. Overall, there were more males than females in the city, with 93.5 males for every 100 females.
Before the hurricane, residents of the Lower Ninth Ward made an average annual income of $16,000, and fewer than half of that population still lives there. Meanwhile, the city's white civic leaders and media failed to focus on the area's disadvantaged residents, leaving these communities vulnerable to even more destruction. It's important to note that, despite the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, the community remains segregated.