Grow NELA Publishes Tax Data Showing Meta Site Lifted Richland Q1 Sales Taxes to $38.7 Million
Updated
Updated · The Advocate · Jul 24
Grow NELA Publishes Tax Data Showing Meta Site Lifted Richland Q1 Sales Taxes to $38.7 Million
2 articles · Updated · The Advocate · Jul 24
Summary
$38.7 million in Richland Parish sales taxes for Q1 2026 topped the year-earlier $5.3 million by more than sixfold, prompting Grow NELA to publish regional tax data tied to Meta's Hyperion construction boom.
Grow NELA said the gains extend beyond the project epicenter as aggregate and other materials move through nearby parishes: Franklin Parish sales taxes rose 14% and East Carroll's climbed more than 8%.
Full-year estimates point to a broader regional lift, with Richland projected at $97.7 million in 2026 versus its pre-Meta high of $20.6 million, while Ouachita is seen reaching $267.8 million against a 2024 peak of $223.7 million.
The agency plans to add industry-level tax breakdowns and later track jobs, property taxes and housing demand, while arguing the data offers a factual counterpoint as U.S. communities increasingly resist data center projects.
Concerns over water, power demand, farmland loss, traffic and lifestyle change remain, even as local officials say the former state-owned industrial site had long been marketed for large-scale development.