In 1986, three Acadiana parishes lost more than 13,000 jobs

Lafayette, Iberia and Vermilion parishes together had 13,635 fewer jobs on an annual-average basis in 1986 than in 1985, according to Vermilion Boom’s calculation from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 1985 and 1986 employment records. The decline covered the local economy as a whole within the federal series, rather than oil and gas alone.

Lafayette Parish accounted for the largest change. Its annual-average employment fell from 88,082 to 77,261, a loss of 10,821 jobs, or 12.3%, in the BLS records. Iberia declined from 23,633 to 21,934, down 1,699 jobs, or 7.2%. Vermilion went from 12,554 to 11,439, down 1,115 jobs, or 8.9%.

Those comparisons come from the same all-industry, total-covered category in both annual files. They show that the contraction crossed parish lines while differing considerably in size. The combined count fell from 124,269 to 110,634, or about 11.0%, calculated from those six BLS observations.

The published establishment series moved downward too. In the same 1985 and 1986 files, annual-average establishments declined from 5,632 to 5,467 in Lafayette, from 1,673 to 1,622 in Iberia, and from 1,136 to 1,107 in Vermilion. BLS explains in its annual publication guidance, consulted September 13, 2026, that before 1991 employers could combine same-industry locations within a county. These figures are therefore neither a precise physical-site count nor a tally of companies that went bankrupt.

What does a lost job mean in this table? BLS explains in its QCEW guidance, consulted September 13, 2026, that the program counts filled jobs at the workplace, including part-time jobs, and can count a person more than once if they hold multiple jobs. Its records principally come from employers reporting to unemployment-insurance programs. The figures therefore do not establish how many parish residents became unemployed or moved away.

Nor do these all-industry totals identify the employers responsible for the decline. They provide a clear measure of how much covered employment contracted in one year. Assigning that loss to oil prices, particular companies or another cause requires evidence beyond this table.