Officials: 14 companies consider coming to St. Mary

FRANKLIN — The talk at Wednesday’s St. Mary Parish Council meeting was about renaissance and how to handle it.
Parish President Sam Jones told the council that 14 companies are considering coming to St. Mary. That investment could reverse a decade-long slide in employment and population.
Neither Jones nor Economic Development Director Evan Boudreaux identified the companies considering relocation here.
But Boudreaux told the council that investment here over the last three years and in the short-term future could amount to $1 billion. That includes the $550 million the parish has already attracted in the last three years.
“This is definitely the economic renaissance of St. Mary Parish,” Boudreaux said. “We’re on a trajectory to really capture growth that is meaningful, long-term and sustainable.”
“We’ve got to be determined,” Jones said. “We’ve got to be righteous in what we do, and we’ve got to talk to these people and ask what they need.”
Councilman J Ina of Franklin asked Jones and Boudreaux whether there are prospects for new housing for another 1,500-2,500 employees the new businesses could attract.
Jones said there may soon be news about a new subdivision in Ina’s District 2.
The administration has also been talking with the owner of 14,000 St. Mary acres about the possibility of building homes on his land and even providing seed money.
“This is a landowner that not only can do that but is willing to put their money where their mouth is,” Boudreaux said.
But one factor is complicating the housing picture: insurance.
Portions of St. Mary have been hit harder by rising home insurance premiums than anywhere else in the country, Boudreaux said.
“We’re seeing these premiums increase,” Boudreaux said. “We’re not seeing incomes corresponding to that.”
Still, Jones said, “I think once we get one or two to start building, it’s going to go.”
An influx of capital and new jobs could reverse a trend developing for at least a decade.
The 2020 Census indicated that St. Mary lost 9.6% of its 2010 population. The 2025 Census estimate showed the loss of another 5.8%, leaving St. Mary with a population of 46,552.
The number of people employed in St. Mary fell from 25,428 in 2015 to 19,377 by the end of 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.