Improvement, But Room for More in New Orleans

The report shows that the metropolitan area has recovered nearly 90 percent of its pre-hurricane population, and about 85 percent of its jobs.

"The metro area does lack some qualities that the report says make a community resilient, such as a strong and diverse economy and well-educated work force. Those deficits are among the challenges the region still faces. But there's no denying our strong attachment to place, an attachment that people have shown by staying or returning after Katrina and doing the back-breaking work of rebuilding."