Elevation of New Orleans
0ft
above sea level · 0 m
New Orleans is a city in Louisiana with 362,154 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the lowest.
By the All Map Tools Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 29.95° N · 90.08° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 29° 57′ 17″ N · 90° 4′ 30″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15R · 782,293 E · 3,317,360 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 362,154 people
- 170 sq mi of land · 2,136 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from October 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
New Orleans had 362,154 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 5.7% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 384,129. Its 170 sq mi of land work out to 2,136 people/sq mi; the state average is 107 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 482 places the Census counts in Louisiana (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 7.8% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Orleans Parish. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 11 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
About 1.59 million people live within 50 miles of New Orleans, with 112 cities, towns and CDPs. See what’s within 5, 10, 25, and 50 miles.
Compared with other big cities
New Orleans sits at sea level (0 ft (0 m)). Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: New Orleans is 858 ft below it.
The state capital, Baton Rouge, is 73 mi away in a straight line and 46 ft higher than New Orleans.
Of the 4 cities in Louisiana with a page, New Orleans is the lowest. The others are Shreveport (150 ft), Baton Rouge (46 ft), and Lafayette (37 ft).
The highest point in Louisiana is Driskill Mountain, at 535 ft according to the USGS: 535 ft above New Orleans, 239 mi away in a straight line.
- 91 New Orleans 0 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Distances from New Orleans
The 4 cities with a distance page from New Orleans: by road, as the crow flies, driving (or flight) time and the midpoint.
- New Orleans to Houston 347 mi by road · 6 h 26 min · 317 mi as the crow flies
- New Orleans to Memphis 394 mi by road · 7 h 15 min · 359 mi as the crow flies
- New Orleans to Atlanta 469 mi by road · 8 h 33 min · 424 mi as the crow flies
- New Orleans to Baton Rouge 80 mi by road · 1 h 34 min · 73 mi as the crow flies
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of New Orleans.
What is the elevation of New Orleans?
New Orleans is at sea level: 0 feet (0 m). That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of New Orleans?
Latitude 29.95465 and longitude -90.07507, in decimal degrees (29° 57′ 17″ N · 90° 4′ 30″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 782,293 E and 3,317,360 N, on NAD83.
How does New Orleans rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is New Orleans in?
Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
Which is higher, New Orleans or Baton Rouge?
Baton Rouge. New Orleans sits at 0 ft and Baton Rouge at 46 ft: a difference of 46 ft, 73 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know